Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-01-25
How aHolidayW as
Made Interesting
Isl7. Western Newspaper Union.l
By ALAN HINsDALE

days when the sun does not shine, the
wind is chilly and a few dead leaves
still hang to the trees. l had moth
ing to do since it was a holiday. About
three o'clock l telephoned Mildred to
ask if / might come over and get away
with the rest of the day until dinner
time. She said | might, 10 l accepted
my own invitation.
I found Mildred in the library. The
contrast within and without rendered
the former especially CHEEKY. There
was a fire of logs on the hearth, there
were plants in pots and a canary bird.
"Drat these holidays" 1 said;
sthey're hard to get through with, ex-
cept in the summer, when I wish it
was all holiday"
"In try to make the rest of this n
bearable for you" said Mildred.
So we chinned for half an hour,
when Mildred took up a pack of cards
and shuf1ed them.
"Shall 1 tell your ~fortune?" she
asked.
'If you like"
She drew a card table before the
fire, taking a seat on n side, while l
did the same on the other.
Mildred turned a card. e
1.-THE queen of spades. There is a
dark lady-a brunette-who is pining
for you"
BLONDES are my favorites," I said.
Mildred is a blonde.
Then followed the knave of dia-
monds.
"This is your rival. The color being
red, he is fairly well-to-do."
"All right" l said, "let him spend
all the money he wants on the bru-
nette: 1 don't want her."
The next card was the queen of
hearts.
"AhaI There comes my girl" I ex-
claimed.
'Yes, but you don't know that she
doves you"
"Are you sure she doesn'tY
"Well, she might a little bit. She
respects you."
"Come, come; I don't want any Of
this sister business"
"But you must take what the cards
say"
Proceed"
Presently the king of diamonds vas
turned up.
"a very rich man loves the queen of
hearts, an oldish man. She is not daZ-
Szled by his wealth, but his position is
excellent"
ST think I know the gentleman" I
said, frowning.
"You don't, either; I know who you
think he is, but"
ats the first letter of his name RI"
She did not reply to my question,
but went on turning the cards. Ace,
two, three came up.
ssYou are going TO propose to the
queen of hearts three times"
'You bet l don't. If she doesn't ac-
cept me the first time Il ask her, I
don't want her"
Then the knave of clubs came up.
another rival" she said.
"For the queen Of spades or the
queen of hearts?"
'I don't know" she said ~listlessly.
81 do; he is the fellow who sports
himself on the gridiron. He made that.
big run and scored a touchdown the
other day."
81 don't know who you mean,' she
said.
"Oh, yes, you do; he is the chap who
danced three times in succession with
the queen Of hearts at a certain ball
the other night"
"And who sat out three dances with
with the queen Of spades?"
"Didn't he have %proyocation when the
queen of hearts acted sol"
"Who began it?"
"You did"
She looked up at me with another or
those smiles on her lips, and this time
q dimple in each cheek.
ST thought this was fortune-telling,"
she said, and went on turning the cards.
j put my hand on hers to stop her.
Mildred" I said, " it's time to stop
this nonsense of using kings n
queens for real persons"
She stopped turning the cards, but 1
didn't take my hand from hers. 1t
was very soft and warm.
No one wishes to propose in a noise,
and the bird sang SO loud that I was
upset by it. I paused, and Mildred
rose from her chair, went to the bird
and began to chirp to it. The spell
was broken. I looked at my watch.
Its neal dinner time," I said; 81
must be going"
"Tata."
'Tata."
I went home and wrote a letter to
Mildred. All there was in 1t was: II
love you; will you be my wifeT'
The reply was ever more laconic. 1t
was simply:
"Yes."