The Coolidge examiner., 1932-09-23
John Smith
By JANE OSBORN

certain rather nice-lOoking young
man, apparently a stranger, was
trying to get up enough courage to
ask her for a dance. Madge was
rather pleased to notice that he
did no dance, though it would have
been easy enough for him to intro
duce himself to some of the other
men who would present him to
more girls than he could possibly
dance with. Madge watched him
as she danced with the other men.
And then she saw him walking to-
ward the door that led out of the
club house she said to the very
young man with whom she was
dancing:
"Oh, please excuse me, just a
minute. There goes Mr.. Smith. /
want to speak to him before he
goes"
Inc very young man released his
timOrOus hold of Madge's slender
waist and she danced her way be-
tween swaying couples to the young
man in question.
"Oh, Mr.. Smith, | want to speak
to you. You are Mr.. Smith, aren't
you?"
Much to her surprise the young
man said he was. She had intend
ed to say that an aunt by mar
riage, she didn't want to make the
connection too close, had told her
that a certain young man named
John Smith was going to stop at
the hotel and would go over to the
club house and had asked her to
look for him. She had expected
the young man would say that his
name was not Smith but that he
wished it were, and then she would
say she was so sorry she had made
the mlstake-and he would say he
was glad she had, and then she
would smile and he would ask her
to dance-and after that they would
be as well acquainted as If he real
ly were named Smith and her aunt
had really asked her to look out for
him.
81 have been wondering If you
weren't the girl" said Mr.. Smith.
You see my aunt said she had
heard your aunt speak of you and
that you were here and your aunt
said she would speak to you about
me. My name is John-John Smith.
"And mine is Madge Upton"
MAY have this dance-or what
there is left of it?" he said.
Madge was spending the summer
holidays with a married sister who
had a cottage at the summer resort
not far from the hotel where John
Smith was staying, and 1t was
quite natural that thereafter Madge
and John should spend much time
| together.
There were wonderful mornings
spent together In the surf, after
moons sailing in Madge's catboat on
the bay-evenings dancing togeth-
er at the club house. Madge in
troduced John Smith to some of
the other girls. but always with a
keep your hands off my property"
sort Of way.
incidentally John fell in love with
Madge. He had come to the Mar
den hotel merely as a resting place
In his trip by motor to a spot some
two hundred miles further along
the shore. where he intended to
spend his three weeks of vacation
After he had dined he had strolled
over to the club house, when the
clerk at the hotel had told him that
guests there had the privilege. He
hadn't intended to stay, but sight
Of Madge made him linger.
Then one day-three days before
the end of his vacation-he felt
that the time had come to tell
Madge that he loved her.
They were sitting on the beach
under the protection of Madge's
enormous beach parasol which
shielded them from the gaze of
chance passers-by. Really a very
appropriately not entirely orig
inal setting for the important dec
| laratiOn.
Reversing the order of procedure
that he had planned John Smith
first told Madge that he loved her
and asked her to marry him. He
was then ready for his confession
but Madge got ahead of him with
hers.
81 did a perfectly dreadful
thing" she said. 81 wanted TO
| know you so much that ! made up
about my aunt-Tve never men,
toned her since for fear you would
find out ! had deceived you. It just
happened that | hit the right name
but then Smith is not unusual"
"Still it is not my real name" :"
said her companion. LAS matter
of fact my name is Archibald Pep
perell-I said ! was John Smith
for fear" but the erstwhile John
did not finish.
"Not Archibald Pepperell. You