The bee., 1916-04-25
His Affinity.
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

women; they marry U.S."
But" Helen persisted, IF no wom-
an chooses to take the trouble to bring
you down and you don't care to re-
main single, deprived of wife, chill
dren and the comforts Of a home, IL
seems to me- that you had better bestir
| yourself"
Helen was a matchmaker. | knew
she had some scheme ON hand and
waited for her to declare it.
81 can make it easy for you" she
continued. Il know a girl who, like
you, has put on matrimony too long
and has begun to realize that she is
drifting toward lonely old spinster-
hood. l have offered to help her out.
l have invited her to spend July and
August with me at FernwOod. / shall
have other guests during the summer,
both men and women. l shall tell her
that l have a man in view for her
How would you like to be that man?"
"Helen," ! exclaimed admiringly
"you are the queen of matchmakers!
Had you told me you had a, girl for
me and introduced me to her, she and
/, knowing Of your plan, would doubt
less have spurned each other. Your
proposal is delightful. / enter into It
with all my heart. But why do you
assume that there will be a natural Sc
lection between us7"
Il don't. 1 simply assume that you
are persons of opposite sex who seek
a mate. The mate being at hand, per
haps you will recognize it If you are
left to yourselves TO do So"
spent a number of week ends at
Helen's country seat, besides two
weeks in August.
fancied she had got up the scheme
to make a match between me. and
some dear friend of hers, and / be-
lieved that 1 might find out the young
lady by the fact that she was some
one Helen adored. But l knew that
Helen would conceal this alteration
from me. $780, -.
1 settled upon a Miss Jewett, one of
her guests during the summer whom
l had heard her speak of quite often
before as the lady between whom and
me there was to be a natural selec-
ton. Miss Jewett was evidently a
young woman not especially Of beau
ty or endowed with such lightweight
frivolities as are usually attractive to
men. In other words, there was a lot
to her, though 1 admit the words are
very poor description. met her at
week end visit early in the summer
and, having settled upon her as the
lady intended for me, showed her con-
siderable attention. To tell the truth,
she interested me in conversation and
1 preferred her company.
1 met her at Helen's again in July
and was counting on further pleasant
moments with her, but this time she
was principally taken up with a Mr..
Judkins, whom she seemed never to
tire of. II were talking with her and
Judkins came up she would dismiss
me with a nod, accompanied by
smile, and l was thus commanded to
give place to him. After three days
at Fenwood l went back to town dis
gruntled.
During the longer period 1 spent at
Fernwood Miss Jewett was again a
visitor there. She seemed delighted to
meet me again, and we were getting
on nicely when that fellow Judkins re-
appeared, and again my association
with Miss Jewett was broken up.
81 suppose" l grumbled to my host
ess, that you've got another couple
besides me and my unknown to bring
together-AIiss Jewett and that cad
Judkins. What she can see in him
Helen smiled and turned away with
out listening to the rest of it, and !
went off to hunt up some of the other
spinsters, none Of whom interested me
in the least Judkins went away Sun
day afternoon, and 1 spent Sunday
evening in a tete-a-tete with "his Sc
lection" which was what / considered
her. She had the tact to ignore him
now that he was gone, and had never
known her to be so entertaining.
Not long after this l told Helen that
her selection plan for me must have
gone awry, since had evidently run
across Judkins' affinity. But she turn
ed the subject, giving me no satisfac-
ton.
The summer passed without any Sc
lection between me and girl, so far
as l could see, but during the winter
saw a great deal Of Miss Jewett
ceased to be interfered with by Jud-
kins and-well, to make a long story
short, / made a match with Miss jew
EFT. Tom Mowbry and his wife were
at the wedding, and after the cere-
mony Tom handed his wife valuable
pearl necklace. asked how he came
to give it to her on that especial &C.
casiOn.
"She wen it on a bet. Last winter
she bet me that within a year she
would make a match between you and
the wife you have just married"
l turned TO Helen: you played me
false. My affinity was in your secret"
"Of course she was. Didn't you say,
We men don't marry the women; they
mafrS usT"
'Thank you very much, Helen" said
my wife, "fOr helping me out l am
sure we shall be very happy"
"How about Judkins" ] asked IN
| xUondarunant