The Press., 1922-12-07
The Dangers of Repetition
By H. IRVING KING

polo and belonged to all. the best clU In short there was nothing of wA 4 Jack Ashton really stood in need but a Wife-and to the supply ing of that deficiency he was now giving much serious thought.
 Jack, after several narrow escapes from capture by designing mammaS, had arrived in safety at the age of thirty. Now at thirty if man is ever going to get married 1t Is. time he got busy. So thought Jacks mother and so she intimated to Jack. Secretly the old lady had picked out for her son Priscilla Higgins, daugh- ter of Jeremiah Higgins, the banker. Priscilla was twenty-five and had not remained single for want of Oppor- tunlties to marry. Needless to say. Priscilla was beauty. She was tall and stately, had classic features, light, brown hair, wonderful eyes and q fresh, fair complexion. Jack and Priscilla were just suited to each other and had known each other from child hood. That was just it-they had known each, other from childhood ! And therefore, while love for Jack had grown up in Priscilla's heart, Jack had come to take Priscilla as a matter of course, to regard her as a very dear sister.
 So, in looking over the rosebud gar den of girls for wife, he never once thought of culling the fairest flower In the garden.
 Old lady Ashton became inpatient and one day said to Priscilla: "Pris- cilla, my son Jack is the biggest fool in New York. He has been in love- with you for years and doesn't know it. There! You needn't blush SO and really believe you are going to cry. Let's change the subject"
 A few days later she said to her son: Jack, why don't you propose to Priscilla7 You couldn't do better. Don't you see the girl is in love with youP As for you, you booby, you have been in love with her for years and didn't know it.
 "Of course, like Priscilla immensely, but I never thought"
 ''Of course you never thought" re- torted the mother. Thinking Is one thing nobody ever accused you. of. There, go along with you-Tm our of l all patience with you" | Jack left the house in a daze. Yes, 1t was as his mother had said, he had been in love with Priscilla all along and had not known it. He fer vently hoped that the old lady had | r;rvh4 3o @ho oR hn1, ment-that part which referred to Priscilla being in love with him, Now, Mrs. Ashton had committed one mis- take. She had repeated herself. In her talk with Jack she had used the same phrase about his being in love without knowing it that she had used in her talk with Priscilla.
 r. And the statement so satisfactorily covered the situation that it stuck in Jacks head. So when he sought Pris- cilla to offer up himself and his grand fathers millions upon the altar of his love he closed very creditahle speech in the proposal line with, ''Oh, Pris- cilla-I have been Tn love with you for years without knowing it,"
 Priscilla, who had listened with blushing cheeks and eyes dim with tears of joy, went through an lnsta4- taneous freezing process. Tt strikes me-" she said with a forced laugh, 'that have heard that expression be-, fore, And what else, pray, did your mother say on this interesting subject2 suppose she also gave you to under Stand that was not lpsensihle to yOure fascinating personality" ,~~~
 The tactIesS Jack stammered and blundered and made things worse,
 There, that will do," said Priscilla, Never mind the rest. You have done your duty like a good son. It is Quitei refreshing, in these days, whenl parental authority is so little re-: garded, to find son who will im- l-plicitly carry out his mothers instruc- ton even when the task imposed Is so disagreeable as the present one. You can go back to mamma with a clear conscience-and pray calm any fears she may entertain of my dying for love of her charming son. 1 am afraid her natural, but rather partial, admiration of her Offspring's superla- tive qualities has caused her to fall into a slight error with regard to the light in which he is viewed by other and less interested persons Good day" A.... s
 ''Oh, that cruel woman!" sobbed Priscilla when she reached her room. How she has humiliated me She has ] discovered my secret and told Jack. She made him come and propose-he .never would have done 50 o1 nlS own free will" y- I Priscilla and Jack both descended 1Zon. Mrs. .Ashton-Priscilla with. tears and reproaches; Jack with implOra tions to set things right. Priscilla was 1 the first to reach her. After listening for q while to that young ludy's tale l.. of woe Mrs. Ashton cried out: I'd
 like to bump your silly heads to- gether !''. And then, assuming a calmer manner, continued: Il did not think Jack would be such fool as to repeat my conversation with him-but ! 1t doesn't matter. The facts are just the salne-he loves you and you love him and married you are going to be Your idea that he proposed just be cduSS Iolu hAAn lo AS queer, Dlithciils nonsense. I showed him his heart ,that was all-and his heart did the frest. Something tells me that l shall
 soon receive call from my more or less intelligent son. There's the bell now. Go into the back parlor, hide behind curtain, listen and judge for yourself"
 Is Priscilla began an indignant pro itest, but the old lady fairly sprang at her and commanded flercely: "Go on I"a;. And Priscilla went.
 Jack came into the front parlor. You can imagine what he said to his mother-how he poured out his whole : heart so that no one with grain of common sense, listening to him. could