Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-06-23
A DOUBLE
MISTAKE
By ELINOR MARSH

"Ah, Mr.. Edmondsi Happy to see
you. But / confess that l am sur
prised."
"At what, may l ask?"
Mother wrote me hat you were
very young looking for your age, but
I did not expect to see a man who can
not have reached middle age"
"And have been told hat you, too,
do not look your age"
az? Why, how oldsdo you think meT"
"a man has no right to think at all
about a lady's age. I was given to I'M
derstand that you do not look forty"
"Fortyr'
'That's what / was told. To me you
don't look over twenty. But perhaps
there are two Of you about twenty
each"
"You speak in riddles"
"Did you never hear OF the man who
said that a woman of forty should be
like a bank bill that may be changed
for two twenties? Ha, hap
Mr.. Edmonds was the only one Of
the two who laughed at his own joke.
Miss Fielding looked at him, wonder
ing If he we're not q tri1e daft. Her
mother, who was a widow, had writ
ten her that she was engaged to be
married to a Mr.. Edmonds, who would
call upon her; that he was of suitable
age for the mother and she hoped
Gwen would be pleased with him.
Was her mother to marry a man who
appeared to be fifteen or twenty years
younger than herself, who cracked
jokes about changing the oma he
was to marry for two girls? What did
1t all mean?
As for Edmonds, his father had
written him of his engagement and
had asked him to call on his fiancee,
who would be at home after a certain
date. He supposed he was calling on
his future stepmother, and Gwen sup
posed she was receiving her future
stepfather.
81 must confess, Mr.. Edmonds," said
Gwen coldly, 'that you are quite a diff
ferent man from the one I expected to
see."
"And l confess" was the smiling re-
ply, "that l am very a%greeably disap-
pointed in you"
Gwen looked at him with a blank
stare. "What kind of a person did
you expect to meet?" she asked.
"a woman twice your age"
"And l expected to find in you a man
from fifty to sixty"
"My father in that case would be
from eighty to q hundred"
"I am not considering your father.
I am speaking of a man Of suitable
age
but would you consider a nan
three-duarters of a century old a suita-
BILE match for a girl"-
"Girl! Do you consider my mother
a girlY"
1t was now Mr.. Edmonds' turn to
be astonished. II was given to under
stand that both your parents were
dead" he said.
"My father is dead, but I assure you
that If you are to talk as n~onsensicaIly
to my mother as you have been talk
ing to me you'll find her very much
alive. l assure you she will not brock
a proposal to change her for two young
girls"
Gan I have to say" rejoined Mr.. Ed
monds, with a puzzled look on his face,
"is that, while l know nothing what
ever of the prospective mother-in-law,
the bride to be is very charming"
"What mother-in-law?"
"My fathers. l fear that If she is
disposed to be cranky there will be
trouble in the family. My father is a
well disposed man and I am sure will
be able to get on with his bride, but
as for a mother-in-law, If she is like
the most of them it will be a monkey
and a parrot business between them"
Miss Fielding stood looking at Mr..
Edmonds with amazement and grow
ing anger for a few moments, then
swept out of the room, saying as she
went that her mother must have gone
stark, staring mad. Reaching the
front door she went out, shutting 1t
behind her not over carefully.
81 wonder what the governor MEANS"
said Mr.. Edmonds to himself, "by ty-
ing himself up to a young thing like
that and evidently with a fine temper.
And won't she make it hot for meP'
He waited until Gwen had had time
to get some distance from the house,
then went into the hall, took his hat,
crammed it down on his head, and
went his way.
The next day Mrs. Fielding returned,
learned that Mr.. Edmonds had called
and asked Gwen If she was pleased
with him.
PLEASED with him!' said Gwen.
Mamma, have you gone mad to en-
gage yourself to a young fellow who
says he would like to change you for
two girls, each twenty years oldT'
"Gwen! What do you meanY'
"Why, mother; he's young enough to