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Show J Reputation For Fairness L ml By Richard Hill Wilkinson TVfflKE DIDN'T INTEND to be un-1 un-1 reasonable about It. He had a reputation for fairness, and he meant to live up to it. There wasn't a person alive who didn't have faults. And knowing this to be a fact. Mike could 31 understand why MiniltS such a gorgeous Fiction creatu" " s": ena Wood fell short of being a paragon. Not that Serena's faults were anything any-thing to worry about. If they had been Mike would never have asked her to marry him. Serena's greatest fault, he thought, was her Inability to get ready to go any place on time. Mike adopted a unique method in order to cure this deficiency. For a time he decided to fall in with Serena's habits. Thus, he would dispel any possible doubt in her mind regarding his purpose. Presently he would begin to get himself ready on time and sit around waiting. Serena couldn't help noticing and take heed. Then there was Serena's habit of going into a room, switching on an electric light and going out again without thinking to extinguish it. Mike decided to adopt the same method in effecting this cure also. During the next half year Mil.e noted with some satisfaction satisfac-tion that Serena had already begun to feel his stronger personality. per-sonality. She was allowing herself her-self a bit more time to get dressed for parties, and once or twice suggested to Mike that he hurry up. By the time the six months was up, Serena had improved greatly. He decided to forego his tapering off, letting well enough alone. Three months passed and the situation had taken on quite a new aspect. Serena, Ser-ena, unconsciously, was doing a lot of walking from one room to another an-other switching off lights that Mike had left burning. rpHINGS REACHED a point at the end of a year that called for some sort of undertaking. Oddly, it was Serena who brought matters to a head. "1 realize," she told Mike crossly, "that everyone has their faults. But it does seem to me that you could attach a little lit-tle more importance to things around the house. I've done my best to make you change your ways. I've even resorted to artifice." arti-fice." "Artifice?" "I mean, like telling you we have to be at a party 15 minutes before hand In the hopes that you'll get ready on time. I've deliberately gone into the bedroom to switch off the lights after you come out, hoping hop-ing that you would notice. I've got out of bed and padded way to the kitchen to shut off a dripping faucet "I didn't mean that you were weakminded or anything like that. We all have our faults." that you've left running. I declare, Mike, you can't have a very strong personality." "Now wait a minute, Serena. Something's wrong here. We've got to have an understanding." "We certainly have. From now on I if you leave the lights burning they I stay burning and you can pay the Dill. If you're late for parties I'll go on ahead and you can make ! our own excuses." "But about this personality business. busi-ness. Now " "I didn't mean that you were weakminded or anything like that. Ve all have our faults. Why, even : have some, I suppose. I've tried o help you overcome yours. But rom now on you'll have to shift or yourself, unless you can give tie some co-operation." "Co-operation! Why, hang it, I did those things deliberately to break you of them, and now I find myself doing them automatically auto-matically and and liking it. Mr and Mrs. Mike Graham stared it each other. "It's my fault that rou have faults and I have faults jecause of your faults. Oh, darling, klike. don't you see what's hap-ened? hap-ened? We made the mistake of if thinking ourselves perfect. Let's tart all over again now that ve have an understanding, and vork the other way." "O. K.," said Mike. "O. K." He irinned, remembering he had a eputation for fairness and now 'ai the time to live up to it. |