Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-03-19

- 49, 'N'f'- - N"R 49, - -
parlor was turned low: on a couch there
SAL two figures. dimly outlined in The glow.
One was Sally Eileen Perkins told man
Perkin>'s only gall, and the other Percy
Darling, who waS deep IN love with Sal.
Sally cuddlcd close to Percy tvery clo~el /;
her pretty head nestled on hi~ manly
shoulder tyes, of course her hair wasn't
red !! and the young mans arms were
ronnd her III a passionate embrace n he
drew her closer to him, Showering kisses on
her face.
"Oh, my darling q%uavered Percy, will
You share my future life?"
.Ye~. dear shy answered Sally, "lll
be proud TO be your wifer' Then once
more they clinched, and floated on a sea of
heavenly bliss, and once more their lips
united IN q long, sweet, %clinging kiss. Pres
emily their lips ~unscrambled, and they sat
q bit apart; Sally's face suffuscd with
bushes, and her wildly beating heart flut-
tering in her dainty bosom till she scarce
could draw her breath, a. She said: BE
have now. Percy. N.Y. You've Rugged me
most To death y
Percy, manlike. tried 10 grab her and
administer some more If the brand 81
bliss producer he had given her before. but
she ducked, and fortified herself behind a
rocking chair. and the eager arms of Per
cy closed upon the empty air. Quite IN vain
poor Percy pleaded tried IN vain ia Get
her range, but she kept him nj \ distance.
which ~ thought was very strange. She
had clung ID madly 10 him when She lay
within his arms; now She seemed quite cool
and distant, but this only made her
charms seem more h%auntinglv %alluring than
they'd seemed before, and her coyne~~ (aS
inlended) made him love her an the more,
Sally. with IN eve ID business tand her
face was almost sad, said: NO, Percy
please don't kiss me any more till you've
asked dad. You can tell him that | love
yoh. aud want to be your wife. but |
think before you ask him YOU had best in
sure your lifcl Nou see. dads an awful
roughncck. and tx thinks that vou're N
dude: wv fear that when YOU ask him. he
may ~ u little rude. But don't let him
bluff You. darling; show some sand and
play the game II he roarS AZ you. just call
HIM; he's not very hard 10 tame. could
fix him in five minutes 20 he'd gladly give
consent. but think that III such eases. it's
the business WI the gent wv plarate The
irate parent. far VI surely would look bad
for i gent To win 4 lady, and then fail "a
win her dad"
Much a. Percy wor-hiped Sally. her
words filled him with di-may; for he knew
what old man Perkins could Pc counted on
NJ say. and still worse, deep IN hi- q%uIycrng
heart WI hearts hc surely knew Just about
what old man Perkins could ~ counted On
to do! An. no wonder that he trembled. and
was bathed in chilly sweat: that he shud-
dered a. he contemplated what he soon
would get, lie would gladly die for Sal
.ly-dcath for her would cen hc sweet
hit the thought W.T. old man Perkins gave
him cold and clummy feet.
81 ~ said good night "a Sally with u
heart that felt like lead. for tomorrow, he
reflected. he would be the same a. dead: all
his dreams would then be over: never more
for him the bliss that was his a. Sally
lover. never more for him her kiss
Through TIE black night hours. ur~lceping.
he lay staring Ill the gloom, till the dawn
at last came creeping through the lattice
of his room. Then he rose, wild-eyed and
haeeard. TO prepare for the ordeal of hl-
chat with old man Perkins, which, he knew.
hi~ doom would seal!
II was very true that Percy with old man
Perkins had small chance. lie had been
his mama'~ darling, ever since he'd worn
knee pants. She had never seemed to want
him to grow up a real man. - at twenty
three hi- education had not vet 'hcgan.
Ii was rather tough on Percy. he was real
IN \ nice boy. and twas not hi~ fault they'd
lrt him grow up pn~i 4 pretty toy: Just =
thing that danced and dwadlcd Just 4 sort
Of gcnteel Shirk who knew all about re-
iinement, but did nui know how 10 work.
Outwardlv he seemed n lovely. fragile
creature. that could not stand the ioltS and
Jar. u real life, where things sometimes
gct hot. on the surface. ne was merely
ornamental, III \ ''nicc" way that charmed
the gentle ladies, but made men desire 10
slice from his face his perfect features and
r%corganizc his map, for his beauty made
them angry. and they didn't care q rap for
his Chc~tcrticldian manners. or hlS lovely
pompadour. and hi~ efforts to be gracious
with men only made them -orel
This was what his doting mama, IN her
ignorance, had done; this, the dummy she'd
constructed of what should nave been her
son. That was what She made of Percy by
rejecting natures plan: she had made this
tailor's dummy ~ what should have been \
But deep down beneath the surface
Percy had Il fighting strain ot clean grit
m unsupported, it lay buried IN his brain.