TTOMF AXF FARM MAGA/Ï> E S K C 'i'R >\’
The M an F or th e oJb.
“ I un d erstan d you got into j a i l , ”
ly c o n d u ct, ” s a id Mrs. K e m p sh o t. I said the w arden, “ on account of a
w ish Ire n e h a d b e e n th e re to h a v e h e a rd ¡glowing m ining p ro sp ectu s.”
“ I w as q u ite o p tim is tic ,” a d m itte d
lM F.
O f course th ere w as only one thing th e g e n tle m a n ly p riso n er.
“ Well, the governor w ants a report
fo r me to do. 1 did it. I th in k it took
mo ex actly h a lf an hour to pack my on conditions in my j a i l. 1 w a n t yo u
bag. 1 le ft the K em pshots, feeliug the to w r ite i t ”
• • •
big g est fool 1 have ever fe lt in my life.
D o n ’t pout if you d o n ’t win. Be kind
S tra ig h tw a y on reaching London I
to th e w inner and then go home and
w ent to call upon Irene. I should find
break your trouble« gently to th e gate
her in th e garden, the serv an t told me.
post.
I found her in th e same eh air in
which she had sat c h a ttin g to me three
days before. She looked up, and as she
saw me raised her eyebrows. “ You
back in tow n a lr e a d y !”
A L J - R IO H T S R E S E R V E D
“ I r e n e ,” I said. “ IIow dare y o n ! ”
“ W h a t! ” she replied ingenuously.
“ T ake my b eastly telegram seriously
T h e o m t practical. healthful, piartinxt
l i i u r M i e r«r lnvcr»*rd for chilitrrn 1
and w rite to Mrs. K em pshot about my
to I year» of a«c.
Made in on* p u re
en g ag em en t! ’
w ith drop bark
F a k ir slipped on or
o f.
Eaaily washed.
N o u<hi
“ You d id n ’t speak to Mrs. Kemp-
elastic baud» to « o p cirrnlatixn
s h o t!”
M ade in Woe dnrim . and M u r and
Whae hickory (tripea for ail th«
“ W h a t else eould I d o ! ” I replied
year round.
AIx> lifh tr r weight
b itte rly , ” 1 n ever had an y in ten tio n
marerial for rutnmer w a r . AU
fa rm e n a trimmed » U h fast red or
of m arry in g Amy, an d I th o u g h t------ ”
blue faiatca.
Mad« ta O otrh nock
The rest of my exp lan ation was
w ith elbow Ra e - a a and h ifh
nock ar.w iu o ( hirer cs.
drow ned in laughter. “ How p erfectly
lo v ely ,” said Irene, clapping h er hands.
7 5 c the suit
” 1 am glad you th in k so ,” I said, “ I
H yewr dealer cannot supply you.
only wish you had seen Mrs. K em pshot
we w ill aond them, charges prepaid
an receipt o f price, 7 Sc eat h.
in stead o f me. D ene, w h at m ade you
A
N ew r n r r if T hey
do i t ! ”
Suit
fA L L
Kip
" B e c a u s e ,” Iren e studied tho point
M .,J . R ,
of h er shoe, “ because I w a sn ’t quite
, I-avt S tr a a sa & C o , S a n F r a n c isc o J
sure if you w ere serious. A nd I d id n ’t
th in k Amy was q n ite suitab le fo r you.
She is n ’t the g irl I should lik e to see
you m arry . ”
’ -B^M V^-IW HEARTOr-CI
“ N o ,” I replied. Then I looked at
Iren e. H er faee had gone scarlet.
“ I r e n e ,” I said, “ I believe— I honestly
believe------ ”
“ I ’m n o t,” sho replied firm ly.
She bad placed her hands before her
|g> e6bb'
face. Going down on my knees, I g e n t
L ece GEES
ly drew them aw ay. 8ho av e rte d her
SB EE BBSS
» S<»rUa >
eyes, u n til I w hispered a few w ords to
BE BP BE BE
b e lli tomlor!”
her.
■ M B S I®
la tbc c e n t e r o f I
“ Y e s,” she confessed, “ th a t w as w hy
Ï Ï 5 »
thing«—Cheatreaeof I
I se n t you th a t le tte r .”
