The Princeton union., 1922-08-03

: Old Henry's
s Wooing
By JUSTIN WENTWooD


Copyright, 1922, Western Newspaper Union.
"Hello, Hank! Saving up to get
marriedT
Old Henry Dobson, who had been
one of the bookkeepers of the Friend
company for nearly score Of years,
looked up sheepishly and thrust away
the bills he was counting.
Better hurry up; not much time to
lose, Hank!"
Henry Dobson must have been fifty,
and why he had been SO long with the
company and still retained subordi-
nate position was not difficult to see.
Honest, plodding, Industrious, he had
not the qualities that make for sue
cess. An elderly-looking man, unob-
trusive, he went his way, the butt Of
mild witticisms on the part Of the
younger men.
No one knew anything about old
Henry, nor where he lived, and nobody
| cared.
The same applied equally to Miss
Rowell, of the correspondence depart
ment. Miss Rowell had been there
nine years, and looked just plain,
pale, rather faded old maid.
"Say, Miss Rowell. Hank Dobson
reckons he's going to get married" !"
! Sadie, the telephone girl, said this,
and waited for the quick blush to ap-
pear on Miss Rowell's face.
rs he, really? Oh, isn't that nice y
"Say," said Sadie to her friend,
Agnes Strut, wouldn't it be a joke
to make Amy Rowell think Hank Dob
sons in love with her?'
"And to make him think she's IN
love with him!"
How'll we do it?"
"Watch me!' said Sadie graphically.
On the following morning Miss Row
ell found a neat little bunch of violets
on her desk, with scrap of pasteboard
attached, bearing in writing the words,
with H. DIS compliments.
! Her agitation appeared plain. The
girls, watching her, had many quiet
giggles as they saw her surreptitiously
bend to sniff the fragrance Of the
flowers.
"Say, Hank, that's a fine bunch Of
flowers you sent Miss Rowell.''
II didn't send her any flowers
What'd I want to send her flowers
for?" protested Henry Dobson.
"Well, don't you let on you didn't
She's coming to thank you"
Little Miss Rowell stopped at Henry
Dobson's desk. 'Thank you so much
for your beautiful flowers, Mr.. Dob
son." she said in q quiet voice.
A few days later Henry Dobsol
found a pair Of socks on his desk
bearing card, "With kind remem
brances from A. r." Examination dis
closed the fact that the heels wer
gone.
"Say, Miss Rowell, Mr.. Dobson'
had such lovely pair of socks from
some one," said Sadie.
Little Miss Rowell raised her hea'
lnquiringly. "Who sent them2' sh
: asked.
"Oh, Miss Rowell! Oh, Miss Row
ell ~ they teased hel.
t 1t was tunny TO see now nerVOuSl
: Miss Rowell avoided Henry Dobson'
desk for several days thereafter.
The cream Of the joke came fey
days later. Miss Rowell opened
little cardboard box. Inside was
} ten-years-old valentine, procured fror
< some old dealer who had had it ro
ting on his shelf since the days whe
valentines remained in fashion. Th
lace paper edge was torn and mi
e dewed. The picture represented a
a elderly spinster with long, red nos
e and underneath was printed:
e I think you're out for marriage,
AS all the world can see.
- I hope you'll find man to your min
n AS long as it isn't me.
e The sender had scratched out tt
= last word and substituted n. D."
Miss Rowelrs right hand jerked CO.
=, vulsively The valentine, torn in hal
dropped into the wastebasket.
W Twelve struck. Hank Dobson can
20 slowly into the correspondence depal
r. ment as the girls were getting on the
hats. Miss Rowell rose up, smiling.