The Benson signal., 1919-03-01

Hclu ldlF young creature, WlCn reQ
cheeks, eyes like violets, retrousse
nose, and hair Of dainty, drugstore
flaxen hue.
You guessed it, reader.
1t was Sadie.
For weeks had this wonderful pic
ture hung in Harry's mind. For weeks
had he argued the question of mar
riage pro and con. At times he had
been on the point of laying bare his
soul and begging Sadie to go with him
to the courthouse and clergy, and thus
make him the happiest beauty doctor
on earth.
Yet, always, before he could seize
her fair hand and begin his matrimoni-
al canvass, still small voice had
warned him that before he hitched
his chariot to marriage license he
must needs address Satan in the terms
of the Biblical command, eschew his
undignffied and dangerous calling, and
cast about him for a more genteel and
desirable vocation.
He knew that already post-office
inspector was camping on his trail, and
he knew not the day nor the hour
when cruel and untimely govern
mental jolt would ,relegate the institu-
tion Of scientific Identification into the
discard Incessantly had the sinister
vision Of the post-off1ce inspector been
haunting him, fitting into his dream
by night, harassing his thoughts by
day.
What-marry Sadie while standing
thus upon the thin ice of his profess
sional life? No, it wouldn't be right
to commit such reckless act.
He had therefore cast about him for
buyer upon whose shoulders to un-
load the institution Of latter-day
learning. And yesterday he had found
man who had offered him thousand
dollars for the gay enterprise, for
ever to have and to hold. He had ac-
cepted the offer, and closed the deal
with impatient Dispatch
And now he had resolved to turn his
youthful energies into the real-estate
business, place a "best investment"
upon Sadie's finger, and become de-
sirable citizen beyond the pale of post
office inspectors and kindred worries
of his hitherto dangerous pursuits.
Little wonder that Harry's thoughts
were thronged with fiatirons, flapjacks,
frying pans and fluffy kimonos instead
Of with the unregenerate details Of a
business taboo!
Harry pulled himself together.
| wheeled his chair about with a sudden
ness that startled Sadie, and said:
"Sade, I've been wanting to tell you
| something for good many weeks"
"What's on your mind, kiddo?" asked
the girl coyly.
"Well," pursued the beauty Doctor
''Ive come to the conclusion that this
correspondence school graft isn't ex-
actly the stunt for an ambitious young
chap like me. I've been cleaning up
quite "a bit Of velvet in it, but the fact
| is it's not precisely on the level. You
know that, Sade.
"It amt the sort of business that
man would like to have his wife, for
instance, tell the neighbors her hus-
| band was in. It amt what he'd like
to leave to his son when it came to
an aerial In the direction Of the sweet
by-and-by.
'Worse than that, there's been a
post-ofice inspector hanging round
here for a couple of weeks trying to
get line on the institution. I've
stopped him and swapped conversation
with him a number Of times myself.
He's one Of these smooth guys, and
never tipped it off that he was inter-
ested In the seaool at all.
"But Tvs caught him wandering
round here entirely too often to make
| me feel comfortable. His shopping
round here Is getting on my nerves,
Sade, and I've decided to sell and get
out from under before they let some
thing drop on me.
'My successor takes charge tomor-
row. I'm going to take whirl at the
real-estate business, Sade. What do
you think Of that?" he added trium-
phantly, with a conscious blush of
pride.
"Oh, get out," said Sadie. "Are you
on the level?"
"On the dead level, SADIE. And lis
ten" he continued, drawing his chair
closer to hers. "Im doing it all for
you, grille.
"Tt will be hard for me, awfully
hard, to break into anything like the
real-estate business after being in this
correspondence work so long, and I've
a hunch I'll have hard time getting
to like the new business, but I'm do
ing it for you, so that can be on the
level and decent and look folks in the
face from now on.
you've had me on the run ever
since you began pounding out form
letters for me. I'm all to the psyche
pathic about you. You've panhandled
nv pump for fair, SADIE, and l want
YOU to marry me. Gee, but love you,
kiddo, and I've got just the coziest lit
tie fiat all picked out"
Harry rose, took step In Sadie's d.
.oo+;on thou SuddonIV nauSpd