Evening star., 1921-03-27
WHEN DORIS WAS DTTCHED

y DON'T think we'd ever got much
excited over Hartley Fipps just
by ourselves. No. Anyway. I
Il doubt If / would. To be honest.
/ don't care for 'em as fat as that.
Not that Hartley was any freak But
he certainly was and is a chubby
youth. You know. one of these moon
faced. pink-cheeked, piano-legged
birds who sit around looking COM
Portable and satisfied.
I expect, after ALL il was that sat
isfied look in his narrow gauge eyes
that made me feel the way l did to-
ward Hartley. For he sure approved
of himself. You could tell that just
by the way he held his shoulders and
biinked at you. Didn't mean anything
special. Hartley's blink Half the time
he didn't seem to see you when he dld
IT. He was too busy, i expect. con.
templatin' what perfect specimen of
a he-male he had the privilege of
feedin' three or four times day. He
couldn't even see me very often. ana
with this super-pink dome thatch OF
mine my visibility is more or less
high. But as a rule Hartley would
just keep on gain past me as II l
was shadow driftin' by.
Course. l didn't blame Hartley so
much for that. He was the only son
of Rufus J: Fipps, of Fipps. Iilworth
4 Blair, the big bond brokers. and
he'd been made second or third wee
president of the company on his 2"rd
birthday. And newly. he knew
was lust one of those private score
tary persons who'd stepped from out
side sentry at the Corrugated Trust
to an inside job behind roll-t"p
desk. And naturally Hartley felt that
/ ought to be kept in my place
Still. being neighbors out at Har.
Dor Hills. and seeing me knockin
around at the Country Club off and
on, he would occasionally give me
nod, whether 1 deserved it or not.
Nothing chummy. You understand'
simply a casual bob of the head when
I was directly in n, line, me, Very very demo-
And so was Mother Fipps. You
didn't have to he gifted with second
sight to guess that she was Hartley
mother. They were built along the
same lines, only she bulged IN more
places than he did and had more
chins. Same narrow set eyes though.
and the same trick of lookin' at and
through you. She was one or those
billowy females who can sit with
their hands folded placid and hardly
stir for hours at a time That is,
nothing would move but her tongue
Some chatter, Mrs. Fipps. Especially
when she got on her favorite topic,
which was Hartley.
Ana wee, DelnS sOou ndtuItu, "ouiu
get an earful every now and then
She used to chuckle and pass 1t on
to me.
what do you think. Torchy?" she'd
say Mrs. Fipps says that her dear
Hartley has gone on strict diet
Huh" says I. "cuttin' out every
thing but food. Ell? What's he in
trainin' for-the matrimonial handi-
cap?"
idea Anyway. it's mothers: She had
told Wee all about it, and being one
of these women who are strong for
discussin' family affairs with outsid-
ers. shed given complete sketch of
the situation. She was so anxious
that Hartley should pick out exactly
the right girl for a wife. Young folks
were apt to choose their mates in
such an offhand manner, without con-
sidering the future. She and Rufus
course she couldn't say that she had
regretted it exactly. il she had it all
to do over again she doubted II she
would have the courage.
You understand. my dear, she
rrattles on. I'VE are such opposite
types. Rufus is restless and active,
always worrying over something or
other: while I have a calm, restful
disposition. And then he is SO tall
and thin: while am. as you know.
inclined to be stout
Honest 1 asks Wee. did she put
it that way. Say. that's drawin' it
mild. I'll tell the Judge Inclined to
be stout And her built like a bIimp!
AS for Rufus j.. he's regular hu-
man string bean. They're a great
team"
But that is precisely what she
meant" says Wee. when she talked
about choosing the right mate. Oh.
she didn't hesitate to tell me how
mortified she had ALWAYS been about
the contrast in their appearance. Es-
pecially when they were in public
places together. Said she first felt it
when she went from the altar with
him. OF course. she insisted that she
wasn't stout then, only plump; and