The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-08
By CRITTENDEN MARRIOTT

By CRITTENDEN MARRIOTT ! Mechanically Edward Curley made his way up the stairs, pressed the of his room, dropped into a chair, and stared blankly into the still smolder- ing embers of the fire.
 How could that fire still be burn days, weeks, years since he had lighted it. He had--desperately he shook himself. Of course he hadn't really lighted it SC very long before, not by the clock anyway. But in his
 He had been proposed to! By a girl! A girl whom he scarcely knew we'll, not scarcely knew" of course. He knew Rose Dunlap well enough; in fact he had known her for years. But he had scarcely thought of her for about half of these years. And now she had-good Lord! How could she have done such thing? And why on earth had she picked on him? It was the funniest thing he had ever heard of, He could kill himself laughing at 1t.
 Laughing at it" not at her, of
 
 guard as to laugh at Rose! Rose was an awfully nice girl-always had been. That was what made what she said sound so queer! And she must have found 1t mighty hard to say 1t. He'd have found it mighty hard himself tC propose to her-to any girl. He'd been trying to pro pose to Susy Blair for six months; and he hadn't yet managed to make beginning. And Rose-she was such a little thing. And she was scared. Now that he had thought of 1t. her voice trembled so that he had thought she was going to faint. She certainly had nerve. all right. He'd tell the world so.
 Susy Blair wouldn't have had the nerve tC say a thing like that! And Rose meant 1t too. That was what got his goat. Susy wouldn't have meant it! And she wouldn't have got his goat even If she had meant 1t. At least he didn't think she would; she wasn't that kind. Susy was all right to play around with; but a man got tired of that sort of thing after a while. Now Rose-he didn't believe anyone ever would get tired of Rose. She--she-ohi She was was-restful; yes, that was the word
 
 it, he remembered that she always had been restful-always, ever since she had been a little girl.
 It would be a lucky man that got her. And it would have to be the right sort of man, too, or Rose wouldn't have him. Rose always had been particular. That was why she hadn't been a belle; that is. not much of a belle-except-come to think of 1t, she really was popular with the right sort of men. men like Manley. for instance, even If she wasn't popular with the harum- : scarum gang he'd been running with; the gang that thought life was all jazz and didn't know a real girl when they saw her. Now If he thought that he had the ghost of a chance
 Good Lordl What was he thinking of? He did have chance. That very night Rose had said-said-
 What had she said. exactly? He couldn't quite remember! He had been so flabbergasted. It had all sounded so funny--funny! Funny! To hear that dear brave girl grap- bling with terror, fighting 1t down! Oh! Yes! That was 'funny'-funny for a jackass to he-haw over!
 And why should it be funny. even to a JdCkdSS: w nat WdS IL Slle Hdu said, anyhow? He wished he could remember.
 Mrs. Blair had asked him to see Rose home from the dance; had told him that she hated to impose on him. but that he lived right across the street from Rose and that Mir Manley, who brought Rose, had been called away and had telephoned that he couldn't get back! Ana he had hesi- tated-hesitated Good Heavens, Of course he hadn't hesitated more than a second. And of course, Rose hadn't seen him hesitate! Still, he--he