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Show The Revelation By CRITTENDEN MARRIOTT (, 1925. Western Newspaper Union.) TUTWIIANICALLY Edward Curley made Ills way upstalrg, pressed the push-button Just Inside of the door of liln room, dropped into a chair and stared blankly Into the still smoldering embers of the fire. Tie" had been proposed to 1 By a girl! A girl whom he scarcely knew. Well, not scarcely "knew," of course. He knew Rose Dunlup well enough ; In fact, he had known her for years. But lie had scarcely thought of her for about half those years. And now she had Rood Lord ! How could she have done such a thins I He could kill himself laiiKliInf at It Laughing at "It," not at her, of course. He wasn't such a blackguard a to laugh at Rose! Rose was an awfully aw-fully nice girl always had been. That was what made what she said sound ho queer! And she must have found It mighty hard to say It He'd have found It mighty hard himself to propose pro-pose to her to any girl. He'd been trying to propose to Susy Blair for six months, and he hadn't yet managed to make a beginning. And Rose she was such a little thing. She certainly had nerve, all right. Susy Blair wouldn't have had the nerve to suy a thing like that! And Rose meant It, too. That was what got his goat. Susy wouldn't have meant It ! And she wouldn't have got his gout even If she had meant It. At least he didn't think she would; she wusn't that kind. Susy was all right to play around with; but a man got tired of that sort of thing after a while. Now Rose he dldu't believe anyone ever would get tired of Rose. Rose always had been particular. That was why she hadn't been a belle; that Is, not much of a belle except come to think of It she really was popular with the right sort of men, men like Manley, for Instance, even If she wasn't popular with the hurum-scarum hurum-scarum gang he'd been running with ; the gang that thought life was all jazz and didn't know a real girl when they saw her. Now, If he thought that he had the ghost or a chance Good Lord I What was he thinking of? He did have a chance. That very night Rose had said said What had she said, exactly? Be couldn't' quite remember! He bad been so flabbergasted. Mrs. Blair had asked lilra to see Rose home from the dance, bad told him that she hated to impose on him, but that he lived right across the street from Rose and that Mr. Manley, who brought Rose, had been called away and had telephoned thut he couldn't get back I And then he had sfarted home with Rose. Susy Blair had seen them off. She had told Rose something he didn't quite understand ; she had said that she knew that he was quite safe with Rose. She meant that Rose was quite safe with him, of course; and he had said so. But Susy had laughed and Rose had flushed, and he wondered what the dickens It all meant. Something Some-thing catty, he supposed. How In the mischief had she learned so much about civil engineering? Why, when he told her of that bridging problem that was troubling bitn she understood it right away, and she suggested sug-gested no, she didn't suggest, exactly; exact-ly; she merely said something that made the solution of the problem pop right into his mind. It was just chance, of course; but Rose had to be pretty well up even to say what she did say. And then oh, yes! he remembered now then they got to ber home and he unlocked the door and gave her back the key and thanked her for helping help-ing him to the solution ; and she said that that she'd like to help him all her life, and und her voice quavered, but she went on and said she wanted him to know that she cared for him a great deal. And then she slipped into the house and shut the door. And and Great Scott! Was that really all she said? It couldn't be. It seemed like so much more. Oh ! What an ass he was! That wasn't any proposal! pro-posal! Proposal? Rose wouldn't dream of proposing to any nian! And yet her voice her oh ! Could she really have meant It the way he thought? If she did he'd have to know tonight right away I Mr. Dun-lap Dun-lap was reading in the parlor when lit had left Rose at home. He had seen him through the window. He might be up yet; and If he was, Rose probably was, too. He could see from his window win-dow if the lights were burning I . . . They were! He'd go over right away . . . Where In thunder was his hat? ... Oh, hang the hat! He'd go without it Mr. Dunlap might put out the lights while he was hunting for it ... No! They weren't out yet. . . . Gee! It took a year to cross the street . . . And what was the matter with the Dun-lap Dun-lap gate that It wouldn't open? . . . There I He guessed it was Just his own butter fingers. . . . Stumbled on the steps, of course! Lord, he was nerr-ous! nerr-ous! . . . Lucky the window blind wasn't down. . . . There was Mr. Dun-lap Dun-lap reading. And there was Rose, thank heaven 1 . . . Where was that darned bell? Never had had any trouble trou-ble In finding it before. ... Got It ar last ! Now If Rose came to the door ! She's getting up. Yes, she's coming! Gee! be wua trembling like a leaf. He "Rose !" "Eddie !" After a while they heard Mr. Dun-lap Dun-lap stirring and went in to break Ui news. |