•tore« on both mdew» I
I b en t n earer an d kissed her. " F o r
building abeohrtcly i
the fo u rth tim e ,” 1 said, “ will you— ”
fireproof—n inert Lc, |
“ Y es,” she replied. “ Y’es, yes, y e s .”
“ 1 sh o u ld n o t h a v e th o u g h t y o u would
have b e en g u ilty o f such un;j."iitlt’man-
T he S tratag em of Irene
C a p ita l S h o rt S to ry in J . M o rto n L e w is’ B est V ein.
th e sam e post as this, so if you are
p resen t when Mrs. K em pshot reads it, do
not blush. I shall p u t it on aw fully
th ick — I feel I owe it to you. I shall
miss you aw fully, b u t I daresay Amy
will let me come som etim es and enjoy
th e m arm alade she m akes so b eanti
fully. (Iren e know s I ab om inate m ar
m alad e). Please let me know w hen the
w edding will be. I m ust com e.”
I did not read any fu rth e r, although
there was anotlier page and a half. My
eyes w andered to Amy. She was facing
me, th e perso n ificatio n of prim and
proper m aidenhood; very proper and ex
trem ely prim.
T hen th ey fell npon Mrs. K em pshot;
she w as stirrin g her te a and reading a
le tte r. I recognized th e w ritin g . Bo-
n e a th my b re a th I swore a t Iren e, silent
ly and flu en tly . I w ent hot and cold
all over. Amy is a d elig h tfu l girl. She
w ill m ake some m an a most charm ing
w ife, b u t she is no t fo r m e; I know my
lim itations.
Mrs. K em pshot glanced up from the
le tte r and sm iled a t me. “ W h at will
you have now, D ic k ! ” she said. I t w as
tho firs t tim e she had called me Dick.
I t w as on my tongue to ask her for
some prussic acid. “ N o th in g m o re,” I
m urm ured politely.
M y b rain w as w orking furiously. I
p a ro x y sm s o f e n th u sia sm .
fe lt a fool, a cad, and I endeavored
“ Why d o n ’t you propose to A m y !”
to fin d some w ay out o f th e aw ful p re
Irene surveyed ine languidly.
d icam ent in w hich I w as placed, th an k s
“ I m ight do w o rse,” 1 reto rted .
“ M uch
w o rse ,"
she
acquiesced. to Irene. W hy should she w ant to
■write to Mrs. K em p sh o t! She m ight
“ You m ight have been accepted by me.
have w aited u n til she had h eard from
T hink of i t ! ”
me. M y telegram w as v ag u e enough.
“ T ruly I have much to be th a n k fu l
And it w as p e rfectly tru e. O nly an hour
fo r, ’ ’ I replied.
before I had se n t it A m y had to ld me
Ire n e lau g h e d . S he is tru ly provok
she would lik e to have Iren o fo r a
ing.
bridesm aid if ev er she w as m arried.
“ 1 have seriously th o u g h t of pro
W hy w ill women jum p a t conclusions!
p o sin g to A m v ,” I said.
I th o u g h t it all over u n til ray head
“ D err girl. How happy she w ill be.
A n l w hat a good wife sho will m ake ached. As fa r as I eould see th e re w as
you—she could m anage b ea u tifu lly on only one w ay o u t of th e dilem m a—one
r
■ a year. And I ’m sure 1 c o u ld n 't.’’ w hich m ust b ran d me as a cad fo r all
tim e w ith th e K em pshots.
•••-i am 1 ,“ 1 reto rted . “ Your stock-
Mrs. K em pshot p u t down th e letter.
ys alone m ust cost you a sm all for-
The smile w as still on her face. “ I
t Ui io.
have heard from Iren e th is m o rn in g ,”
11 ne flushed, and w ithdrew her foot.
she said.
I t u s a very p a ltry p o in t to score.
I t w as a leading question. “ H ave
H alf an hour la te r 1 rose to tak e
my leave. “ Then I shall expect to hear y o u ! ” I replied feebly. “ So have L ”
Then follow ed a silence, one w hich
y u uro engaged to Amv when you
,? b a c k ," she said., sm iling in fa re was p ain fu l in th e extrem e. Mrs. K em p
shot fin ish ed h er eup o f te a , d rin k in g
well.
