Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-02-20

cqudtter pOpuldIlOQ on Cnelr private
planet. The world was too much with
them. The little car was transparent.
Even at night etiquette required them
to light 1t up within.
Wimburn did not return to New
York so soo as he expected. 1t
seemed impossible to uproot himself
from that pleasant soil. One after
noon when he had already overstayed
his furlough Daphne and he were rid
ing in the little car through the outer
suburb known as Shaker Heights-a
section rapidly evolving from a sleepy
religious community to a swarm of city
residences.
The late afternoon moon had risen
in a sky still rosy with the afterglow
of sunset. The air was murmurous
with pleading.
Suddenly Wimburn cried aloud, to
his own surprise and hers, Daphne !
Miss Kip! 1 can't stand everything,
you know! I'm only human, after ALL"
"What's the matter2" she asked in
prosaic phrase but with a poetic 1ut-
ter Of breath.
Il love you, d-n it!-pardon me,
but I'm Internally in love with you.
I'm tormented. / came here on BUSH
ness, and instead of my finishing it
you've finished me. I'm two days over
due in New York and I've had to lie
to the office to explain why. And all
I can think of now is that I'd rather
resign and starve to death than go
back and leave you here"
"Honestly?" she barely breathed.
"Desperately" he moaned. whats
to become of mel"
you'd better go back, 1 suppose.
You'll soon get over it and find some
body else to love-"
"There's nobody else in the world
worth loving. I'd die if I gave you upl
I'd simply die"
He went on with aching anxiety:
Gould you care for me just a little?
If you could love me or just promise to
try to, I could face my exile for a
while. Do you think you could love
me ever?"
She dropped her chin on her breast
and sighed.
Il guess I do now"
The miraculous felicity Of this situa-
ton overwhelmed them both. He clipt
her in his arms and she flung hers
about him, forgetting entirely the
steering wheel. The neglected little
car promptly scattered off the road,
crossed a gutter into a vacant lot,
scooped up a "For Sale" sign, and was
about to tip over into an excavation
when Daphne looked up long enough
to shut off the power. Then in a blind
rapture she returned to where she be-
l0nged-his embrace.
Soon she was assaiIed with fears for
the credibility of this wonder work,
and when he said:
"When shall we announce our en-
gagement?" she protested:
"Oh, not till we are sure"
"Pm sure now"
But we must be terribly sure. It's
such a dangerous thing, getting mar
ried. So many people who think they
love each other find out their mistake
too late. You don't know me very
well.n'
"You mean you don't know me very
WELL"
"Tm not afraid of you, but for you.
I'd hate to disappoint you, and I don't
really amount to much. I can't do
anything except CAD around; and you'd
tire of me-"
mot In this wOrld-nor in the next"
tits darling of you to say it, and
you think you mean it-now. But"
II know it, Daphne, honey, now and
forever. l don't want anybody but
you. Life won't be life without you.
You've promised to be my wife. /
hold You to your promise"
"All right" 1t was exceedingly sat
isfying to surrender her soul into his
keeping. She had reached barber al
ready after SO brief and placid a voy-
age.
He ended a long, coy silence with
the surprising remark, II suppose 1
ought to ask your parents consent?'
The daughter of the twentieth cen
tury laughed: Parents consent! You
do read a lot of ancient literature,
don't you?"
"Stil / imagine we'd better break 1t
to 'em."
"You leave it to me to break 1t to
'em. They'll be glad enough to get me
of their hands,"
"Tll never believe that"
When they reached her home it was
late and his hotel was so far that,
since he would be spending his last
evening with her, anyway, she asked
him to stay to dinner.
She broke that news to her parents,
and it caused them acute distress. Her
father and her mother were deep in
the battle that always broke out be-
tween them when the monthly bills ar
rived. Daphne was so used to this
that she hardly noticed it.
After dinner the parents retired to
the living room to read and sew and
humble over their mutual grievances,
while Daphne and Wimburn sat and