Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-10-26
WHEN FLIRT
MEETS FLIRT
By OSCAR cox

10 my law ONCE anu asked ue 10 lake
a breach of promise case for her.
| burst into a laugh.
what are you laughing atY' she
asked as If much hurt.
THAT you, the biggest firt In the
state, should propose to sue any man
for breach of promise. know half a
dozen men who could get a verdict
against you on such an action any
day"
Very well, then III have to get an
other lawyer"
She arose to go. but | stopped her.
j wished to hear more.
"Who is the follow" | asked.
Phil Nickerson."
"Phil Nickerson! Why, l thought he
was madly In love with YOU"
See here, Jim said Alice, chang
ing her tone, IF you will take this
case, doing just what tell you to do.
nothing more and nothing less. I'll
give you a thousand dollar fee."
Alice is of the rich branch of
family, / of the poor branch. | vas
booked. | told her | was ready to
take her orders. She dictated a letter
to be sent in my name to Mr.. Nicker-
son saying that my client considered
herself to have been shamefully treat
ed by him and demanded $4,000 dam
ages. The recipient would never ac-
cuse me or any nan of writing such
a letter, for it was feminine from the
first to the last word. Nevertheless it
went to him exactly as she had dictat-
ed it.
In due time q reply came stating
that the writer had proposed to Miss
Wood, but she had never accepted him.
For six months he bad waited for her
decision. but. there being no prospect
of its coming. he had given the matter
up. He knew enough of law to be
sure that no proposition would hold
good indefinitely.
l showed the letter to Alice, and she
dictated a missive stating that she
had accepted Mr.. Nickerson several
times. l didn't see how the several
tines added strength to the contract.
but l had agreed to obey orders and
did SO. The reply to my letter stated
that in contracts there must be part
payment to bind the bargain. In half
a dozen acceptances Of Mr.. Nickerson
there had been nothing passed except
9 kiss for each acceptance; These
could not BE considered payments
since both had given and both re-
ceiyed. When | showed this letter to
my client she bristled.
"He should be ashamed of himself"
she said. ito mention such sacred
things to you"
"How about the revelations that are
to come Out when the case gets into
court?" asked.
This was a poser. and when a wom-
an meets a poser she takes refuge in
silence. 1t was evident to me that she
had quarreled with a man she loved,
"How would 1t do" / suggested, for
me, as your consolidating without
your knowledge or consent, mind you
to propose q reconciliationY
Reconciliation! Do you suppose !
would be r~econciled to that mani"
4 "VeI, then, 1 might write him that
no RECONCILIATION Is possible. That
might bring him around"
ITO what?" Tss
well. payment of damages"
II don't want any damages. | wish
to punish him."
"For what?"
"Why. while engaged to me he show
ed especial attention to that Gallagher
girl"
"Oh, he did! Well. suppose l tell
him that you would not stand such
treatmentY"
You might do that" was the reply.
after some thought.
ut would weaken your case. He
might claim that his attentions to Miss
Gallagher had caused you to break the
engagement"
THAT would be ridiculous. He knows
better"
Suppose | write him that if he will
apologize for his attentions to Miss
Gallagher while engaged to you you
will forgive
"Neveri"
Hold on. You will forgive him SC
far as to waive the d~amages?"
IT might do that-if he is very peni-
tent"
/ was engaged to a lovely girl, was
anxious to be married and needed that
thousand dollar fee. This matter had
dragged on long enough. I asked Alice
If l should send a letter ~embodying what
she had acceded to, and she gave me
permission. / wrote the letter and was
unprofessionally dishonest enough to
add that / advised a compromise, rec
ommending that Mr.. Nickerson settle
the matter personally out of court and
irrespective of counsel.
A day or two later Alice came into my
office, very proud of herself. She said
she had brought the scamp to terms.
He had ~apologiZed. offered to amend