The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1921-06-09

calm, impersonal, yet vitality interested
look that always drove him frantic
with the desire for her.
"Weil, of course. l understand that"
he countered. Naturally, since Bill
! is only man, you'll have to manage
him and he'll have to take orders"
CaIiph. you're singularly persist.
ent man, once you get an idea into
your head. Please understand me, once
Tor all; Billy Geary is dear, and It's
mystery to me why every girl in the
world isn't perfectly crazy about him,
hut every rule has it's exceptions-and
/. Billy and I are just good friends. I'd
like to know where you got the idea
we're engaged to be married"
"Why-why-well, aren't your"
Certainly not"
"Well, yolI-er-you ought to be. I
eNpected-that is, I planned-I mean
Bill told me nd-and-er-it
never occurred to me you could posi-
bly, have the-er-crust-to refuse
him. or course, you're going to mar
ry him when he asks your"
! "Of course 1 am not"
"Ah-h-h-h John Stuart Webster
gazed at her in frank amazement.
"Not going to marry Bill GearyI" he
cried, highly scandalized.
81 know you think ought to, and I
suppose ii will appear quite incompre-
hensib1e to you when do not" -
"Why Dolores, my dear grill This
Is most amazing. Didn't Bill ask you
4" marry him before he left?"
eyes, he did me that honor, and /
declined him."
"You whatw
She smiled at him so materially that
Ills hand itched to drag her down to
HIM and Kiss her curving lips.
"DO you mind telling me Just why
!ou took this extraordinary attitudeT
"You have no right to ask, but I'll
toll you. I refused Billy because
didn't love him enough-that way
What's more, 1 never could"
He rolled his head to one side and
softly. very softly, whistled two bars
c. "The Spanish Cavalier" through his
teeth. He was properly thunder
struck-sO much so, in fact, that for a
,iioment he actually forgot her pres
cnce the while he pondered this most
Incredible state Of affairs.
81 see II all now. It's as clear as
mud" he announced finally. "You re-
fused poor old Bill and broke his
heart, and so lie went away and hasn't
had the courage to write me since. I'm
afraid Bill and I both regarded this
fight ms practically won-all over hut
the wedding march, as one might put
1t. might as we'll confess I hustled
the boy down from the mine Just so
you two could gat married and light
out on your honeymoon. figured Bill
could kill two birds with one stone
have his honeymoon and get rid of his
malaria, and return here I'm three or
four months TO relieve me, after I had
the mine In operation. Poor boy. That
was frightful song-and-dance you
gave him."
81 suspected you were the match
maker i'm this case. must say think
you're old enough to know better Ca
liph John"
"You did eh? Well. what made you
think SOP"
She chuckled. "Oh, you're very OBJ
, viOus-tO q woman"
"I forgot that you reveal the past
and foretcll the future"
you are really very clumsy Caliph.
You should never try to direct the des-
tiny Of any woman"
"Im on the sick list" he pleaded
"and it isn't sporting of you to discuss
me. You're healthy-sO let us discuss
you. Dolores. do you figure Bil's case
to be absolutely hopeless?"
absolutely. CaIiph.'
"Hum-m-m!"
Again Webster had recourse to med
itation. seeing which. Dolores walked
to the pier glass In the corner, satisfied
herself that her coiffure was Just so
and returned to his side, singing softly
little song that huI iloated out over
the transom of Webster's room door
into the hall one night:
Spanish cavalier
Went out to rope a steer,
Along with his paper cigar-r-roi
"Caramba" said he.
"Manana you will be
Mucho bueno carne por mio"
her suddenly, senrchingly. as there
anybody else in Bits way?" he de-
manded. 81 admit It's none of my
business, but"
"Yes, Caliph, there is some one else"
81 thought soy This rather vicious
ly. 'Tm willing to gamble 100 to /.
sight unseen, that whoever he is, he
isn't half the man Bill is"
"'That," she replied coldly, "is mat
tef Of personal opinion"
"And Bill's clock is fixed for keeps?"
ayes. Caliph. And he never had a
chance from the start"
"Why not?"
"Well, met the other man first Ga
liph."
"Oh! Do you minI telling me what
this other man does for living?"
"IIe's mining man. 'tke Billy"
"All right! Has the son of horse
thief got mine like Blll's? That's