“ You are sure she Will accept m e t ” w ith a precision th a t w as horrible.
“ Could anyone refu se such an aw- Then she pushed back h er chair.
“ M rs. K em p sh o t,” I said hurriedly,
fuil - nice, eligible boy such as you
“ I should lik e to speak to y o u .”
a re ! ’ ’
“ C e rta in ly ,’’ she replied, and w a it
“ 1 know one who did. I shall begin
to th in k you are rep en tin g in a min ed.
T here was no help fo r it now but to
u t e .' ’
go through w ith m y apology as beat I
“ And if I d id » ”
1 looked a t Iren e . I never know could. “ A lone,” I said.
“ W ill you come into th e d raw in g ,
w hether she is serious or not. She was
surveying me dem urely, b u t th ere was ro o m !”
I follow ed her in to th e room and
a m ocking smile p lay in g round tho
closed th e door. W hen I looked around
corners of h tr mouth.
she was sta n d in g by th e p iano, her
“ Then Amy can go to— ”
“ N o, she c a n ’t, D ickie, dear. S h e 's arm s h a lf folded. She is one o f those
and
g o i n g to m ake you an ideal w ife. N ice women who alwayB look s te m
little ta s tv dishes when you come home angular.
“ Mrs. K em p sh o t,” I said, “ I owe you
tire d from th e c it y .”
an apology. ’ ’
“ Good by, I r e n e ,” I said.
She gave me th e least possible help
The m ocking laugh follow ed me as
she eould b y rem aining silent.
I w alked up th e garden path.
“ I do n o t know w h at Ire n e eould
The sp irit of m ischief m ust have en
tered me a fte r I had been sta y in g a t have m eant w ritin g to you ab o u t i t . ”
“ It was a very nice letter Irene sent
the K em pshots fo r 24 hours. P erh ap s
i t was a respite from th e aw ful g av ety me. ”
“ I expect so; Ir e n e 's le tte rs a re al
of th e ir bouse—g ay ety w hich would
would drive a to rto ise mad w ith ennui. w ays n ic e .”
“ In d e e d !” Mrs. K em p sh o t’s tones
A t any rate, I despatched a teleg ram to
Iren e on one o f my walks. I t ran : were frig id .
I fe lt sublim ely m iserable. “ H o t still
“ A m y w an ts yon to come to her wed
d in g .' ’ A fte r I had p aid my sixpence, D ene had no rig h t to ju m p to th e con
I th o u g h t no moro ab o u t i t u n til next clusion th a t I was engaged to A m y .”
“ Indeed 1” said Mrs. K em pshot again.
m orning.
“ N o ,” I continued, g a th e rin g cour
A t th e b re a k fa st tab le a couple of
le tte rs lay a w aitin g me. Mr. K em pshot age as I proceeded. ” 1 only sen t Iren e
had gone to tow n ; only Mrs. K em pshot a w ire say in g th a t A m y w onld lik e to
see her a t her w eddiag. I n ever sag
and A m y w ere a t the table.
“ Do read you r le tte rs if you would geeted th a t A m y w as going to m arry
m e; noth in g w as f u r th e r from my
like t o ,” said Mrs. K em pahot.
I th an k ed her an d opened th e e n th o u g h ts.”
Mrs. K em pshot regarded me elosely.
velope, which w as addressed to me in
I r e n e 's som ew hat spraw lin g h a n d w rit She looked more an g u lar th a n ever. “ I
d o n 't q u ite follow you. D eno eaid n o th
ing.
I t was a long le tte r. How she must ing in h er le tte r a b o u t y o u b ein g en
gaged to Amy. Am I to understand that
kavs laughed as she w ro te it.
“ D ear D ick ,’ * i t ra n , “ w h at did I you and she have been jo k in g to g eth er
sa y ’ X eannot tell yon how h appy 1 1 on th e s u b je c t! ”
am. I am overjoyed a t th e good news
“ W ell,” X «tam rored. ♦’Trane was
•—so ov rjoyed th a t I am w riting to teasing me a lr u t A m y fho other day,
♦ell Miss. K em pshot w h a t an exem and I sent her a telegram yesterday,
p lary , nice young man sho has g o t fo r a saying that Amy w ould lik e to see her
tnturs soa-iu law , Tho letter w ill go by a t her w e& iing.’?
