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Show The Fiction ACTING ON IMPULSE :wi Corner WITH THIS In mind Uncle Ralph rose from the veranda chair In which he was sitting, only to see Connie coming slowly up the walk. He sat down again, end picked up his newspaper. Connie came on, doleful and sorrowful of expression. She sighted Uncle Ralph, stopped and smiled whimsically. whimsi-cally. "I guess you were right," she said. "About what?" asked Uncle Ralph. "Don." "Don? How was I right about Don?" "About never knowing what he's goin! to do next." t "What's he done, now?" "He's married. Decided to last night about 6 o'clock. At 6:30 he was a married man." "Oh, Hum," said TJncle Ralph. He was not one to gloat, hence suppressed his delight with a masterful effort. He merely said mildly, "Well, that's that. Sort of turned out like I said it would. Well, you'll be happier with Bob. He's a man in a million." Connie shook her head. "I can never marry Bob, Uncle Ralph. That's what makes me feel so bad." "Tsck, tsck. That's no way to talk. You'll get over Don soon enough. Bet a thousand the girl he married isn't worth one-tenth of you." "Yes," said Connie, "she's worth all of me. I'm the girl Don married." L "TT'S ABOUT TIME," said Uncle A Ralph, "that you, my dear Constance, were married. You're nearly 25, which is the verge of the ineligible age. Don't let popularity turn your head, my dear, it won't last forever. I One of these 3 -Minute days you'll find , Fiction rSfSSS of being sought after. And that," Uncle Ralph added, add-ed, "often means disaster." Connie Brigham wrinkled her cute little turned-up nose, closed one eye and stared soberly at Uncle Ralph with the other. Uncle Ralph cleared his throat and began to let his gaze wander about the room. He felt guilty. "Which," said Connie, with the slightest of twinkles, "is a polite way of suggesting that I accept Bob Merrill, and forget all about Don Baxter. She stood up and ruffled ruf-fled Uncle Ralph's hair, an act which he resented delightfully. And Connie went on: "Uncle Ralph, just why is it that you dislike Don so much? I think he's fascinating." Uncle Ralph snorted. "Donald "Don-ald Baxter," he said, "is not a fit young man to become the husband of any girl. He's flighty, unreliable, impulsive, and out of a job. You never can tell what he's going to do next." "He's romantic," said Connie. "He's after your money," said Uncle Ralph. "And he's so good looking," said Connie. Uncle Ralph coughed. "On the other hand, Bob Merrill is dependable, depend-able, honorable, manly, steady. You can count upon him to make you a good husband." "That's just the trouble," said Connie. "What's just the trouble?" said Uncle Ralph. "He's steady and dependable. So easy to read. Life with Bob would be safe, yes, but it would also be monotonous." Despite his outward, jovialness Uncle Ralph was worried, while conversing with Connie. I wish, thought Uncle Ralph, I only wish something would happen to open her eyes. Drat that Don Baxter, you never could tell what he'd do next Two days later Uncle Ralph had come no nearer to solving the problem. prob-lem. He had considered every possible plan to make Connie see the light, and discarded them all. In the end he reluctantly reluc-tantly decided to interview Connie Con-nie again. |