Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1919-08-14

At the next opportunity Steve crept
out Of the lilac bush and made tracks
for home. Later he confessed TO Bill
what he had heard.
~ see now why you wanted TO go
and get engaged" he said. II didn't
know that was what IL was like before
cause, OF course. no one but your
girl would ever tell you all those
things. Gee, but she thinks you are
just perfect. don't she, Bill? l don't
suppose she ever noticed those freck-
les on your nose"
SO IL was that the elder cousin gave
the younger what he regarded as
sound sage piece of advice. There
are girls" he told him, "who ~ill 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
ing fellow up the road to success
they just hinder him. That's why l
fell for Bella. / 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
10 him. He 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 Matty. blonde, with dropping eye
lashes and imperious manner. and
there were Daisy and Sally and Wv
ian and Gertrude-perhaps others.
| 1t may he that Steve was engaged TO
some Of them, but never once did they
compare Steve, who was cast In the
same proportions ms Cousin Bill, to the
great Napoleon or Hamilton, never did
they tell him that he was the dear
| est man III TIE NOIlut iHt bfNl hlu TIC
bravest, though somehow they man
aged TO exact from him numerous pro-
| testations as 10 their angelic and
sersphic 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.
NJ
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 correspondence
course. And she had nice blue eyes
and hair as straight rs Providence had
made il and-well, Steve had her In
his employ for a 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
never knew a man with such good
business head i'm my life, and I've seen
good many men, because | used to
watch the customers in my uncle's
| HuIuNdlt NlNlF NH'it h'IN wv
books. I'm sure you're going To
make 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 hut 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. II
was 10 be surprise-Steve liked sur
! prises-and they CHANGED 10 arrive in
| the town on the same train that Bill
and Bella were taking from little
| shopping trip 10 the nearest town.
They were behind Bill and Bella.
But do you think this hat is be-
comingt" asked Bella, who was no
| longer quite so 1.-THE as she had been
dozen years ago
perfectly charming, my dear" said
| Dill, NtdIliNs IOu Alt III
everything. I often say that with
wife az handsome as YOU"
THAT was rather poor pie we had
! for dinner at the hotel" interrupted
BELLA. Il noticed you ate yours fast
enough. hope you didn't like IL bet
ter than mine"
at wasn't a patch 10 yours" was
the tired reply. You are the best
cook in the world. | have often told
you that ! had great deal more than
most men to be thankful for. l hope
you know l appreciate"
Steve and Flora Just stayed right on
that train when Bill and Bella got of,
and when they got off at the next stop
they turned around and went back
again. Steve told Flora he had
changed his mind about stopping off
| there that he had important business
, TO attend to and week later when
| they took their belated honeymoon
they went far from Bill and Bella.
|
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