Show sti igors OF MER rigid by q I 1 I 1 1 MELISSA WOULD NOT PLAY HONEY TO A BUTTERFLY mrs maternal maiden aunt jane looked particularly know ing as her niece entered tho the room and her cough delivered behind tato correct fingers spoke volumes ot of in insinuation airs Merri wid who was EL a little flushed but as composed as usual smiled tolerantly in recognition of what the cough and look implied and made horr herself comfortable on the lounge cant fool you can 1 I auntie she eho said eald 1 I lay no claim to uncommon penetration tra tion but I 1 had an idea that you tako take all that trouble dressing for or an ordinary caller my dear sho she replied amr mr Wether vane is not an ordinary caller cert certainly Maly agreed mrs met me rigid ncr was it with an ordinary purpose that he bo called aunt jane assorted asserted you tell me molissa melissa but iro im aching to tell you do dei dared mrs bira Mor Awid please listen dearle dearie mr proposed so I 1 inferred said aunt jano jane complacently and you accepted him where your hinterer slipped a cag and threw tho the prognosticator out of gear darling said mrs mer that comes of slipping into high too abruptly mr wether vaua Is ii a charming man auntie dear hyt but this is ono one time his charm work ile iio Is now on his way to seek Bur surcease cease of sorrow borrow so I 1 iner ter from what he said somo anodyne ar antidote antl anti dot doti presumably at least aos les on bin way I 1 dont say it cost mo me a pang but refusing iii him in was the only shingi could do to hold Us permanent regard 11 oh it la in it commented aunt jaue jane lie he bits ba a record as a butterfly dearda 11 mrs ever says lie ha with boblo dignity and iron determination 11 1 I lov edone woman passionately for her beautiful face tho the classic regularity of 0 her features and all that sort eort of thing dont you know im not naturally inconstant as you seem to think but I 1 found in ehno that thero thera was something lackl lacki fag tig in her she bho was beautiful but more goei a beauty was not enough to satisfy the cravings clavings cravi of my soul I 1 mot met an aa other 1 I dont want to havo have tho the appearance anca of hurrying YOU you I 1 interrupted him in low rich tones tonea of deep earnestness but I 1 think I 1 get you another was waa intellectual but not spiritual you loved her madly but you mako make tho the temporary organization permanent without an infusion of tho the spiritual number three wan waa spiritual but angular number four was curvilinear but her dimalea bold you owing to some other deficiency they nil all toll fell a size or two short BOme somewhere whore and it until you met mo me that you discovered the right combination of loveliness of face and form and high mentality aad earnest and wit and charm and tact and style and all that sort of at thing having found me your affections are anchored and eternally Is that the situation practically says bays ho he you understand of course that all the love I 1 lavished on these incomplete objects la Is now concentrated focus Bed as it were upon you considering that from a mathematical standpoint you can easily sea BOO how strong my devot devotion lon must bo be its all right mr I 1 replied with a note of sadness badness in my voice you put up upa a good talk but ill hays haye to io ask you to release my hand handi it can never be you are arc not wholly indifferent to me I 1 confess but im afraid realize in time that I 1 am a brunette instead of a blonde and that my nose noise tip tilted and that I 1 dont know anything to speak ot about fancy dancing or the nebular by X A I 1 he admitted he had loved before since the down of adolescence darkened his upper lip he has haa been nitting flitting from flower cower to flower anything with pet atheral petals attracts him or has haa attracted him barring wall flowers up to the time he decided that I 1 was his hollyhock I 1 told him that ray my romantic fancy demanded a man that had never loved before do you poil know I 1 think that it Is in rather unreasonable melissa Mell protested aunt jane so do 1 I dearle dearie replied mra airs mer zt it was also untruthful any analo person over fifteen who has haa nev er known the tender not to say mushy passion is a monster and I 1 certainly care to tp give a ddn kindergarten der garten course to a person of postgraduate age if it was waa ever so BO but a real man should flirt in moderation immoderation and not get the habit so eo strongly fastened on him that his bis wife will be unable to control tt I 1 made the remark out of curiosity however I 1 wanted to know what lie ho would say you might have without re sorting to falsehood said aunt jane you mean I 1 might have guessed corrected her niece 1 I might have bavo guessed that he bo would say that ho he kad had never truly loved that he had only your guess too it dearle dearie well youve got two more coming lie ile admitted that he be had loved before beffre often and you offer nio me your heart seared b by former fires scarred by old wounds marred and chipped by the ibo wear and tear of a hundred previous ownerships says I 1 be ashamed ot of yourself mr Wether vane what I 1 said to him let mo me tell you about these old dead loves of mine Mel mellissa lesa says tle he 1 I dott dont want any mortuary statts statistics thank you mr Wether vane I 1 firmly besides says 1 I we have dinner at ceven and its past three now 1 I clatha the right to he be heard pot poth hesla ests farewell shortly after which he bo left concluded mrs airs mer ater rigid you want a more stable character then asked aunt jane 1 I want one that will stay tied replied mrs airs Morr iwed 1 I have no idea of following any mah around with a pan of oats through the dim distant years come to think of it stable is the word copyright 1913 by NV 0 chapman |