The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-05-26
By ESTHER VANDEVEER

| MIR. King was mentioned as guest
at the house of one of Mrs. Haskins'
friends. The lady was appealed to to
bring about a meeting between Mr..
King and Miss HaSkins and did so
at dinner given by the mutual friend.
After the dinner Isabel returned to
her home with a red spot in each
cheek and spark in each eye.
"Well?" said Mrs. Haskins.
"Oh, mother. he has no remem-
brance of me whatever"
"Then he is the man we supposed
him to be?'
HE Is"
"And do you still desire to marry
him?"
Absolutely"
Did he seem pleased with you?"
81 think So"
"Why is it not to his interest as
much as yours that you and he should
be married?"
perhaps it is"
"Then why do you not tell him of
your meeting ten years ago, giving him
the reasons, If he does not already
know them, why he should marry your
Because / loved him then. love
him now, and / wish him to marry
me for love, not for any other reason
whatever"
The mother was obliged to be salts
| fed with this statement, though curl
osity was sharpened by her interest In
| ba,, In
invited to the Haskins' to dinner. He
| came and set Isabels heart wildly
| throbbing by saying some deliciously
sweet words to her. But when later
he met her at a social function she
saw him chatting with another girl,
and, judging from his expression, he
was saying sweet words to her, caus-
ing Isabel's heart to sink as rapidly as
it had risen.
A few days later Mr.. King called,
making as an excuse the offering Of
his box at the opera. Either he was
the same skillful love maker he had
been a decade before or he was much
smitten with Miss Haskins. In his
conduct were many of the indications
of a sure affection.
And so the affair went on. At one
time he would be devoted to her; at
another she would hear that he was
browsing among the prettiest girls In
the social swim. What most troubled
her was that he was passing into that
age where a bachelors admiration Is
bestowed upon girls much younger
than himself.
However, as the weeks few by his
devotion to Isabel grew more constant.
He had appeared to purposely display
attentions to young girls when she
was present to observe them. This he
was gradually giving up. Indeed, the
affair between them had gone so far
that his attentions to other girls ceased
to trouble her. Flowers had begun to
come from him to her, sure sign that
a proposal is about to be made. One
evening when King followed a box of
them he had sent he called, and when
Isabel came down to meet him he put
his arms about her, kissed her warmly
and said:
MY dear wife, 1t is time this play
came to q climax"
"WifeT"
Eyes. knew you the moment saw
you. Immediately after that wedding
which was got up between us in a
youthful frolic | went to a lawyer and
asked him If it could be construed into
legal marriage. He replied that If
hof TIT dn1 ~ q NTH
in the law of wedlock. 1t was inten-
tional with me. If it was the same
with you we were married ten years
ago.
"In my heart it surely was inten-
tional."
II resolved" continued King, that
as soon as | had accumulated a sufi-
fiency l would ask you the question
that would. If answered in the affirm
alive, make US one. have since been
more than fortunate. | came here pur-
posely to find you. When | saw that
you did not remember me-
81 did" interrupted Isabel. II sup
posed, however. that you did not recog-
nize me-"
II wished to win you"
And / wished just as much to win
you"
When Isabel Joined her mother she
gave evidence that something momen-
tous had happened.
you are engaged" exclaimed Mrs.
Haskins.
'No-married."
Married.
Yes, we have been married ten
years, but we didn't know It."