In Tennessee he had met Miss Lucy. Which
her wedding to Prent McMakin was billed fur to
come off about the first of November, jest a month
away.
"I don't know whether I ever told you or not,"
says the doctor, "but I was engaged to be married
myself, Tom, when I went down to your place.
That was what started all the trouble.
"You know engagements are like vaccina-
tion--sometimes they take, and sometimes
they don't. Of course, I had thought at one
time I was in love with this girl I was engaged
to. When I found out I wasn't, I should have
told her so right away. But I didn't. I
thought that she would get tired of me after a
while and turn me loose. I gave her plenty of
chances to turn me loose. I wanted her to
break the engagement instead of me. But
she wouldn't take the hints. She hung on like an
Ohio Grand Army veteran to a country post-office.
About half the time I didn't read her letters, and
about nineteen twentieths of the time I didn't
answer them. They say hell hath no fury like a
woman scorned. But it isn't so--it makes them
all the fonder of you. I got into the habit of think-
ing that while Emma might be engaged to me, I
wasn't engaged to Emma. Not but what Emma
was a nice girl, you know, but--
"Well, I met Lucy. We fell in love with each
other.
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