Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1924-05-09
THE BASHFUL LOVER
BY H. IRVING KING

90. 1924. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
NATALIE BUXTON had been "ouv
4 three seasons, and was not yet
married. Everybody was surprised al
this, for she was charming of manner
beautiful of face and form, intelligent
Natalie was rather surprised herself
She had had many suitors, to be sure;
plenty of chances to marry; but the one
man she wished to have propose to her
had not done so. The realization came
more slowly, but no less surely, to
Stephen Sanger But 1t was not
Stephens wealth that made Natalie
want to marry him; nor was 1t Nata
lies poverty which prevented Stephen
from speaking.
The obstacle lay in Stephens ex-
IRENE diffidence, coupled with his con-
victlon that he was not fitted to be the
husband of such superb and intel
lectual creature as Natalie. For many
months now she had been expecting
him to speak, and several times he had
been on the point Of doing so.
There was that time for instance,
when they were sitting out dance in
the Grosvenors' conservatory, when he
had got as far as Natalie, don't you
think / ought to get marrledf"
And she had replied. "Why, yes,
Stephen, l think you had" to which
encouragement he had stammered out,
"Well, Tm-I'm-oh, here comes Ar
thur Gaines Natalie, am thinking
about'-and, at the approach Of Gaines
had hurried away.
One evening, as Natalie sat meditat-
ing upon this and other times when
she had come 80 near to having the
desired opportunity to say "Yes," Ste
phen was announced. She went down
to receive him with the firm deter
mlnation that, II she ever again got
him on the firing line, he should not
escape. And Stephen had come that
night all prlmed for proposal In
form. He had taken counsel Of his
friend, Harry Calder, who Ill compre-
hended the psychology Of Natalie, and
who had said: Lead up to 1t by pic
turing all tho nlaoguraa of lIfa flint
voalth con nrocrro ana then Inv them
~ hor Zoo, 1hot,s tbo cheese"
Stephen doubted, but promised to
trv no evnarimert
In hrngIin0 and confused manner
Stephen that night did try 1t. After
no bad r,n do,,n Natalie calmly TO-
norlno hIs evident meaning said.
"neolIv now what am 70 under.
stond? Arc Won the accredited agent
NJ soma new foundation. some benevo-
lant soc,etv instituted for the purpose
~ afrordInp relief TO nersons with
cbamna0na tbIrsts and small incomes.
euch or institution has long been
nooded and 7 reiolca N know that at
last one has been founded"
"oh Lnevy IA n,oke a masa of II"
orooned stenben
"Moke n moss NJ wbotp" exclaimed
No,oIto oroning bar ayes wide with
,yondor avon have nut the case very
CLEARLY Ana ara tbera anv conditions
attached 90 thIs most dozIlIng orYer3"
.EI.or hrshondr ronIlad stapben
hIrsbino to his eors
"a husband p cried Natalie. IAN.
o,hor t,v,,rv ana ono was beuInning
10 ,h,nI 7 sbould nevar enjoy I have
hoon on, ,breo seasons now Won know.
And ,.ho Is tha fortuna,o man tho On.
cIetv hoe nicl.ed ont m an This posI-
non,p
"ot hang 4, - crlad atenhan athera
tam, a." soc,a,v and von rnow ~"
10 was nogged and ,rrItotad ont Of
nor, ot least NJ his alf,dence.
"No socIetv ," said Natalie "Were
yon NO, mat no,v telling ma all sbout
:, and ire noble worLy'
"No wasn't" renI,ed gtophen look.
Ing as nearly surly as It was possible
for him IN look
81 must have entirely misunderstood
vou then" sighed Natalie. III YOU
were NOT telling me about n society
founded TO take care Of lust such
cases as mine then what in the world
were you trying to tell about2 No
society and II there Is no society
then, Of course, there IL no husband
That was another rosy agment OF your
Imagination ! suppose. thought It
sounded too good TO be true"
"Oh. the husband part Is all right"
said Stephen Frightening.
as II, really?" cried Natalie Joy
ously. HAS he been picked out? Have
YOU seen him7 What does he look