Part 26 (1/2)

”He looked at me critically and gave my age a smile.

”'I am very much in favor of marriage, and families, and such things.

I want one myself. And if I don't hurry up, I'll have to adopt it.

There's an age limit, you know.'”

”'Age limit,' he exploded.

”'I think I shall have a winter wedding, a white one, along in January.

Not in December, it might interfere with my Christmas presents.'

”'Connie--'

”'I am going to be very systematic about it. In this note-book I am making a list of all the nice Mount Markers. I couldn't think of any myself right offhand, so I had to resort to the directory. Now I shall go through the list and grade them. Some are black-marked right at the start. Those that sound reasonable, I shall try out. The one that makes good, I shall marry. I've got to hurry, too. My vacation only lasts a week, and I have to work on my trousseau a little. It's lots of fun. I am perfectly fascinated with it.'

”Dan had nothing to say. He looked at me with that blankness of incomprehension that must be maddening in a man after you are married to him.”

Carol squeezed David's hand and gurgled rapturously. This was her great delight, to get Connie talking, so cleverly, of her variegated and cosmopolitan love-affairs.

”'I suppose you are surprised,' I said kindly, 'and naturally you think it rather queer. You mustn't let any one know. Mount Mark could never comprehend such modernity. I feel very advanced, myself. I want to spring up and shout, ”Votes for Women” or ”Up with the Red Flag,” or ”Villa Forever,” or something else outspoken and b.l.o.o.d.y.'”

Carol and David shook with laughter, silently, not to interrupt the story.

”'How about love, Connie?' suggested Dan, meekly.

”'I believe in love, absolutely. That is my strongest point. As soon as I find a champion, I am going to concentrate all my energy and all my talent on falling dead in love with him.'

”'Have you found any eligibles yet?'

”'Yes, Harvey Grath, and Robert Ingersoll, and Cal Keith, and Doctor Meredith.'

”'Where do I come in?'

”'Oh, we know each other too well,' I said with discouraging promptness. 'The real fascination in getting married is the novelty of it. There wouldn't be any novelty in marrying you. I know as much about you as your mother does. Eggs fried over, meat well done, no gravy, breakfast in bed Sunday morning, sporting pages first,--it would be like marrying father. Now I must get to work, Danny, so you'd better trot along and not bother me. And you must keep away evenings unless you have a date in advance. You might interrupt something if you bob in unannounced.'

”'May I have a date this evening?' he asked with high hauteur.

”'So sorry, Danny, I have a date with Cal Keith.' I consulted the note-book. 'To-morrow night Doctor Meredith. Thursday night, Buddy Johnson.'

”'Friday then?'

”'Yes, Friday.'

”The next time he saw me, he said first thing, which proved he had been thinking seriously, 'I suppose it will be the end of my hanging around here if you get married.'

”Evidently he thought I would contradict him. But I didn't.

”'I am afraid so,' I admitted. 'My husband will be so fearfully jealous! He will be so crazy about me that he won't allow another man to come within a mile of me.'

”Dan snorted. 'You don't know how crazy he'll be about you.'

”'Oh, yes, I do, for when I pick him out, I'll see to that part of it.