The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-01

uOu hIlOW WuetucT l HI lduSulHR WlLl tHeHu or at them, so they asked me to tea to find out. Ho, ha, hal But man can't take on with the mob when he's about to be mar ried."
 spoke from the heart, almost bitter with envy, but still incredulous: "Hallidan, if you're my friend, tell me the Open Se- same.' Afterward, I'll congratulate you."
 His twinkling eyes squinted bit.
 "Ah!" said he. That's the cause of all the gloom?"
 I admitted: "Yes, Pm cornered. and hopeless. She won't look twice at me-
 "Why, then, think of what she'll be 20 years from today. There's always way to laugh yourself out"
 Not here"
 q see. It's very serious?"
 "And hopeless"
 His inevitable laughter rang again. peal on peal. I could not help smiling; the Tel low seemed to have corner on all the mirth in the world.
 "A woman-and hopeless? Martin, my dear fellow, there's always way. A month ago was in your boat. Now look at me"
 "Ah, but this is woman in 10000 youth, beauty, money, family"
 "Why, you're painting the picture of the lady who opened my eyes. God bless her. Yet she proved vulnerable. It was like this-ha, ha, hall wish the whole world were in hearing distance"
 I interrupted harshly: "Halldan, that in- fernal laughter is getting on my nerves. I'm like your fair ladies and don't know whether Pm to laugh with you or at you.
 It was impossible to irrtate nm. Let's have the story and have it quick"
 By all means he answered genially "but it's hard to hurry over it. You see, she's the sort of girl that makes man finger. Not perfectly beautiful, but per fectly satisfying, which amounts to the same thing at the end of the year. But you know of her-Mary Browne-the Mary Browne of the Van Dieppe- Browne family you know"
 shook my head. I had heard of the name and the family, of course, just as I'd heard of the Woolworth building. Hallidan slipped into an air of intolerable superiority.
 My Dear Martin-my dear boy-not know of her? How impossible you are at times! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha"
 It was the hearty laugh that saved him; you can't strike woman, or man who's helpless with laughter.
 "How can I describe what she is? It can't be done. She simply belongs-she is. She stands, like the Colossus, with one foot on the brewery millions of her grandfather and with the other foot on the social neck of Manhattan"
 breathed: "And you-good Lord, Hal lidan!- you engaged to herr"
 He waved the question saway.
 Don't bother me when Pm thinking of her. Charming girl, Martin. Cad! That is, charming among those of her kind, just a romping, sweet-natured, exquisitely fresh bit of a girl. I saw her among her equals and fell in love from the other side of the fence, so to speak, for she has to use a lorgnette to see anyone with an income un- der six figures and needs microscope to observe a salaried man."
 My esteem of Hallidan rose to a great height. A man who can talk like this of a called liberal, a free thinker, a cosmo- polite.
 He continued: "You can't blame Mary for her little habits. They're as much a part of her as my skin is a part of me. Nothing nouveau, absolutely. It was away back in 1750 that Thomas T. Brown, far sighted old bird, tackled an 'e' on to his name. As for the Wan Deippes, their family runs back to Adam, I suppose. At apv rota +hav youct hovo do-cordod thro,, oh Cain because I'm sure that their family tree