Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-10
The Daily
Short Story
TRIPLE PROPOSAL.
BY Ethel vandeveer.


8 in the afternoon of New Years day
yawned, turned over. slept few min.
utes more. then woke up for good. He
| had gone to bed at o'clock in the
morning, after seeing the old wear
out and the new year in. Jimmie had
a special weakness for making love
| The butler opened the door cautions
| ~ and seeing that Jimmie was awake
entered the room and advanced to the
bed with a note in his hand Jimmie
opened it and read:
| Dearest Jimmie:
| 81 cannot wait a moment lonear
without saying to you thar last night
or this morning. you made me the han.
piest girl in the world. | am diving
to see you again; not in the whirl Of
last night. but in our coy library al
home. and tell you in a more formal
way that I return your love and shall
gladly be your wife.
Your own loving CLARA"
Jimmie was disturbed. He remem-
bered sitting in window seat with
tClara Robbins. talking "maudlin'" to
ther. as he expressed 1t, when others
lentered the room and interrupted the
ltete-a-tete. But he had no remem
braBce of proposal. While he was
vainly trying 10 recall what he had
said to- her the butler came in with
another note
Il thought there was no mail de-
livery today, Ben" said Jimmie.
There isn't. sah," replied Ben.
These notes was brought to the house
by messengers"
Jimmie opened the second note and
read
Dear Mr.. Twining;
Il send this little note to say that
feel highly honored at your fatter-
ing words last evening, and regret that
in such gay company ! was prevented
from making suitable reply. l will
say now, however, that if a week hence
You are of the same mind, will give
you favorable reply.
Sincerely yours,
KATHRYN RUGGLEs."
Well" said Jimmie, lugubriously,
If there are no more of them / at
least have an opportunity to settle
with one before the week Of probation
!. ends. Ill get up, refresh myself with
a bath, then proceed to think out a.
plan by which to extricate myself from
: this muddlen
d Jimmie did lot of thinking oyer
i the matter, but no plan occurred TO
e him that would cancel his proposals
{. without discredit to himself He took
I no action till the next morning, when
he resolved to go see Miss Clara Rob
) bins, and trust TO luck for an outcome
?, Afteg breakfast he telephoned Clara
i Robbins, asking her when it would be
: convenient for her that he should call
|, upon her. She named S o'clock the
o same evening.
It During the afternoon he received
: note by mail from Miss Amy Brown,
y indicating that he had made third
proposal of marriage on the same oc-
casion as the others
II If a man owes hundred dollars and
If can't pay, it worries him If he owes
s a hundred thousand with no funds to
e meet his debt, he accepts the situation
/ as inevitable. 1t was so with Twin
e ing. So long as he supposed he had
e engaged himself to one girl he was
y, very much troubled; when he discoy-
p cred that he had engaged himself to
three he considered himself a matfi-
monial bankrupt and his peace OF mind
g was in a measure restored to him
b He set off after dinner to tackle
i Clara Robbins with rose in his but
N ton hole and a. cigaret between his
At lips What he would say to her he did
ST not know. He must be guided by cir
+ cumstances, and he was conscious of
rs possessing an adroitness suitable TO
Id the occasion.
But circumstances were unfavorable
to happy issue. He found Miss Rob
az bins alone in the drawing room and in
Ill the beginning refrained from mention
n ing the subject between them. Just
CT as he was about to do so there was
"a ring at the door bell, and who should
l. be ushered in but Miss Brown, who,
re by the way, was chum of Miss Rob
SIS bins. Miss Brown looked very con-
ae scious at seeing Mr.. Twining, and
III there was eonstraint over all
s Though Jimmie was somewhat taken
aback by Miss Browns coming. he
was relieved for the moment, since the
or subject matter of his call could not be
IL discussed with a third person present,
e General conversation ensued for a
IS short time, when another guest arrived
~ in the person of Kathryn Ruggles.
ne Miss Ruggies was the spark that
NfOSNS an SApioslou- ONT 1G6o4 A~~
eu him contemptuously
Mr.. Twining," she said. Il have
concluded to end certain matter be-
y, tween US now and here. Il is not nee
ne essary to wait a week. Your proposal
'e- lis declined"
= What proposal?' asked Miss Brown,
iel What PROPOSAL" asked Miss Rob
Ire bins.
am Well, it was all out that Jimmie had
= proposed to the three of them. They
VI attacked him in force, and Jimmie
=; ~ tried TO escape. But Miss Robin;
~ locked the door on him and he found
VI himself called upon to decide between
"a them. He took a coin from his pocket
az to toss for decision: whereupon the
W girls burst into a laugh, and the farce
~ was over.
as They had compared notes, and thus
us learned of Jimmie's triple proposal.
ed. =-=--
% rI,;= se- forbid