THE
CHEM AW A
AM ERICAN
19
HER P E C U L IA R IT Y
\ o n m u s t fin d t h a t
im p e d im e n t
in
vour
speech
r a t h e r i n c o n v e n i e n t a t tim e s , M r. B r i g g s ? ”
O h,
n-110;
e v ery b o d y
S t a m m e r i n g is m - m - m in e .
has
h is
little p e c u lia rity .
W h a t is y o u r s ? ”
W e ll, r e a lly , I a m n o t a w a r e t h a t I h a v e a n y . ”
I)-d o y o u s tir y - y o u r te a w ith y o u r r ig h t h a n d ? ”
W h y , y es, o f c o u r s e .”
W’- w e ll, t h a t is y - y o u r p e c u l i a r i t y ;
m o s t p - p e o p le
u -u se a t- te a s p o o n .”
XOT AS EXPECTED
\ o u n g M r. C h a r le s w a s p l a i n l y e m b a r r a s s e d , a n d
M iss S m ith k n e w w h a t w a s c o m in g — o r t h o u g h t s h e
d id .
Iv r— M iss S m i t h , ” lie s a id f e v e r i s h l y , “ c o u ld I —
e r ~ s e e y ? u r O t h e r , f o r a m o m e n t o r tw o ? ”
C e r ta in ly , M r. C h a r le s ! ”
A n d , e x c u s i n g h e r s e lf
s h e s w e p t tr o m t h e p a r l o r .
P r e s e n t l y t h e o ld m a n c a m e i n , a n d , a f t e r a s h o r t
c o n v e r s a t i o n w ith M r. C h a r le s , h e s t e p p e d to t h e d o o r
a n d s u m m o n e d h is d a u g h t e r .
I t is g e t t i n g l a t e ,
s a id M r. C h a r l e s , w h o s e fa c e
w as ra d ia n t,
a n d as I h a v e a lo n g rid e b e fo re m e , I
t h i n k I w ill s a y g o o d n i g h t .
S h a ll I fin d y o u a t h o m e
o n W e d n e s d a y e v e n i n g , M is s S m i t h ? ”
M iss S m i th a s s u r e d h im t h a t h e w o u ld , a n d M r.
C h a r l e s w a s s o o n e n r o u t e fo r C la p h a m .
“ O h , p a p a , ” s h e b e g a n , “ d id h e ------ - ”
«
X ™ m .u s t n o t a s k Q u e s t i o n s ,” s a id t h e o ld m a n .
M r. C h a r l e s w is h e d t o s e e m e a b o u t a m a t t e r w h ic h
to r t h e p r e s e n t , m u s t r e m a i n a s e c r e t . ”
I k n o w , p a p a , ” p le a d e d t h e g i r l ; “ b u t y o u m i g h t
g iv e m e j u s t a l i t t l e h i n t o f w h a t it w a s — j u s t a w o rd
papa?”
’
1
k e r e p l i e d i n d u l g e n t l y , s in c e y o u m u s t
k n o w , M r. C h a r le s w a n te d to b o r r o w a n i c k l e to g e t
hom e w ith !”
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*»**«*«**»