The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1916-11-24

Dear" she said. II am the happiest
woman in the world"
And Jim, looking wretchedly from
Ethels happy face to the grinning one
of his brother. realized that 1t was not
so easy 10 tell her as he had thought
IL would be.
He arrived home In Harry's wake,
raging. Nothing would satisfy him
but that Harry should go to Ethel and
ut once confess the prank that he had
played. But Harry was adamantine.
"Jim, old man, it's for your own
good" he said. Its time you were
married; you like Ethel, you know, and
one day you'll come to me and thank
me for what / have done"
sect out Of my house!" stormed Jim.
"From this moment you are no brother
OF mine. Confound you, it's another
girl / was thinking of" he added.
1t was, for now Nora Doyle began
to assume a very different aspect In
his imagination. He knew that If he
had any sense he would have proposed
to Nora long before.
But he could not tell Ethel. She
looked so happy, her manner was so
loving, her greeting so affectionate.
And sadly Jim came to the conclusion
that he would have to marry her.
Nora Doyle and he seemed always to
be meeting now. Ethel asked Jim that
their engagement should remain Sc
cret for the present; consequently
Nora suspected nothing. And Jim
found ii impossible to avoid telling
her of his love and of his tragic mis-
take.
He avoided her, but still they met /;
he would go for long country tramps,
and he would encounter Nora on the
way; he went to town once, and Nora
happened to be taking the same train.
And at last, utterly worn out, he re-
solved to ask Ethel to marry him at
once. The sooner it was over, the
sooner he could learn resignation.
Ethels manner had been a little GER
emonious of late. Jim had not seen
iiti ioi tWO 40 hc tnttItu tic
garden of her house he heard her
voice, then a mans and, to his aston
ishment, ii sounded like Harry's. The
next moment he had turned the corner
OF the hedge and come upon Harry
holding Ethel in his arms.
He stood still, struck speechless,
with mixture Of wild relief and al
most ungovernable fury. The pair,
surprised, started apart; then Ethers
ringing laughter broke upon Jim's
ears.
you tell him, Harry" she said.
"We're engaged, old man." said Har-
ry, approaching his brother a little
warily.
what do you mean?" shouted Jim.
'Now, don't get mad, my boyl ]
knew you loved certain party, but
were holding off, and that you'd lose
her if you didn't hurry up; so Ethel
and contrived this little trick on you.
We've been engaged all along, and
Forgive me, JIM" said Ethel, COM
ing forward.
But Jim had bolted-bOlted is the
only word that can be used to describe
the method Of his movement. Harry
and Ethel, watching him, saw that his
course was uphill, Immediately toward
Nora'S house.
at worked!" said Harry ecstatically.
Ethel, you're wonder. You're an
angel. Kiss me as many times as
you've kissed JIM"
An hour later, little shamefaced
jim Scanlon returned. "It's all right,
he said. ''She's accepted me. And
why shouldn't we all be married on
the same dayY
"Just what Ethel suggested" an
swered Harry. "Say, are you glad
now?"
Harry" said Jim earnestly, 81
thank you from the bottom of my
heart"
But he did not quite understand the
meaning of Harry's very enigmatiC
grin-till he remembered.