THE GOING OF STAYLATE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5656, 29 August 1896, Page 7

THE GOING OF STAYLATE.

" Will he never, never go ? " The sisters Alice and Anna referred to our old friend, Mr Staylate, who seemed to be after the world's record in his specialty on this particular evening. They had been called from the room for a moment, and were impolitely discussing him in the hall before returning to his presence. " He seems to be rooted to the spot," whispered Anna in despair. " I think I can uproot him. Just leave it to me," said black-eyed Alice. "In a few minutes you excuse yourself upon some pretext, and I will quickly dislodge him." With smiling faces the sisters hurried into the room, where Mr Staylate was looking at the pictures in the family album for the fourteenth time tha,t evening. "It's funny, all this talk about leap year and the leap-year girls," she said, with a nervous laugh, taking a chair very near him. "Do you really suppose that j any girls actually propose ?" " No. That is just comic-paper nonsense," Staylate returned with a smile. " But, really, why shouldn't a girl propose?" she said earnestly, moving her chair a little nearei\ He looked a trifle apprehensive, but calmed himself by an effort. "If s certainly her privilege/ he said

with affected carelessness, " but I suppose very few girls ever do propose."

She uttered a deep, heartfelt sigh that gave him another start.

"That chair isn't a bit comfortable, Mr Staylate," she said anxiously, giving him a languishing glance. " Let us sit on this sofa ; it is ever so much nicer."

Staylate protested that his chair was exactly what he wanted, but she could not hear of Ids retaining it, and in a moment he was sitting beside her on the sofa.

" What were we talking of ?" she asked, again sighing. " Oh, yes, I remember — leap-year girls and proposals. I'm a new woman, you know,' and I firmly believe in woman claiming- all her rights. I think that if a girl wants to pop the question to a young man she greatly admires, it is perfectly proper for her to do so."

He moved a little further away and stammered that he quite agreed with her. Then he looked at his watch for tie first time during the entire evening.

" Isn't that light strong in your eyes I" she asked solicitously.

He said it was not, but she felt certain it must bother him, and promptly turned it down, thereby painfully increasing his trepidation.

There was a long, embarrassing silence, during which she was sure she could hear his panic-stricken heart beating aloud tattoo.

"Mr Staylate— George " — she finally murmured, restraining her risibilities by a strong effort.

He started as though shot, and began twiddling his thumbs at a lively rate. "I suppose I may call you G-G-G-G-George?" she whispered; "we have known each other so very, very "

The clatter and clang of a fire engine in the street drowned her voice.

Hopo, eternal hope, rose in Staylate'3 terrorised and despairing heart. "Fire! I'll see where it is!" he cried, bolting' from the room.

"Come back, George," she called, "and I'll have mother to make up the spare bed for you !"

But Staylate did not hear

He was outstripping the very fire engines in his mad flight for liberty.— Ncw^York World.