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Show Short Story of the M ock ! This Young Couple's Parents Offered Some Marriage Advice By RICHARD HILL WILQINSOV - j i DELLA KEITH pursed her lips in indecision. It was Saturday and on Saturdays Gordon Black, whom she had known for years, and who was her next door neighbor, displayed considerable annoyance when anyone any-one had the indecency to disturb him from indulging his hobby, which was taking apart and putting together to-gether broken-down automobiles. Still, this was important. "Hello," she said, stepping through the gate and standing near Gordon's legs. The legs wriggled. Six feet and two inches of male youth emerged from beneath the car. A grease-besmeared and annoyed an-noyed countenance stared at Delia. "Lo, Del," said the youth, and waited. "Got something to talk over with you," Delia said. "It's about us. Father wants us to get married." Gordon grunted. "Mine does too," he said unhappily. "You got it too, eh? Well, what are you going to do, let your father tell you whom you're going to marry?" "Not by a jugful, I'm not!" The youth sat upright. "What does he think I am? Telling me whom I'm to marry!" "I thought you'd feel that way about it. I don't like the idea, either. ei-ther. Father said a lot of things about family friendship, and how he agreed with your father when we were kids to marry us off when we'd grown." "Children, you have no idea what this means to Mr. Keith and myself. my-self. It has been our dream for more than 20 years. And, I warn you, we'll do everything in our power pow-er to bring the union about. We believe we're within our rights. 1 ask you again to reconsider." "I'm sorry. Father, but I feel that such things should be left entirely to Delia and me, without outside interference. in-terference. "In that case, son, the firm of Black & Son, attorneys, is no longer in existence. You are discharged, ousted! You will also be cut from my will!" Gordon grinned. "Cut away. You have the final say-so there." "And you, Delia," said Mr. Keith severely, "will receive similar treatment. treat-ment. Of course, for the time being be-ing you may remain in our home. But you need expect no inheritance from me; your weekly allowance will also be discontinued." Delia stood up and her face was grave. "Very well, Father. My answer is the same as Gordon's. I'll not submit to any such tyranny!" tyran-ny!" She turned and started toward the door, Gordon close to her heels. They were part way out when Mr. Black spoke. "Gordon!" The youth turned and waited. "Come back in here. Both of you. This thing has gone far enough. Mr. Keith and I thought-hoped thought-hoped you two would fall in love. We wanted you to. And we got tired ol Gordon's eyes blazed. "Well, he's a little late for that stuff! You Wailing. tt e nicu this thing by threats. I can see now we were wrong. After all, every ev-ery one must choose for himself in such matters." Gordon came across the room quickly and placed his arm about his father's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings but, well, I'm glad you see It our way." Near by Delia was clinging to the neck of old Mr. Keith. The old men looked at each other and grinned sheepishly. The two young people looked at each other and smiled happily. hap-pily. "And now," said Delia, "now that we've won, Gordon, I suppose it's all right to tell?" Gordon nodded. "Of course. No good to keep it a secret." Mr. Black and Mr. Keith looked puzzled. And Delia said happily, "It isn't that Gordon and I don't love each other. We do, very much. It's simply that we're like our old dads stubborn and independent. Nobody was going to tell us what to do. Not even our pops. And so when we first got wind of this thing last week and were told about this proposed conference tonight, we just slipped away and got married that very day, without anyone telling us we could or couldn't." (Associated Newspapers WNU Service.) "And now," said Delia, "now that we've won, Gordon, I suppose it's all right to tell?" can't get away with it in these modern mod-ern times. I'm going to pick my own wife. Just because we've seen a lot of each other since we got out of college is no sign we're in love." "Of course not Fact is, I was lnnpanme and vdu were the only man available." "Same here. They've certainly got a nerve. Dad said he'd give me a week to decide. That's a laugh!" The youth's head disappeared beneath be-neath the car again. "See you tonight," to-night," he called. "Dance at the country club." Delia nodded indifferently and went back through the gate. A week later she and Gordon confronted their parents in the library of the Black home. The conference had been called for eight sharp. It was now 8:45. The elder Keith looked up and glowered as they entered. The elder eld-er Black silently indicated chairs. "You young folks," began the latter, lat-ter, "probably can surmise why we asked you to come here." He paused. Delia and Gordon stared innocently. "Both of you," the elder Black went on, "have reached the marriageable mar-riageable age. And as you probably proba-bly know, it has long been the wish r,f Mr. Keith and myself that his of Mr. Keith and myself that his daughter and my son should one day be joined in matrimony. Nothing Noth-ing would give us more pleasure than thus to have the families united. unit-ed. We have watched you closely. We find that you are happy in each other's company. You are congenial, conge-nial, helpful, kind. In short, we are convinced we are making no mistake mis-take in demanding requesting that our wishes be fulfilled." The elder Black took a long breath and sat down. The elder Keith nodded nod-ded in silent approval and stared at the victims. "Well, what have you to say, Gordon?" Gordon crossed and uncrossed his legs, glanced at Delia, winked and regarded his father ludicrously. "I say, father, that you two old codergentlemen cod-ergentlemen are acting quite ridiculous." ri-diculous." The elder Black glowered. "Take care, young man! This is a serious business." "Serious for you, perhaps, but decidedly de-cidedly absurd to me. Father or no father, no one is going to tell me who I'm to marry." "And you, Delia?" "Absolutely preposterous! It's silly sil-ly and old-fashioned. Why you'd think we were living in China or somewhere!" "Then neither of you will respect our wishes?" "Your commands. Your wishes don't enter into it." The elder Black stood up and impressively im-pressively removed his spectacles. |
