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Show A Cure for Dignify By LAWRENCE ALFRED CLAY (Copyright, lull, by Associated liltorary iress.) Eecause Harold Speed was twenty-four twenty-four years old, and because Miss Gertrude Ger-trude Rayburn was only nineteen; because he was rather prim and precise, pre-cise, and she was a sort of tomboy; because he was in love with her and because of several other reasons, he had come to speak of her as Little Miss Chit. She was saucy and impudent and independent, and she was very demure de-mure and deceitful and ingenious. If she loved him in return she wasn't going to let him know it until she got good and ready. She resented his primness and preciseness and the rebukes he offered. When her mother talked to her about her wicked ways she elevated her chittish chin and replied: "And who is Harold to boss me. He 13 only a bit older than I am, though he acts like an old deacon. I'm going to keep at him until he drops that awful dignity and acts as any other young man would." "He has asked you to marry him, I presume?" queried the mother. "Yes, he has, and how did he do it? We were sitting in the summer house one evening, and I was chewing chew-ing gum. It was a beautiful night. The crickets were singing, and the night breeze was rustling the big willow. wil-low. It was just tfie nicest night in the world to talk love, but did he talk it? No, mamma. After we had sat there like two stupids for a long half hour, and just as I was expecting expect-ing him to drop to his knees and propose, he said: " 'Do you think we ought to keep a cat when we are married?' "Why, mamma, I was so mad that I almost swallowed my gum! Did you ever hear the like?" "Harold is a very steady young man, and you are hoity-toity," replied re-plied the mother. "I'm not. It's just only that I won't be a grandmother till I have to be. Oh, you wait. I'll bring that young hoQODODGL V Wm fell A With Her Father's Hat and Cane. man off his pedestal if he continues to hang around here. If he thinks I'm going to walk a chalkline for him he's very much mistaken." Harold was expected that very evening, eve-ning, and he arrived on time not a minute too soon nor a minute too late. The butler waved him into the parlor, according to program, and according to further program he expected to find Miss Gertrude sitting bolt upright in her chair as she waited his appearance. But she wasn't in a chair at all. She was sitting on the floor like a girl of ten, and moreover she was making a rag doll. She looked for Mr. Speed to exclaim. He might even turn and leave the house. He did nothing of the kind. He simply sim-ply said: "Sorry, Miss Chit that you haven't another little girl to play with. Excuse Ex-cuse me, please, while I look at the latest magazine." "Oh, sure! Wish grandma was home to talk with you!" And for a long hour she sat there and talked to her doll and sung to herself, but she couldn't even ruffle the conservative young man. He seemed quietly to enjoy the situation. On another occasion he began to talk politics as soon as he entered her presence, and after standing it for half an hour she yawned and asked if he had any objection to going go-ing out and buying a quart of peanuts pea-nuts to roast in the kitchen. She hoped he would flush up and even swear, but he disappointed her. He remained - cool and calm and answered an-swered that he hoped her frivolity tfuuld entirely disappear some day. Again, he entered the parlor to find her walking up and down with a cane, and her father's silk hat on her. head. She continued to walk after aft-er his entrance, and it was only, after he had seated himself and began be-gan to read a letter taken from his . pocket that she threw hat and cane into a corner and exclaimed: "Harold Speed, am I nobody or nothing?" "Why, yes you are little Miss Chit," he answered. "And you are Dignity on a mountain! moun-tain! Say, would you jump if a street car was coming at you?" "I think I could walk out of its path." "I wish a policeman would arrest you!" "What for?" "I wish he'd arrest you and slam-bang slam-bang you all over the block, and that the judge would give you thirty days the next morning! Oh, that dignity! How I just would like to sen it slam-banged!" "Thank you." "And you needn't come here no more!" "But I shall." "And I never said I'd marry you when you asked if we ought to keep a cat. You go to father if you dare!" "Is he at home this evening, please?" "And I'd elope with the butcher boy sooner than than " , "Miss Chit, I haven't seen you playing marbles or drawing a toy cart about yet!" Three days later Miss Gertrude and her mother went to a manor house for a week's stay. It was winter, and the lake, 'a quarter of a mile away, was frozen over, and certain folks were fishing through the ice with good luck. Mr. Speed was to come down for the last two days of their stay. There were four clear days in which to snowball, skate, fish and slide down hill. Even a snowman was built at the gate and a sign of "Dignity" would have been hung around his neck if Miss Chit could have had her way. The thought that Mr. Speed was to come down and spoil the last two days set a certain little head thinking. A plan was laid, and the boy who had baited her fish-hooks was called in to conspire. He grinned and Miss Chit giggled. "What's afoot now?" asked the suspicious sus-picious mother. "Nothing, mamma dear. Harold will be here tomorrow. He will arrive at 11 o'clock, the same as we did. I shall be over at the lake fishing. Tell him where I am. No, there's nothing doing, mamma. I'd just like to see him catch a fish through the ice." Harold arrived. As usual, he was punctual to the minute. He was shown the path to the lake and he walked over there. His last few steps were hastened by screams for "help. Yes, he really hastened, and the sight that met his eyes as he stood on the shore made him thrill. Miss Gertrude was afloat on a cake of ice. She was holding out her hands to him in supplication. There was a boy standing around on one foot with his finger in his mouth and looking helpless. "A boat! A boat!" cried Harold as he seized the lad and shook him out of his coat. "There over there, but it's too late!" "Harold oh, Harold!" from the cake of ice. "Yes yes. I'll save you! Help me, you young villain or I'll drown you!" There was ice and water in the boat, and only a board for a paddle, but It was launched and on its way to the rescue when a strange thing happened. Little Miss Chit seized the end of the rope and began pulling herself and cake of ice back to the main portion and presently stepped on the firm ice. As she did so she sat down and clapped her hands and began to laugh. Harold slowly returned re-turned the boat and then walked out to where the chuckles and giggles and chirrups came from. For thirty seconds he kept his face mobile. Then he grinned then smiled then broke down and laughed till the tears came. "I just bet them two folks are going to get married!" announced the boy as he sauntered up to the house. "What makes you think so?" '"Cause they are sitting down on the ice a shakin' hands and laughin' like two idiots. Hark! You can hear him holler clear here!" |