Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-03-26
The Passing Of The Popping
BY A. T. LOCKE nd B. NJ. C0NLON
COPYRIGHT by the Frank A. Munsey Go.

that painting.
Il am alone now,' he ended, ''but the
picture is mine still, and the fortunes of
the world could not buy it. You must come
up and see ii some night" he added cor
daily n we parted.
Everett was a h~ustling young business
man.
"Thcre's no such thing he said bri>kly
when l asked, him how he had proposed.
s'The realization that the thing il all set.
with the exception of determining a date,
Just creeps over you hke-like-
"Like a roller over a ripe goose
berry, | suggested a. ] FASTENED away
with n light heart. ! needed the money.
And then | met Stevens.
He was coming down the street with a
little golden haired girl toddiing along BY
his side. She had eyes of the darkest kind
Of blue, and they peeped out from under
a quaint little bonnet Of the sort that l.
worn by darlings of four years. In her
hand was "A stick Of that barber-pole candy
that | could never figure out the con-
struction of when | was n child, or even
vet. for that matter.
Stevens was softly whistling little arias,
and he gave me a salute as cheerful n the
sign of welcome on the Emptyville depot
that StareS ut delegates arriving IN town
| for the grand triennial conference and con
~vention of the Exalted and Mighty High
Potcntat,s of the Affiliated and United
Sovereigns Of the World.
stopped him.
GLOW did YOU ~propose!" ! demanded
without a culver in my voice. ] could Zee
myself blotting the endorsement on the
back of the check.
Stevens looked puzzled. and ! had to ex-
plain that il was just a within Of NINE. and
that perhaps ! might need his formula
some day. before he would tell me of his
experience.
When he thoroughly understood just why
wanted to know Of the manner in which
he won hi~ life mate, his eyes frightened.
lie looked down ut the little tot beside him
and smiled.
III had been in college two years" he
said, .when my father died, and ] had 10
get out and rustic for myself. ] went 10
Colorado and got a job in a Pueblo steel
shelter nj wheeling Stag for one hundred
and twenty-five cents per diem.
II was friendIesS. and practically alone
but after ! had been there a little while !
made II friend. and began TO get along bet
ter in my work. and crave less and less
for the things that | had left behind.
"When | got to he u craftsman and wa~
put in the offices, the daughter of the
president of the company used to ramblc
around once in n while. and | thought she
took quite n fancy 20 me. and the old man
was responsible for several favorS that
came my way.
"One night ! was with the little girl |
adored. We were in the house. There was
n fire in the cook-stoye and the light wa~
low. and the red glow through the i~ing-
Iglass made shadows that danced around
the little room like a vaudeville traeedian.
.fIeyr' | broke in. "Just n minute. The
president daughter entertaining her com
pany in the kitchen. That Won't do"
He never needed me.
"Somehow or other. ! was lonesome that
night, and there was comfort in the pres
cncc of Delphi. | touched her hand. Ii
was "A soft and gentle hand" he said chal-
Ilcngingly, a. though the world was always
ready 10 laugh at the whole bubble nf ro-
nance and prick il INTO "A few drops Of
grcasy water of reality.
When he found that | did not laugh. hc
continued:
"And her voice was just n sweet n her
face, and her dark blue eyes were a. pure
and lovely ~ they could he"
| could not help being a little dispar-
aging.
"Are presidents daughters all the same"
remarked.
lie looked up a little wondcringly.
II am not talking about any presidents
daughter. The girl | loved was the daueh-
ter of my boarding house mi>tress-the
girl who was my best friend in the Bic
Life"
'Ohr' | said.
and she was quiet and | was quiet.
he continued, "and finally ! tried to slip
my arm around her waist: hut her TINY
hand resisted the effort, and then ! sighed
land asked her for a kiss. She turned her
face from me and hung her head and only
| whispered. You can do better than me.
Stevens extended hi~ hand like an orat-
or.
"Then, by Heaven" he beloved with an
lair Of defiance. Il got right down on my
| knee~-cn my knees. do you get me!-and
asked her to marry me. And She ld-Go
bless the day-she did," he concluded eN-
pressively.
.Whnf" cried. ycxed and petulantly,