Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 February 1910 — THE LOVE EXAMPLE. [ARTICLE]

THE LOVE EXAMPLE.

- In the first place, the Royal Bazaar conducted a prize contest and gave away a lot of things—watch fobs, sets of Dickens, trips to Niagara, household magazines, feather dusters, baseball bats and red-dyed ostrich feathers. the opera tickets for “The Sultan of Kaboo,” that fell to Big Tim and to Maggie. Big Tim drew left F 63 and Maggie drew right D 19. which were entirely too far apart for lovers. Therefore, Big Tim exchanged tickets with his friend, Sullivap, the ice man. This is how Tim and Maggie came to sit together for the first time in their joyous lives in the parquet of a really splendid theater. After Big Tim had found the place for his hat and Maggie had begun on her peppermint chewing gum, two very fine people wedged in past them - and sat in F 64-65, adjoining. They were people of so fine a texture that Big Tim couldn’t keep his shrewd, gray' eyes away from the man’s sparkling solitaire, and Maggie knew she would give her eyes for a fluffy, creamy dress like the lady’s. And for a minute, old. ugly Envy crept in and spoiled the lover’s paradise. Rut Big Tim soon saw that the man’s thin, patrician face was very set and stern, and that the lady, though beautiful, was unhappy. He nudged little Maggie and explained in a horribly whisper: “Mag—Mag—the big bloke’s mad as hornets and the lady; ain’t any ways tickled to death!’’ Mag nodded, and the fine lady, who had overheard, reddened, then laughed. The man didn’t laugh, but the fine lines in his face relaxed a little. The immense asbestos curtain rolled roofward and /the Court-of-o!lympus curtain rolled after. Big Tim and Maggie jifave jheir attention to the opera, and it was not until the messenger of the Bisara of Roongitang surreptitiously kissed the sultan’s lovely daughter that Big Tim came back to earth and noticed that the very fine people were still in trouble. “Our temperaments are absolutely incompatible, the lady was saying wearily. “As far removed as Plato from Cinderella. And she sighed. The man answered with a look of pain, “It is your perspective, your superactive habit of analytical introspection, Elsie. That is all.” “Listen, Mag!” commanded Big Tim in another thunderous whisper, “De high society guys is slingin’ French. Gee, such words! Dey’d break your purty jaw bone ” This time the fine man smiled, too, and his lines relaxed wonderfully. But they were soon at it again. “This is the end, Elsie.” the man murmured, desperately; “I suppose you will never understand.” And Big Tim, hearing, took it upon himself to explain. “I’ll tell you how it is lady. You see, the sultan’s girl wants to hook up with the W. U. niessenger from Roongitang, and de sultan’s dead sor« on de deal.” . The man endeavored to frown Big Tim info silence, but failing, laughed outright; and the lady gave a little sigh of relief and regarded Tim with twinkling eyes. “John,” she whispered, “the big fellod simply won’t let us quarrel. We’ll have to wait until we can carry it of! in .private.” But Big Tim, who possessed a wonderful sense of hearing, had even caught the whisper. He turned to Maggie, who was watching the red headsmen of Mogadore sing seesaw songs with Little Miss New York off right center. “Mag,” he whispered, so that the man in the box office heard, “it’s a lover’s quarrel. Now, if it was me an’ you we’d make up.” And Big Tim kissed rosy Mag right there in tlie costly parquet The fine lady saw and, somehow, a tiny tear trickled from her browjr eyes, down, down, over pretty pink, cheeks, upon the fluffy, creamy gown of worth. And Big Tim saw the tear he thought that the man had forced the tiny drop, and he scowled.' But Maggie was tugging at his arm, “Tim,” she whispered, “look. They’re together—the lovers—Roxane, the sultan’s daughter, and Fantan, the messenger!” Tim looked and saw that it was true. The brave royal messenger had the dainty little princess-girl in a shell of a boat on a papier mache sea of blue, and they were singing and cooing. And Big Tim could understand this. “Oh, Mag!” he cried; and with b. hundred insignificant people looking, he kissed his true love again and again. As he Ipoked up from th£ last fond salute, the people were leaving) The lady looked radiantly from her brown eyes. “Bless you!” she said, as she passed Big Tim; and “Bless you!” she murmured again to Maggie. The man’s face was wreathed in smiles. “You understand now, Elsie,” he was saying. “It’s just like that.” And he jerked his thumb at Big Tim, who was holding firmly to Maggie’s plump, warm hand.—Stuart B. Stone. - —, A .>...