The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-06-17
To Match the
Furniture
.~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~S~~~~~
By H. IRVING KING
tcopyright.l

lars, Samuel Denn1ng looked about Tor
a wife He was thirty-five and here
tofore his life had been so busy and
crowded with futile attempts to attain
competence, he had been so poorly
equipped for taking upon himself the
responsibilities of the married state.
that he had considered matrimony only
as an academic proposition Some day.
when he could afford it, when things
came right, he would take unto him
self a wife. But not now.
And so the strenuous and unfruitful
years went galloping by until sudden
", Unexpectedly, the good fairy. For
tune, waved her magic wand and LOT
he was rich man. That is, compar-
atively rich--rich for him. The cause
of Samuel's sudden affiuence was the
demise of venerable great-uncle who,
having completed some ninety years Of
mundane existence was untimely cut
off in an attempt to cross the bows of
a high-power automobile.
When the lawyers took hold of the
great-uncle's affairs 1t was found that
he had died intestate and that Samuel
Denning was next of kin. And along
with the personal estate of the late
deceased" went a parcel Of highly de-
sirable real estate in the shape of a
fine, old-fashioned country place in a
rather fashionable neighborhood.
The old place appealed strongly to
Sam. He inspected it with the great
est satisfaction-old servants and old
furniture and took 1t over. Now all
he needed was wife to sit at the
head of the duck-foot old mahogany
table and do the honors of the estab-
lishment. If he had, heretofore, been
poor he had managed to know lot of
mice" people, and his thoughts re
verified to Azalea Blye. Azalea was
five years his Junior but she was
stately young lady and would go very
well with the furniture. That was his
idea-to get a wife to match the fur
niture. A bob-haired woman in Hep
pelwhite chair would, he thought,
strike discordant note. Lipsticks and
Lowestoft don't go together we'll.
But Azalea would fit in beautifully;
so Sam went ACQUIRING Azalea. That
she would have him he had little
doubt. Azalea was ready to accept
him. Her parents pointed out to her
that it was her duty-and Azalea was
strong on duty. Once many years be-
fore -Azalea had been engaged to
perfectly impossible young man. Her
parents, when they had discovered it,
had broken off the engagement and the
young man had married chorus girl
and lived happily with her ever after.
Aaalea saw that her parents had beeE
quite right and shuddered at the mar
row escape she had had But she often
thought of poor Tom Lincoln with a
sigh and wondered just why this world
was constituted as it is.
There was something about Azalea
that, the more he saw of her, made
Sam think Of Edith B1anding. For
he too, had had his romance of early
life. He had thought a great deal ofR
Edith but had been too busy and too
poor to ask her to marry him. So mi
his roaming life, they had drifted
apart He had not seen her or heard
of her for years. He wondered where
she was now. The last he heard She
was living with her parents in the
American colony in Rome and was
engaged to an Italian count She was
probably married long ago, and living
IN some old italian palace. Edith
would fit in well with the antique fur
niture of an old italian palace-he
could picture her among it. But, by
George! she would fit In better with
the old furniture of Colonial man
sion How perfect she would look
at the head of that duck-foot dining
table of his. "And really believe
was In love with Edith" thought he.
Hang it all, Ibelieve I am STILL But
what's the use? It's time ! shifted
into, evening clothes. Let me see.
dine with Azalea at eight. Guess I'll
ask her tonight and have it over with"
Sam got into his car and ordered
his chauffeur to drive to the Blye
place. Half mile from his gates he
came upon an automobile stalled by
engine trouble. Two ladies were stand
ing by the wayside watching their
chauffeur tinkering with the machine.
Sam stopped and offered assistance.
There was something familiar about
the younger lady and as soon as she
spoke he knew her. Yes, it was
Edith Banding The recognition was
mutual and Edith and Sam forgot all
about engine troubles and just asked
questions of each other.
"And so you are Edith Banding
still?' said Sam.
Il am; and apparently doomed to
remain So" replied Edith. 'The Ital-
ian count2 Who ever started that
story7 The count was quite attentive
for awhile, but, like all my admirers,
easily got over the attack
Don't say ALL" answered Sam.
''Dear me, said Edith, II do wish
James would get that engine going.
We live In New York and are on trip
RI PoSton Wa ought m hove ,aa<,l,o al