Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-08-24
His Affinity
By WILLIAM CHANDLER

"Jim," said my friend Mrs. Now
bry, why don't you get marricd?
Nonsense, Helen! You know as
well as I that we men don't marry the
women; they marry U.S."
But" Helen persisted, 'if no wom-
nm 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, it
seems to me that you had better bestir
yourself"
Helen was Il matchmaker. l 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 u girl who, like
you, has put off matrimony too long
and has begun to realize that she is
drifting toward 4 lonely old spinster-
hood. / have offered to help her out.
| have invited her to spend July and
August with me at Fernwood. 1 shall
have other guests during the summer,
both men and women. / shall tell her
that | have a man in view for her.
How would you like to be that man?"
"IIelen," exclaimed admiringlv.
you are the queen of matchmakers.
Had you told me you had a girl for
me and introduced me to her, she and
l, 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 q natural Sc
lection between u.s."
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 it if you arc
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 a match between me and
some dear friend of hers, and I be-
lieved that l might find out the young
lady by the. fact that she was some
one Helen adored. But 1 knew that
Helen would conceal this alteration
from me.
I settled upon a Miss Jewett, one of
her guests during the summer whom
1 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 I admit the words are
a very poor description. I 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
1 preferred her company.
I 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. If I were talking with her and
Judkins came up she would dismiss
me with a nod, accompanied by a
smile, and l was thus commanded to
give place to him. After three days
at Fernwood went back to town dis
gruntled.
During the longer period l spent at
Fernwood Miss Jewett was again a
visitor there. She seemed delighted to
meet me again, and we We're getting
on nicely when that fellow Judkins re-
appeared, and again my association
with Miss Jewett was broken up.
' "I snnnose." / grnmhlad to nv host