BY J . M OBTON L E W IS.
K EA LLY eannot «ay i t w as I r e n e ’s
fau lt. In any o th er g irl I m ight
have blam ed the actio n , b u t when
a p air of blue eyes aglow w ith life and
insoneianee— surveys you, blam e tak es
wings, and you laugh w ith th e culprit.
Besides, Iren e is Ire n e —th a t sums up
th e whole situ atio n .
We have been frien d s fo r y ears;
close friends, if th e fa c t th a t she has
refused me on th ree sep arate occasions
m akes the friem lahip any th e moro b in d
ing. I t was ab o u t a w eek a fte r th e
th ird refusal. W’e w ere seated iu th e
garden, e atin g straw b erries an d cream ,
and discussing noth in g w ith a solem
n ity th a t w as w o rth y o f a b e tte r cause.
Irene w as seated on a low b ask et
chair w ith a grace th a t w as p ositively
disconcerting. From b en eath the folds
of her sk irt peeped a p a te n t leath er
shoe and a few inches o f openw ork silk
stocking. Tho sun shone on her hair,
picking out th e golden stran d s. A lto
g ether the sight o f her made m e envious
and bad tem pered.
“ A nd so you are going to stay w ith
th e K em pshots fo r a few w eeks,” she
said.
1 nodded. I t was a d u ty visit, and
th e prospect did not fill me w ith wild
I
<
4b
♦
f
OVERALLS
Keep Kids Kleen
•T.d
H o tel
SAVOY
steel anti marble,
The ground can be too loose to p la n t
sw eet clover in. P ack i t hard a fte r sow
ing. I f you eould tra m p it in w ith stock
it would be all th e b etter. I t does well
even in a lk a li soils.
BFBOMAN FUI»
t l far Pay Up
R o o m s S 1 -O<> p a r d a y u p
B o o m s w i t h » r i r a i a h a t h IX W O 1
Merchants, Attention!
There la Money in Your Old Freight BUM.
Let the Transcontinental Traffic Association Find It for Ton.
I l yon nr« n merchant who pays railroad ar »prana ehargua wa can
greatly benefit yon and yonr bnaineaa aa a member s f thia trrrrlrtlnn. It
la the aim of TUE TRANSCONTINENTAL TRAFFIC ASSOCIATION to
embody all of tho shippers and receivers at freight witbia the Matas of
Oregon and Washington Into one strong shippers' eaeoclateaa.
We are a permanent institution for the benefit af the merehanta w 1«
general offices maintained at Portland This aeeoemtlow la prepares at
any time to handle and rive » p e r t servine and Information on freight rant
ing, tariff ratea and classification, overcharge, lose and damage danna.
In ten ta te Commerce complaints and rate litigation, In fact, la protect sail
assist the shipper from every standpoint of his transportation.
Wa have proved that an association of thia kind carries strength and
commende reaped of the railroad!, especially In the film» ef alaime fur
averchargea, eta. It Is a well known fact that auditing aompaniaa, operating
on a percentage of tho amonnts recovered aa overcharges, kavs little respect
or standing with the railroads, and that a largar peraantaga at the claims
Died by them with the carriera are declined dee le lack ef necessary evi
dence end knowledge regoired to present claims s f merit In the proper man
net eo as to reach the higher authority » a r the regalar clerical help of the
railroads.
To any shipper er receiver of freight the eerricea e f thia aeeeciatloe are
farvaluahle and no operating business can afford la be withoot i t
We earnestly nrge every merchant to take advantage s f ear SPECIAL
OTfKODCUTORY OFFER. Our regular membership fee la Ten Oellare.
For thirty days wa will deduct thia fee f r a » the »erch ergea found ia yonr
freight bills and return to yon *0 per seat ef Ike v—'— —. than, wifeuot
any cash entley. yon art made a member e f erne ef Ike etraagvnl end moat
efficient traffic organisations in the Weak
Write Us Today
The Trans-Continental Traffic
- Association
01-412-413 414-415 rAHAJiut Bulldln«
Portland, Oregon.