Show BETTER LATE THAN NEVER I She stood on the veranda and looked terribly bored He sat on the steps and idly flipped gravel into the rose Both had their mouths pulled down at the corners and their noses turned up and a general wish- wish you'd-go-way you'd look on their faces Philip she finally snapped I wish you would stop You make me tired Philip flipped on as unconcerned as if the factory W whistle had just blown Strained looks fell on him from above but they struck the backof back backof of his head and he lie never knew it There wasn't any love in the at at- It had all collected around the house across the street where preparations were under way for a wedding that night Philip glanced over that way occasionally Marie looked in that direction all the time Well Marie are we going for that ride Philip at length offered Id just as soon stand here all night was all the satisfaction he got gotOh Oh Oh do as you think best I didn't think it would be agreeable to stay and watch the performance from across the street treet when you x expected an invitation that's all It cut pretty deep as truth always J l does Marie 1 had to think twice I about the wedding and twice about the ride before she decided in favor J j I of the latter I i 1 S Philip pulled himself together and started for the neighboring hedge as if he expected to reach it next year Marie looked after him himas 1 as she would have watched a stray 1 j I. I dog or any other living creature walk across the lawn And while he is hitching up his horse Marie will tell us about himA himA himA him A neighbor Y Yes s next door it z Lived there very long Yes always Father grandfather grandfather grandfather grand- grand father great grandfather had lived there while her father grandfather etc lived here Did she like him Well she hadn't thought much about it Was he married f N Not ot enough to notice Was that all she could say of a him Well just about except that he ii had been her only playmate since jS youthful days had taught her how jl to swim and row and skate and r If I the skin-the-cat and whistle but that rJ was all Sure that was all t Yes everything h r. r t. t Philip appeared driving a neat little horse and rig around the McMaster McMaster Mc- Mc Master faster driveway There was a agate ay t y gate through the hedge for J ence Marie climbed in on the wrong side over the lines she was used to that If it had been the f rig of Sir Henrys Henry's she would have haver r been timid and trembled a great r deal and stumbled and all that but f fortunately it didn't belong to Sir t. t Henry U Such Stich a funny ride Dont Don't dont don't when you take her out riding be a t chunk of ice Dont Don't let her be shaken shak shak- en to pieces away out there in the ther r I farthest corner of the seat Get a at t narrow arow seated buggy y if y you u are t too o timid to shrink up the distance in 4 any other way r j Philip the tongue-tied tongue mummy didn't care And Marie I hate to call her such names didn't care car e either One corner was as good as i 4 another when you expected an int in invitation in- in int t t and didn't get it f Not a word all the way to Colburn Colburn Col- Col i r burn Hill HilI and then Marie only y warned her companion to drive 1 around that mud and not soil her he r t white sleeve There was only si silence silence si- si Ot lence from the hill down to th the e FF f. f river except for an occasional no noto nod d l to someone whom they knew from dm m fr k the river out toward the coup tt y f road stubborn silence Philip ha had d fossilized to the point of not longer long long- k er giving directions to his horse an and d r it was getting too dark to recognize de e N any anyone one whom they passed f But as the road got lonelier awl and w id s r the silvery moon rose behind th the e r. r hill and the chilly evening breez- breez set in of course the two people inthe inthe in m the rig got closer and nd closer and thawed out a little Phillip was is the first to startle the horse with his stentorian note and like all other oilier talking machines he gave crave words to his thoughts just where the machine happened to be started Marie why dont don't you get married mar mai- ried Why 1 dont don't you Well but my question came carne first Nobody would have me Oh come you'll scare the hurse horse Talk English Marie had nothing to say She sized up the conversation in a matter matter matter mat mat- ter of fact way It didn't promise much in the way of interest and soshe so soshe soshe she kept still Now look here her Marie I have havea a proposition Im I'm righteously tired of this old way of doing things I think a new housekeeper would stir things up considerable dont don't you She might if she thought h her r predecessor was no good Granted Well now you yot wanted an automobile didn't you If you ou and I are both married by the end of next month Ill I'll give you one jn for fora a wedding present This was quite a shock To think of sitting in her own auto mIt automobile mobile ringing the gong herself and scaring all the old ladies on the driveway Well Philip will any old mando man mando mando do Yes any old man And it wont won't be for love or j money Just automobiles Just automobiles J 1 II I I Ij j f And you are in earnest about r. r the automobile Heres my mv hand on it Oh no never mind I dont don't want to soil my gloves but I believe believe believe be be- lieve Ill I'll do that Philip turned the horse right around in his tracks and started him for home on the trot Perhaps he had a faint doubt that he would need every minute of that month to find a partner in The month was pretty near up Marie had not seen Philip all that time That was in the bargain She had never gone so long without seeing him Three weeks she had dangled the fish line in the pool of love but nobody would bite Oh dear she wailed that auto is all a vision And Philip how many times over would he be married and be laughing at her And what if she never could ride with him again or go over and scold his servants when they got rebellious rebellious rebellious rebel rebel- lious because his dear little wife wouldn't let her Now was the time for the tardy little visitor to get in his fine work He stole on his silent wings through the room and up on the dresser and twanged his bow straight at the bunch of flowers that was embroidered embroidered embroidered dered on the front of Miss Maries Marie's shirt waist One more now he muttered and he pulled a second and larger arrow from his case Here comes the very man Philip stood at the door Quick as a flash the arrow sped on its way There was no gore no groans of wounded nor shrieks of dying Philip merely took Marie in his arms as he used to do when he taught her to skate Marie Ive I've brought your wedding wedding wedding wed wed- ding present Its It's out by the porch Oh Philip but Im I'm not married married married mar mar- ried I Neither am I but well we'll just climb into that go-cart go and it wont won't take us ten minutes to find the man manto manto manto to tie the knot 1 I |