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Show 1 mm Misde AW ther l anything In the (Af -n world more aggravating to U fiA young woman than young j2fV nun who will not. or cannot, fjv thl h favor bin Vp J bov all the reel. It hu out yet been llated. Prudence Milton much aa year CO dlacovered that Alfred Ruthven aoeeeeeed nil the qualities that go to take nan noble and eplendld a ad ',S"-'. arave a a, not breve I A brave man . would bar proposed In Prudir Ion ' f W elnee. Rut Alfred, j Prudence knew. , l. u BnooniK and Intelligent, and ( , ' arosperoue. Juat nut thing- ba lacked - -eelf-confldcnc. Alfred araa b.mhful M the love euMecL A great man men arc ao. TUoy " an dtacuia pollllea, tha niu Iral glaaeoe, tba irrama,- literature),' an, t actenc and tha claaalra fluently with young woman, but thay akr mr from tha raal heart. Interest Ilka an Mroplana dodging church taiU.r.. Why, Prudence bad Inveigled Alfrnd-to Alfrnd-to long walka with bar In tha all-' Try mounllght of apilng and tha gulden gul-den moonlight of iuu wll-vo-tio ' anil. Onee. In Anguat.-ty wiu bo , big wltb blm, and aba hdpretendrd to ba afraid tha boat would capalse. : "What would yoi dq,f It, )lrt, aba I nakad blm. Naturally aha eipvclcd him lo'reply that ba would -blunge n after- her I and aara her pariah In lht altr-mpt.' uch a h-erulv' remark aa Ibat would nf aouraa leeg Into a mora paaalonaia , avowal of ale raaaona for being will- ring to liyy down hla young life for her j and tlien, of rouran, ha could eaftVty top-alp right along to request Iknl, Incrha waa willing to dla for kur, ahisfnlght conaldar favorably a propo-al'.n propo-al'.n to ahara hla Ufa with him, or vJcrda to that affect l:ul when aba aakad hlui, with a I tremulous abaka la br lovely voloe, , ' tni with a w or M of faith and truat ft M m hr luatroua area: "L I f "Wiat would you do If the boat jT j M repulsed?" I I af I' never even atoppad rowing. Ila I 1 W lu.t enld: V - "It wouldn't aiattar much. Tha wa- V Icr trn't over three faat deep here." I Prudence almoat capelicd tha boat y from aheer raiatlon than. When a r I woman bacomaa veied with a man ba- vaJ ' aauaa ba donol raallaa that ba kiraa V.., n Jr 1 '. ln tha Kltohan With an Aprvn On, I ; Halplng Har Methar Put Up Jalllaa J and Praaarvaa and Thlnga." . I bar, you mnj go out and ataka all ;" j I your worldly poaaaaalona that aoonrr 'V '".. or UUr n" wl" br,n th1 n,n . i ITJ ', hla knaca, or her faat, aa you Ilka to VK uUt- . J 1 j u f" oar tha glorlaua ' I I dara of fall, wban rrurtrnca allowiil ' t A Alfrad to call aavaral tlinoa and find 'N? i ,' ' w ,h kl,cn"1 w,,n M l,roB on f I - ' halplng har mothar put up Julllwi aud r ! k t ' " ' eiiarvaa and thlnga. Let ua eynn , It V- JvAa lightly ovor tba artinlng whan ' ' " I 1 h" n"""l l,m bllalor upon har . .v1-' I V j ' fair whlta h.uid inailo by a aputtnr- , ' '' 1 V J' Bghtly orrr It. Any anna man, any ,( . ' man In ordinary facnl- , i :. ' '1 la, whi-n a lii'nutlful young orrnturo 1 ' i , . ! i kald out a llttlo while bund und almw- 'N .! ... fir",' ad blm a lili-rr thnrron not a big i Wlatar. juat a oj a t:Wi of of ! bllatvr wout I ha taken that hand '.-..! i'. .'