Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1919-02-21

rags. Gee, OUT she thinks you are
Just perfect, don't she, Bill7 l don't
suppose she ever noticed those freck-
les on your nose"
So 1t was that the elder cousin gave
the younger what he regarded as a
sound sage piece Of advice. There
are girls" he told him, who will want
you to do all the fattering, all the
kidding. They may be the most fas-
cinating kind. But they don't make
the best sweethearts and wives. They
expect too much and instead Of help
they just hinder him. That's why
fell for Bella. I suppose I might
have met lots of girls that were pref
tier and all that, but / figured that
Bella appreciated me and that that
was what would help me to success"
Steve grew to manhood and Bill and
Bella were married, and moved far
away to the West, and though the two
cousins did not see each other for
many years, Steve always remembered
the good advice that Bill had given
to him. lie had been his boyiSh ideal
and somehow though he never saw
him, he imagined that he was still in
his business and family life out there
in the West living up TO this ideal.
There were girls aplenty. There
was Ruth of the Titan hair and the
perpetual bantering laugh. and there
was Marty, blonde with dropping eye
lashes and imperious manner, and
there were Daisy and Sally and WV
ian and Gertrude-perhaps others.
1t may be that Steve was engaged to
some Of them, bat never once did they
compare Steve. who was cast In the
same proportions as Cousin Bill, to the
great Napoleon or Hamilton, never did
they tell him that he was the dear
est man in the world, the best and the
bravest, though somehow they man
aged to exact from him numerous pro
testations as to their angelic and
seraphfc qualities. Steve had just de-
cided that the girls like Bella were
girls of the past that the girls Of his
generation were not Of the doting
kind.
Still, he remembered Bits advice
and Bill was still in the back of his
mind, his beau ideal"
Then Steve got a little stenographer
who was fresh from the country where
she had taken a correspondence
course And she had nice blue eyes
and hair as straight as Providence had
made it and-well, Steve had her in
his employ for month before he ever
thought Of her as possible Bella.
Then one day absolutely sans CO.
quetry. sans calculation this little
Flora Graves said: "Mr. Miller, I
never knew a man with such good
business head In my life, and I've seen
a good many men, because I used to
watch the customers in my uncle's
hardware store where I kept the
books. I'm sure you're going to
make a great business man.
Bill looked up. He noticed that
the girls eyes were of a pretty blue
and that they were round.
But I'm not very good looking" he
suggested, and Flora surprised but still
sans coquetry answered: well, you're
not so very tall, but you're well built,
Napoleon was small and yet he had
ability. You've got better shaped
head than Napoleon"
There was little delay, and on their
wedding trip they went to the western
town where lived Bill and Bella. It
was to be a surprise-Steve liked sur.
prises-and they CHANGED to arrive in
the town on the same train that Bill
and Bella were taking from a little
shopping trip to the nearest town.
They were behind Bill and Bella.
"But do you think this hat Is be
coming7" asked Bella, who was nc
longer quite so 1.-THE as she had been
dozen years ago.
Perfectly charming, my dear" said
Bill YEARLY. you are charming in
everything. I often say that with q
| wife as handsome as you"
THAT was rather poor pie we had
for dinner at the hotel" interrupted
Bella. II noticed you ate yours fast
enough. hope you didn't like 1t bet
I ter than mine"
SIT wasn't patch to yours" was
the tired reply. you are the best
cook in the world. l have often told
| you that had great deal more than
most men to be thankful for. hope
you know appreciate"
Steve and Flora just stayed right or
that train when Bill and Bella got off
and when they got of at the next stoI
they turned around and went bach
; again. Steve told Flora he hat
changed his mind about stopping of
there; that he had important business
to attend to and a week later wher
they took their belated honeymoon
they went far from Bill and Bella.