aking--arrangements. Would you prefer to live in town or
at Tuxedo? And do you think Europe or Bermuda the best place for
the----"

"Bermuda, by all means," broke in the widow, "and I wish you'd have that
hideous portico taken off your town house, Billy, and----" But the rest
of her words were smothered in the bachelor's coat lapel--and something
else.

"Then you do mean to marry me, after all?" cried the bachelor
triumphantly.

The widow gasped for breath and patted her hair anxiously.

"I--I meant to marry you all the time!" she cried, "But I never thought
you were really in earnest and----"

"'Methinks'," quoted the bachelor happily, "'that neither of us did
protest too much.' We haven't made any promises, you know."

"Not one," rejoined the widow promptly, "as to my flirting."

"Nor as to my clubs."

"Nor as to my relatives."

"Nor my cigars."

"And we won't make any vows," cried the widow, "except marriage vows."

"And New Year's irresolutions," added the bachelor.

"Listen," cried the widow softly, with her fingers on her lips.

A peal of a thousand silver bells rang out on the midnight air.

"The chimes!" exclaimed the widow. "They're full of promises!"

"I thought it sounded like a wedding bell," said the bachelor,
disappointedly.

"Maybe," said the widow, "it was only Love--ringing off."

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Page 11, "irresistable" changed to "irresistible" (alluring and
irresistible)

Page 21, "Appollo" changed to "Apollo" (face of an Apollo)

Page 51, "bachelor" changed to "bachelors" (bachelors successfully
resist)

Page 53, "etherial" changed to "ethereal" (and ethereal, and)

Page 120, "as the" added to the text (as the purple plume)

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