Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-11-04
mhhMAAhnhMhM M um ..PEGGY'S PR0P0SAls.
By E. HOLLAND.
'AAAADA aA AAMA


 a bevy of veranda beauties as Mar garet Randall joined them. ea T
 "Offer of what?"
 "Oh, gracious, girls, tel. herl"
 "Why, the captain has offered" began one of the damsels.
 "You mistake, my dear young lady" interrupted the captain. "I offer noth- ing. But have signified my willing ness to consider any or all offers made me. You see, Miss Peggy" said he, turning toward the late arrival, who, although far from being beautiful, ruled them by right of brightness, her wit and her inexhaustible resources .as an entertainer. 'T am disgusted with the way you young ladies' are neglect ing your leap year advantages, and I will wager that not one of you has made an offer of marriage this year, Have you now?"
 'Nothing but the awful dread. of be. ing refused 7has deterred us, captain,"' answered Miss Randall. 'Think of our feelings, when after laying our hearts and fortunes at your feet you refuse to listen.,
 That's just the Aontingency l have been providing for. The very point we were discussing when you joined us and I said that to every girl refused this year I would give-R Jersey COW. I've a fine drove of them, you know, and it's no more than right that there should be some little consolation prize offered"
 "That's not so bad; but great heav- ems, captain!" exclaimed one of the younger men. ''Have you the least idea of what you are liable to get into?"
 The group on the veranda. broke up and Peagy, together with half dozen of the young people, went outside to arrange for the theatricals, leaving to the rest the discussion of the eccentric bachelors latest.
 The end of the season came and found the captain still open to engage ments and he confided to one of the young ladies that he was thinking se- riously of settling down, lest he might make the mistake of walking clear through the wood and then at last pick-s Ing up crooked stick.
 You accept whatever offers tonight. captain" said she mischievously. It was the night of the last dance of the season. 4s ,,a
 Captain Nicely, who was not danc- Ing man, promenadec the veranda with a combination of blonde hair and pink muslin on his arm.
 'Well, Peggy, why don't you begin; surely you have heard this thing done times enough to know howl"
 She had dropped his arm and the joke as soon as they were out of sight of the group on the veranda, but he in-, sisted on keeping up the conversation as it had started out.
 Miss Randall was generally regarded as young woman without vulner- able point; stone-hearted in fact. In reality she was girl of unusually high ideals and probably because she had SO much to give she expected much in return. Not perfection but her ideal of manhood was noble one and Cap tain Nicely at times seemed to her to fulfill 1t more than any man she had yet known.
 It always seemed to her that she never appeared to such poor advantage as when with him, for then all the ability as a conversati1nalist, with which she was credited, seemed to de! sert her and she felt that to him she must appear most uninteresting per- son.
 Now she dared not let him see that she was afraid to go on with the farce, so in the gayest manner she began again just as they came upon a seat among the trees into which the cap- tain deliberately threw himself, leav- ing her standing: My adorable James isn't that the way they usually be- gin?"
 "very gNod," was the answer, ''hut I positively refuse to listen to any pro- posal unless the suitor, gets down on his knees."
 "You base man, you evidently mean to luxuriate in the situation, but l can't go down on my knees here. I'll soil my dress"
 Captain Nicely gravely spread his pocket handkerchief on the ground In front of him and imperatively mo. toned her to kneel, and that she did, and in the most approved voice of sup. pressed emotion began:
 My adorable James; while deeply conscious of my great unworthiness---" E. Don't mention It." s j, "-I must utter the words that have 70 long trembled upon my lips-I--I-!
 "Well, utter them." X
 May I dare believe that the feet ng entertain for you is in measure feciprocated, and that at no distant time I may have the unutterable hap. piness of calling my own one whose welfare so entirely fills my soul and whose slightest wish will ever be my taw?"
 ssYou may" gravely answered the be-