Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-02-29
A Matter of
COnsonants
MARGARET GUILE BAXTER
By HERBERT WILSON
ASSOCIATED Newspapers.)
WNU Service.

ieg1tlmate right to them. In the
first place, it was Monday, and she
had read the other day that noted
London scientist had declared the
well-known Monday morning feeling
to be definite, scientific fact; more
over, she simply detested her name
Margaret Guile! Why, she
moaned inwardly, had no affection
ate nickname such as Peggy or
Margie ever been given her; on the
contrary, any attempt to shorten
her baptismal name, even when she
was an infant, had been vigorously
opposed by her craftsmanship
ing mother-"Guille" being an old
French family name which, her
mother insisted, added eclat to her
first name. Beside being low in
mind, Margaret Guile was low in
funds, $1.80 being the amount she
had been able to extract from her
purse even though she had turned
it upside down. AS Daddy Baxter
discouraged requests for advances,
the outlook for the remaining five
days of the month before her next
allowance was due was far from
rosy. To make matters worse, her
hair needed trimming, fluff of yell
low showing beneath the tight little
felt hat that she pulled down as far
as possible.
Hello, Margaret Guile" called
a gay voice from the curb.
Used as she was to hearing her
name from relatives, teachers and
friends, it seemed, on that particu-
lar Monday morning to only add in
suit to injury. She said nothing,
however, but stepped into the nifty
little roadster of her next door
neighbours with no display of enthu-
siasm.
1--WE got WOW of plan, Mar
garet Gull" began her companion
eagerly.
Peter Lathrop, can't you open
your mouth without shouting my
my-detestable manner" she asked,
irritation getting the best of her.
Peter looked at her in astonish-
ment.
"Detestable name? What on earth
do you mean? What's the matter
with Margaret"
Don't you dare finish i'll"
"But I've called you that ever
since you were knee high to grass
hopper-everybody has-now if it
were your last name that got you all
wrought up, you know I've main
tanned for some time that
Lathrop-''
GAS for that plants this. Well
telephone your mother from down.
town and then drive out to a road
house for luncheon. What do you
say?"
Margaret Guille's only reply was
a subsiding sniffle, but it had an
acquiescent sound.
It would be an exceedingly OBJ
stinate mood that could not be mel
lowed by the old world atmosphere
of the quaint old inn called "The
Worn Doorstep" Situated on the
bank of river, its charm lay large
ly in its dissimilarity to the usual
roadhouse. Margaret Guile soon
felt the soothing influence of the
place. 1t was early-not yet one
o'clock.
Peter, never one to lose a golden
opportunity, had for the seventh
time-he insisted upon it's being
the seventh as well as upon the fact
that seven is an unfailingly lucky
number-expatiated upon the ad-
vantages that would accrue if she,
Margaret Guile, would change her
last name to Lathrop.
Baxter isn't the part of my
name that bothers me-" said she
saucily. "Now if it were Mar
garet Guile that you could elimi-
nate"
"Peter Lathrop!" she exclaimed
suddenly, "I'll make a bargain with
you. If you'll promise on your word
of honor never to call me Margaret
Guile again Pll-Pll-marry you"
"Holy cats!" said Peter jumping
up from his chintz-covered chair
and making one long stride for
her, ell promise anything in rea-
son or out, but''-after an appreci-
able interval-"what am I to call
you-in public let us say? 1t would
hardly do to always say sweet"
"You shall call me Peggy" in
terrupted his new fiancee. give
longed for a nickname all my life
and I'm going to choose my own,
since I have to get married to get
one"
peggy it is from this moment
until death do us part" declared
Peter with appraised hand.
Peter was undeniably hungry and
ne gave his rapt attention to the
menu-card as soon as they were
seated for luncheon.
margaret Gui-" one glance at
the stony face across the table and
he went on, "guinea hen is fine this
time of the year, what do you say
if we try it,"
The face across the table softened
somewhat.
'T'n forgive the first name, but,
Peter, l really thought you were
going to say it all and if you had"
"And if I had?"
"Why, of course, you would have
broken your promise and we