-a-W In hla and all but wept over It. lie , . would bavo a-l Iht to. slv thai ' i . " fV. ' band to hlrn and to come ulnng with ja""j ' ' -Si k j It baraelf, and would Imve aworn by rH ' VT ' I ' t,lrh B'"1 ""' . VV'rehliig Ftnra , IV . ' nu" ,n" ""n nn' niuoii -und fVy tluil , T'lj. , "f I I .. aerer nr.iln aliould lliiit -on.hrful . ' ' bund krow the wearying Btlei.a of lyVf ' f i I J toll! What did Alfre.l lof ' i I He looked at the WWi r uppral.tlng- JL' f fVj ty wllbont tnklne tlumo taper lliigira f 1 ( to Ma and h mid: , r "ytlck a needle under ft from one I ' , fide nnd let tlie wnter ftut, then put I ? Mttle peroilde on It tutnorrow." I I Bhadea of rtomeol Mrmnrlea l)f j TJunte and lleutrler! IVm It any j wonder that Prudenco brouKht bnr . j . I ratty llpa toielltcr In a MralKhr lino V f r.d reentered a meutnl vow Hint Al- 1 I tni "hould rue thla ieech aoma dayt : i -et ua now paaa lightly ou ngnln ' " V Come we now to rhrlntmaa era Pru-denee Pru-denee had, by waya and meane familiar to tha fetulnloa mind, conveyed to the faahful Alfred the Intellltenea that aha had made for hlrn a Chrletmae remembrance. re-membrance. Never mind bow ahe did thla. You, If you are a man grown, will ba able to hark bark Into your own punt and bring up aoroe Inatanre a of woman'a diplomacy wherein ahe waa aide to tell you aooiethlng without with-out earing anything In particular. Juat gave your Intuition a chance. Knowing thla, Alfred knew that II waa hla bounden duty to reciprocate - fi " fit mi "That la. She Allowed Him to Put tha Klaa Back Where' He dot It." and to reciprocals In advance. At-waya. At-waya. alwaya, a man muet reciprocate In advance to a lady. I 1 Bo Alfred might have been aeen atepplnn heeltattiyty up the atepa of tha allllon homo on Ckrlatmae era. I lie carried a email package In one bend. It waa bla Intention to deliver thla to whoever came to the door, with a meaaaga that It waa for Prudence. In anawnr to bla ling no leaa a per-eon per-eon than Prudenca beraelf opened the door. Her eyea were aparkllng. her rbeeka were rnay, and In one band aha held a bunch of green etuff." "Why, A If red I" aha eiclalmed. "Coma right In. I'm putting up tha Chrletmae greena." Ho Alfred came right In, ahyly and atyly depoelilng the Mule package on a email table In tha hall aa ba entered. Prudenca led tha way to the living r3 Trm which waa n-rtf P prc-foiWlrrr. al thf moment. I "VVna't you help me?" ahe aeked. "I rVnk It la etirh fun to decorate the houae with the holly and atuff for the holldnva. Now I've Juat been trying to Ua thla bunch to the chandelier." Hhe mounted a chnlr and affljed lb .'Mnah of green aprnya to Uie chande. Alfred alood In dumb ndinla-Yon. ndinla-Yon. He looked at prudence, and h Oked at the green herblege whl.h yhw faatened to the future. Hhe look-bd look-bd down at blm, amlllng. then put out ber band. "Help ma down." ahe aald. Alfred caught her hand to aialrt her to rorae from tha chair. ITeTota are made In a moment. No man knowa In what Inatant hla enul may lame) within him ao that be will do and dara aa he never dreamed of dolna) or daring. The phlloaophere call auch tlmea paychologlcal momenta. mo-menta. Thla waa one. Alfred helped Prudenca down, and It waa quite natural nat-ural and eaay for ber to find beraelf la hla arm when ah reached tba flour. And then before ahe knew what be waa about at leaat, ao aba aald he had klaaed her. "Mlater Kuthvenl" aha eiclalmed. "How dara you?" "I I you know the th mlatla-tne!" mlatla-tne!" he atammwred, dleengaglng ona arm 'and pointing to tha decoration above her head. "I forgot that," ahe aald, demurely. And than Alfred found tongue at laat knd told her what aba had wanted htm to tell ber all tha year. And ha aaked ber to ba hla Chrlntmae gift, and ahe ennaented In what la an often called the time honored way. That laj ahe allowed him to put the klaa back where be got It. Later that evening Alfred aald to Her:-' "!o you know, I don't believe I aver would have had the courage to pro-poae pro-poae to you If It hadn't beeo for that mlatletoe" "That mlatletoe!" ah laughed. "Alfred, "Al-fred, that mlatletoe la amllei. I don't believe It would hare worked at all If It had been real mlatletoe " (Copyright, 111". W. D Keablt.) |