The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1928-09-07
Two Girls for
Bill
SscSSSScSSS
BY HI. LOUIS RAYBOLD
-
(Copyright.)

up ny lWo IcfiuS Dul Slightly over
jealous aunts.
But now William had outgrown
schooling. Not that he was particular
y well educated, although he could
hold his own with the average young
man when it came to intellectual dis
cussions and that sort of thing. What
l mean is that the problems which
now kept his devoted Aunt Elizabeth
and devoted Aunt Louise awake at
nights were somewhat more complex.
And the most difficult of all to settle
was just where there was to be found
in the whole of Tolland county, or for
that matter In the entire state itself,
girl suitable for their nephew to
marry.
Now, ordinarily, these two good
women got together on anything which
concerned the boy of whom they were
both equally fond, but at the time this
story starts, Aunt Elizabeth was en-
gagged on a little scheme of her own.
After all, there was nothing very
dreadful about Aunt Elizabeth's little
conspiracy. 1t had come to her atten-
tion that the daughter of an old friend,
Marjorie Marden, was running a tea
room in the next town that she was
considered very capable young woman
and that she was anxious to get In
touch with her mothers old friend.
Therefore, without saying anything
to anybody, she drove over to the tea
room and made herself known to the
brisk young lady whom she met there
and who proved second edition of
her charming friend.
"And Wen expect you to supper
next Tuesday. dear child" were her
last words, as she resolved that Bill
should be home that night to receive
the girl.
Now it is impossible to live all your
life with person and not get wise
when there Is something in the air.
Tuesday morning Aunt Louise knew
at the very instant that her sister
rose half an hour earlier than was
her custom that something was afoot.
And when she saw that preparations
for certain special dishes were under
way she put two and two together and
got wrong answer. She figured that
her sister was going to ask a favor of
Bill and was planning TO approach
him, as from time immemorial it has
been customary to approach a man,
through his appetite.
1t gave Louise an idea, however.
Why not kill two birds with one
stone? There was that nice little
librarian she had been planning to
have Bill bring TO supper some night
and what better night than one on
which her sister was getting up
specially attractive menu? She could
return book TO the library and make
the invitation appear casual enough.
Bill was, as it happened, reclining
in the couch hammock on the porch
with half a dozen apples and book
on exploration, when his Aunt Louise
came up the path and went into the
house by side door, Nor is 1t reas-
enable to expect him to get up and
walk away when he begins to over
hear conversation between the two
women who have been second mothers
to him. In the first place, so seldom
was there anything said between
them that he was not quite welcome
| to overhear, that such an idea would
not have occurred to him. Only when
he heard the strained tones of his
| Aunt Elizabeth did he become aware
that something was going on.
ftpnt or1ico T haya alroadr ipyitaI
my old friend Marjorie's daughter to
tea. | intended to tell you, of course,
but you hurried away right after
| lunch. She would make a nice wife
| for"
$50 that Is the idea - said Aunt
Louise coldly. "Well, 1t was with
some such idea in mind that l asked
the little librarian. / am sure she
| would be much more desirable for Bill
| than any highty-tighty tea-room man.
ager. / guess our nephew can make
| his own way without marrying a wom-
| an that would probably want to keep
| on working and leave her children to
| manage anyhow and not half run her
| house"
1t was at this point that Bill woke
up to the fact that his future wife
| was the cause of the whole trouble.
| He grinned all by himself out there
| on the porch. Then he rose slowly.
'T guess he said, "this will be as
| good a time as any to break the
news" But first he stole upstairs to
| the telephone in his little study.
Ten minutes later he came down
stairs to find two dignified women
setting the table for five places and
not speaking to each other
| 81 say, Aunt Lou and Aunt Bess,"
he said gently. "Set another place
there, will you? I've invited some
body to supper myself-a-a friend
| Of mine Want you to give her the
once-over, and IL she meets your ap-
| proval, she's going to be Mrs. Bill"
"William!" the outcry came from
them both.
"Yes, sir" said Bill. 'She's Janet
| Jean Johnson"
1.-The girl next door," said Aunt
Elizabeth.
1.-THE girl next door," said aunt
Louise.
"The girl next door, said Bill. ..Ths
l darling