Show his last cahan chance 05 john kingsland war wasa splendid en gincer I 1 say was not that he Is dead but because somehow he has dropped out of sight building that across the andes ralli oad what I 1 was going to say was that it if john haj been as discerning and quick of 0 judgment when it came to women as he e was when it came to gauging a crack track why then he probably would not be where he is now whether or not john johns s great liking tor for the girls was due to his lackor knowledge of the female character I 1 am not going to discuss certain it is that while I 1 knew him his heart was never disengaged for more than three weeks running in this way he nearly exhausted every year the season s supply of debutantes that the small town where we lived could furnish without ever getting any nearer the altar than the hangman does to the gallows he kept this thing up for ome some years till it became the talk of the town which did not help his matrimonial aspirations in the meantime he was not growing any younger and he finally took his sue fail res so to heart that he had bad to open the safety valve and take some one into his confidence whom he could share his sorrows As A we were chums in those days he came to me tor for sympathy without however getting much of it one of these oc I 1 remember perfectly beddle he said dejectedly ted die old man I 1 in in love this beginning had become an old story to me and so I 1 answered with as much of a sneer as I 1 could corn com mand what now dun don t teddie he pleaded this time its it s serious who is if I 1 asked having made a lightning calculation to see who was left for him to fall ia love with why miss kiermeier Kiem meier er he an you I 1 now that rich sioe s ioe manufacturer manufacturers s daughter I 1 think she s about the sweetest loveliest girl series 3 ni nn 16 from me eh eli what s thata he grow cd d oh I 1 simply said sweet sixteen perhaps you think I 1 in too old tor for her her but out as a matter of fact she is sev enteen years ten months and thirteen days her mother told me now I 1 do nat think she would make a splendid wife for any man except except youa no 41 I 1 did not mean that except L U tedd e old man I 1 m in love her parents I 1 am afraid I 1 could not stand her parents what have they got to do with it except to give their blessing 9 there s just the rub I 1 I 1 don t think hey they could say it grammatically you see the old man was nothing but an ordinary cobbler and I 1 don t believe be lie can sign his name to his checks oh I 1 see of course that is an ob lection B it why not make him rou you casha now don t be an ass as what I 1 in afraid of Is that idill jar on everybody I 1 know and well you know what that would mean then the only aalice I 1 cai a I 1 give Is s don t t marry her I 1 aepli d rather testily besides are you sure she would have oua at this last shot of m ne john seen seem ed insulted mumbled something about idiots and blobel heads which I 1 had allo thought ht of saying but was too kind to and went off to drown his borrow in a glass of soda water at the fashion able drug store where he would be sure to meet some of the girls A few ew days later there was vas a big announce ift in the evening he got into frito h s glad rags and started out ment in the society columns of the local paper announcing the engage ment of miss kiermeyer KIem meyer to mr larry jenkins son of the millionaire lumber merchant thus bringing these big for tunes and first families in still closer etc poor john came home with his heart apparently blown to bits only to begin again a few weeks later to cast his eyes aro md ind tor for isome some one to solder the p aces of his heart together so it went on until one day his skill bis his engineering sl ill was rewarded and he was sent to europe on a big and important mission it was when he was about to engage his passage that a brilliant idea him it made him 0 o excited that he could hardly refrain from telling me but he did not then and for once I 1 was at sea unable to make heads or tails of him in the evening he got into his glad rags and started out saying that he was going to call at the eric sons who ha I 1 a fine house on peak a avenue denue the upshot of it was tl at not many days later the society columns an announced that mrs ericson with her charming daughter marguerite who had made her debut that winter would go abroad on the auguste victoria just below it was aas stated that mr john 0 n kingsland Aings land I 1 ad also booked pas sage on that steamer then it sudden ly dawned on me what john s scheme was with the charming marguerite all to himself on shipboard no rivals near and the mother agreeable he would woo oo 00 and win her then and there and perhaps marry her before theuret they ret arned home the t me came for the departure and aud as I 1 had a vacation just then I 1 decided to see john off though I 1 am afraid that he was not overjoyed to have me along we met mrs ericson and her fair daughter in new york and while john attended to the tick ets and the baggage I 1 took the ladles ladies to see a few of the sights the night before the sailing john impressed his traveling companions with the necessity of being on hand bright and early at 9 0 clock as the steamer was due to sail at 10 a m kight right here Is where john made his first mistake he had m mide ade his cal cu culat lations lons carelessly and an error had sneaked in for as we found out later the ste steamer arher did not sail at 10 0 clock I 1 at 9 when we got to the tl ali k a minute or two after 9 0 clock tt ey cy had p it the last piece of baggage on board and john for fear of being left behind and have his fair marguer ite sail away awa without him ran up the gangplank without even turning to tr A look or say good bye to me lie he was A the last passenger aboard and this Is where john made his second mistake for or if he had turned to look he would have seen a hansom cab tearing down the pier with two women frantically waving their hand band kerchiefs As it wis was he only turned to wave good by bye when he had reached the upper deck deel then his hand band suj denly dropped as he be leaned over the railing gazing with a a look of utter and helpless astonishment on mrs and miss ericson who were in vain imploring everybody around them to stop the steamer that was now gliding slowly out ot of its berth into the river with john and the baggage and so it happened that being left behind with me they made the best of it till the sailing of the next steam er with the result that when john received them on the other side the fair marguerite wore a new ring aa as splendid as I 1 had been able to pur chase with the remainder of my vaca tion money I 1 don dont t believe john ever forgave me for it was his firm conviction that the failure of og his fine scheme was mainly my fault and that I 1 caused him to lose this last chance in the matrimonial lotter is he was pleased to call it christopher Christ oiher shadow in new york times |