The Argosy, March 1907 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

jn sober earnest. _. THE PLACE, THE TIME, AND THE MAN. BOL sudden impulse stopped him at the door, and he turned back. “George,” he said, tapping the other on the shirt-front with his forefinger as he towered above him, “ you were slight- ly in error to-night. Although it is pos- sibly none of your business, I don’t mind telling you that Miss Stonefield is to be my wife!” “You?” sneered Burns. are a pauper!” “Oh, not quite. And besides, the wedding is not coming off just now. When the time does arrive, I will be ready to give her all the luxuries to which she has been accustomed, and more. And unless I miss my guess, it will not then be I, but somebody else, who will be rated as a pauper.” With that parting shot, he took his leave; and although Burns tried to laugh mockingly, the other’s prophetic words continued to ring in his ears like Cesar’s fateful ‘‘ Beware the Ides of March!”’ “Why, you CHAPTER VII. DIPLOMACY WITH A DAUGHTER. Soon after breakfast, the next morn- ing, George Burns sought an interview with Mr. Stonefield. The latter, looking at things in a sane and conservative light, was rather in- clined to pooh-pooh any suggestion of a serious outcome to the affair of the pre- vious night, but Burns waxed so per- sistent in his representations that the elder man finally agreed to have a talk with Pheebe. ‘She is a good girl, and I will have no difficulty in securing her compliance with any request I may make,” he as- sured his companion. “But really, George, I think you are unnecessarily alarmed. Davis’s impudent boast that he would marry her counts for no more than does her little show of temper when she thought you took too much for granted, and that means simply nothing at all. “Women are curious creatures, my boy, and when you get to know them as well as I do you will understand that . such little flare-ups are not to be taken You may have to eat humble pie for a day or two, and per- haps even have to go on your knees to sue for forgiveness, but in the end you will find that Phoebe likes you as well as ever, possibly even better on account of the quarrel. a ~“T only wish I could be as sure as you are of that,” rejoined Burns, still vaguely dubious. “She’s romantic and high-strung, you know, and this fellow’s swaggering air seems to have caught her fancy. Why, look how she kept him there last night, whereas if she finds her- self alone with me for a minute she im- mediately makes an excuse to get away, or else calls some one else in to play gooseberry.” Stonefield laughed at this rueful de- scription. “A regular daughter of Eve,” he chuckled. ‘‘ Why, lad, don’t you see that is the best proof in the world that.things are coming your way? Phoebe wouldn’t be a true woman if she didn’t keep you on tenter-hooks. Girls like to have their lovers seek them, you must understand, and overcome all manner of obstacles in order to win them. You didn’t expect her to do the courting, did you?” “No-o,” granted Burns; ‘but she might at least give me a chance to speak, and not fly off like a startled pigeon every time we are left to ourselves.” ‘All in good time,” counseled the other. ‘ These preliminaries are merely a part of the game. Some moment, when you least expect it, she will give you your opportunity, and then you will be sur- prised to find how easily she consents. She will engineer the affair all right, never fear; all you have to do is to keep patient and humor her along until she is ready to give you a lead.” And Mr. Stonefield, recalling the ex- periences of his own youth, believed every word he said. He did not take into account the peculiarly frank and direct temperament of his daughter, but ascribed her behavior solely to those in- stincts of coquetry and evasion which he regarded as characteristic of her sex. Indeed, it rather amused him than otherwise, for to his mind it predicted a certain acceptance of Burns, and that, as has been indicated, was what he most desired. True, certain reports had come to him concerning the habits of his young friend, 99 m comicbooks.com —