Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1925-09-17
Breaking Their
Engagement

BY c. MARRIOTT

Drank MORTON was troubled. He
was engaged to marry one girl, and
he was in love with another. At least
he told himself that he was in love
with Maud; and as he had always
succeeded in believing everything that
he really wanted to believe, there was
| little doubt that he either did, or soon
would, believe that-which was the
| next thing to being actually in love
with her. At any rate, he wanted TO
marry her, despite the fact that he
knew perfectly well everybody would
| say that he had married her for her
money.
Nevertheless he was troubled. 1t
| would not be easy to get Nellie Blair
to break their engagement, and he was
| firmly resolved never to be mean
enough to break 1t himself.
Lets See" he remarked to himself
finally. When | wanted to get Nellie
| to engage herself to me l did every
thing / could to make her think that
her to disengage herself, the obvious
thing is to show her my bad points"
Finally an idea dawned. 81 didn't
think up my good points and tell them
to Nellie by rote," he muttered. THAT
would have been too raw l just hung
about her and when sheer circum-
stances-gave me a lead, I-er-took
advantage Of 1t. The thing to do now
: is to hang about her and to take adj
vantage of the speeding moment to do
the other thing
A week later Frank Morton was
dressing to join Nellie for walk.
Let's see" he observed. 1--WE con-
vinced her that I am a tight-wad; a
red-Or at any rate, pink; good
deal of fool; bore on certain sub
jects and bootlegger. If can brush
up one more bad point and trot it out
this afternoon, / bet she'll can me
and l can take the train for Lancas-
ter and pop the question to Maud.
Gee! How I love that girl !"
Half an hour later Frank and Nellie
were walking down shady street that
ended at the railway tracks perhaps
half a mile away. Frank was feeling
pretty blue. Luck seemed to have for
saken him-or Nellie had been making
up her mind to stick to him. Almost
hcpelessly he relapsed into silence.
Then, out of clear sky, Nellie gave
him his chance. Intensely romantic,
she turned to something she had read
In the morning paper.
ooh nh oh OF
you read that wonderful story about
the girl no older than l am, who res
cued three babies from burning
house one after the other? The last
time she came out her clothes were on
fire and she would have been burned
to death if somebody hadn't run up
and wrapped blanket around her
and put out the fire. She's a perfect
heroine"
Frank saw his chance and grabbed
at it. Heroine, nothing!' he grunted.
Talk to me about your heroines and
heroes. They're all bunk She didn't
go into that building after things got
really dangerous.
why, Frank ''
'All these yarns are bunk! The
papers had story recently about a
hero that jumped off the dock and
saved man from drowning. after a
frightful struggle, and all that.
knew that man. He makes a business
of loating about the docks and rescu-
Ing people!"
But"
There's no but about it There's
another chap that l know about. He's
stopped two runaways and saved two
g!rls-'at the peril of his life Bosh
Nobody says anything about the times
he's fiinched-tripped and fell just be-
fore he got to the horse-when he
didn't like its looks"
Frank l won't listen"
And there's another fellow" went
on Frank, unheedingly. HE was in
a jewelry store when two bandits held
up him and the clerks. They backed
him into the vault and shut the door
They didn't know that the vault was
being rebuilt and had had one of it's
sides taken out. He got through the
hole, found a pistol, and went back to
the store and shot the two men dead
shot EN- in the back. Didn't give
them chance That's the way with
these heroes; they don't take any
chances; but give 'em sure thing
and-bing."
sellie Blair stopped. "Mr. Morton"
she said, quietly. I've been thinking
for some days that we had made ii
mistake; this afternoon I've become
certain of it." She slipped off her
ring and dropped it into Franks hand.
I'm sorry" she said, but"
Frank frowned "Oh, wel." he said,
Sulkily; IF that's how you feel about
it"
II do Good Heavensl Look
yonderl" Waiting no reply, Nellie
started to run down the slope toward