The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-02-13
A Guileful
Girl
By H. IRVING KING
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iCopyrightl

SO GORGE" said ArabeIla Stuart.
~ looking meditatively at George
Watkins, Il am thinking of getting
married"
"Are you. indeed?" replied George
with languid interest; "any special
person picked out. or is the field open
to all comers?"
"Oh. have picked out the man."
said Arabella. and then, after pause,
George, would yuu mind making love
to mel"
George started. why. Bella!" said
he. "this is so sudden-and besides
there is Bertha, you know"
Bertha Wainwright? OF course.
You and she have been as good as en-
gagged for some time now, haven't
your"
"Yes, we have" answered George,
looking with a puzzled air at the girl;
"and then, you know, besides, your
father hates me as certain dark
gentleman is said to hate holy wa
ter"
Nevertheless and therefore and
Notwithstanding" said Bella, II want
you for suitor."
II am flattered, delighted and
charmed. of course. but really-you
see-I-in fact" stammered George.
Nonsense" cried Bella; "here-
let's wander down this garden path.
l want to talk to you"
1t was at the Hawkins garden party
that this rather unconventional con-
versation took place. Some of the
guests who noticed Bella and George
Watkins walking slowly down patch
which wound into the recesses of q
pine grove smiled to each other and
said: Look! there goes Arabella
Stuart and George Watkins. Heads
close together In earnest conversation!
My, my! That's new combination.
Fred Waterhouse and Bertha VAIN
wright ought to behold that picture"
And within twenty-four hours it was
all over town-"all over town" being
figurative and not literal-that Ara
bella Stuart had, at last, given up try
ing to catch Fred Waterhouse and
was making dead set" at George
Watkins, who had shamefully thrown
over Bertha Wainwright!
It certainly did look as If there was
something in these rumors. for at
every social function now. wherever
you saw Arabella you saw George.
they seemed to have conversation and
eyes for none but each other. Ber-
tha's "dear friends" after the man.
ner of "dear friends" under like cir
cumstances, condoled/ with her upon
the outrageous conduct of her recreant
lover, quite prepared to mingle their
tears with hers and thoroughly enjoy
the misery they were infiicting. But
Bertha, to their surprise, tossed her
pretty head and declared that George
was of age, and quite free to do his
own picking and choosing as far as
she was concerned. One Of Fred
Warehouses; "candid friends" when
he approached Fred on the subject,
received for reply:
NSee here. just drop that, will your"
ant, everybody agreed that Fred was
lawfully cut up" at Bella's faithless.
ness. "But I guess he'll survive" said
they, "for you can see him laughing
and chatting with Bertha Wainwright
at every party you go to-" "Hearts
caught on the rebound !" murmured
sentimental miss. "Change partners
for the next figure" laughed a girl Of
the sporty" character.
All this-and more-cOuld not fail,
of course, of reaching the ears of Mr..
and Mrs. Stuart, fond parents of the
fair Arabella. Mrs. Stuart was shocked;
Mr.. Stuart was furious.
"What can Bella be thinking OFT"
groaned Mrs. Stuart. George Watkins
has no fortune"
"If he had all the money that
CrOesus is said to have had, he should
not marry my daughter" cried Papa
Stuart. 1.-THE son of that old thief,
Tim Watkins-who did me out Of fifty
thousand dollars in that coffee deal
marry a daughter of mine! His grand
father was a pirate and his father
robber. l want none Of that breed In
my family"
When Bella, who had been on a
short visit to a friend in a neighbor.
ing town, returned to the paternal
mansion, she found Father Stuart and
Mother Stuart waiting for her with
knives of sarcasm sharpened and clubs
of command uplifted. And then they
fell upon her-attacked her savagely
before she could get her hat and
gloves off. Bella wept.
"Well," she managed to sob out at
last, "you wouldn't let me marry
Fred Waterhouse. Mother said his
social standing wasn't high enough.
and you said he was spendthrift-
and If George Watkins"
"Don't let me ever hear you men
ton the name of Watkins again."
roared Father Stuart, and the fond
mother put in, ''Do you want to live
and die a pauper2 His father lost his
money in Wall Street after cheating
your father. I'd rather see you mar
ried to Fred Wainwright than George
Watkins.
"Marry the Old Nick If you want
to-" cried the doting father, "but You
shan't marry Watkinsl"
"Very WE'LL" said Bella, drying her
eyes, "Tll marry Fred then. Will he
do as well as the old gentleman you
named, father?"
"Oh, George" said Bella that eve