The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1916-04-07
His Affinity
B, WILLIAM CHANDLER

Dry, why dOnt you get marrled!'
Nonsense, Helen! You know ne
we'll as l that we men don't marry the
women; they marry U.s."
But" Helen persisted, III no wom-
an chooses to take the trouble to bring
you down AMI you don't care to re-
main single, deprived Of wife, chill
dren and the comforts of a home, it
seems to me that you had better bestir
yourself"
Helen was a matchmaker. l knew
she had some scheme on hand and
waited for her to declare 1t.
II can make it easy for you," she
continued. Il know a girl who. like
you, has put off matrimony too long
and has begun to realize that she Is
drifting toward q lonely old spinster-
hood. l have offered to help her out
| 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," l 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
1, knowing Of your plan, would doubt
less have spurned each other. Your
proposal is delightful. I enter into it
with all my heart. But why do you
assume that there will be a natural Sc
lection between us?"
Il don't l simply assume that you
are persons of opposite sex who seek
a mate. The mate being at hand, per-
haps you will recognize 1t IL you are
left to yourselves to do So"
l spent a number of week ends at
Helen's country seat, besides two
weeks in August.
I fancied she had got up the scheme
to make q match between me and
some dear friend Of hers, and I be-
lieved that I might find out the young
lady by the fact that she was some
one Helen adored. But l knew that
Helen would conceal this adoratien
from me.
I settled upon q Miss Jewett, one Of
her guests during the summer whom
I 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 rs are usually attractive to
men. In other words, there was q lot
to her, though l admit the words are
a very poor description. l met her at
a 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
I 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 l were talking with her and
Judkins came up she would dismiss
me with a nod, accompanied by q
smile, and l was thus commanded to
give place to him. After three days
at Ternwo0d I went back to town dis
gruntled.
During the longer period I spent at
Fernwood Miss Jcwett was again q
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.
II suppose" l grumbledsto my hest
ess, that you've got another couple
besides me and my unknown to bring
| tOgether-Miss 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 I
went OF to hunt up ome Of the other
| ~spinsters, none Of whom interested ne
in the least. Judkins went away Sun
day afternoon, and I spent Sunday
| evening In q t~ete-a-tete with This ~
lection" which wa what I considered
her. She had the tact to ignore him
] now that he was gone, and I had never
known her to be so entertaining.
Not long after this I told Helen that
her selection plan for me must have
| gone awry, since I had evidently run
| across Judktns' affinity. But she turn
| ed the subject, giving me no ~satisfac-
ton. l,i4t
The summer passed without any %.
lection between me and q girl. 20 far
as l could see, but during the winter I
saw q great deal Of Miss Jewett. I