How George Came Cut of It.

Otago Witness, Issue 2426, 12 September 1900, Page 70

How George Came Cut of It.

When George took Marge to the assault-at-arms .°he observed how becoming solid square shoulders were. Then she grew cool with George. She said that, after all, when a woman was going to lean upon a man die ought to have something to lean upon. George ought to have known better, but he took her to tlie Hippodrome after that. There she made up her mind that the mental qualities required for a man to ride a bicycle on a tightrope were the qualities thai made him really fit to respond to the faith and trust of dependent woman. She liked the snake man, too, and pointed owl thai oman whose chief care was to keep three mcils a day inside of him would never be able to lean back and place hi? head between his knees. She referred to exercise of the stomach as the only exercise she thought some men took. George is a man of naturally sunny disposition, but lie felt clouded. Another man took hei to see some fencing, and she came back full of what a man ought to be able to do to fight the battle of life. She said that it seemed to her George was growing fat. All this happened three weeks ago. La«t night George called. He had a black patch over one eye. He said it was all right ; that his" mask had slipped, that was all, taking fencing lc-sons, you know. He hugged her with his left arm ; the right was off duty. He said he didn't care to eit down; ho hardly ovei sat down no"w, and he assured her that horseback made a person like that. The slight limp he showed in his walk was the result of a strain in one leg — got it twisted up in his bike at the academy, the other day. The rencon his clothes were a little loose was because he was dieting and taking physical exerci&c. He was losing a good deal of flesh, but till ho lost all he could it seemed hilly to get new clothes.

"I toll you what, Marge,'' he went on. "I got thoroughly woke up seeing ihobc tournament ami circus fellows. I intend to be able

to fill the whole duly of man, and to do it quick." ' ] Marge gazed at him with rumpling brow, i then her lip began to quiver. j "If you think it's the duty of man to come ' here with one eye," said she, "so that you ! can't see I have my new dress on, and if it seems the right thing to have only one arm to j — shake KancL with — if you are going to spend i all your time making yourself a sight, and never be able to sit down — and — let me sit down too, you are very much mistaken. You stop pfc once ! And if you get any thinner I sha'n't marry you, there ! How are you going to take me to lunches and things if you arc going on like this?" George had taken up several courses, but he threw them all up. Marge says she likes a chap to be just a nice, plain man liko other i folk, and George is now looking himself again. I