The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-04-04
from Miss Braddon,s new Magazine
"The Belgravia.
Stones Love Affair.
By BUTTON COOK.

him disparagingly, though Others un-
doubtedly applied the words In COM
plimentary sense. Practically has
its eulogists, but it has also its cen,
sors. There are people who will ind
fault with prose because it sn poetry:
the same sort of people consistently
denounce practically because OF Its
deficiency in speculativeness. FOR IL
is a common form of criticism TO con-
denim a thing not SO much for being
what it is as for not being something
else; that desiderated something else
being. in most cases, something en-
tirely antipodean and irrelevant to the
original and disrelished thing.
If Ned Stone had ever fault found
with him on the score that he ,oas
practical and that he aoosn't poetical,
he might have answered with Mis-
tress Audrey-supposing land its a
doubtful CASEY that he was in
formed of the existence of that rus
tic" l do not know what poetical is:
is it honest in deed and word? Is it
a true sthing?" Certainly, in both
word and deed, he was himself hon.,
est and true. For things that were
otherwise he was quite without SYM
pathy Indeed, he was for the most
part without knowledge concerning
them; being a simple, straight-for-
ward gentleman, who went his own
way, .Gved4his own life, did what it
fell to his lot to do, in a curiously So
Der, steady, homely fashion. He ney
er sweryed to the right or to the left.
It did hot occur to him, apparently.
to deviate from a compact plan of con-
sistent conduct He never seemed
to say anything he did not mean, or
to mean anything he did not say; the
while his openness had not about it
that element of offensiyeness which
characterize the unreserve of some
people; with whom speaking their
minds" as they phrase it, is rather
like cracking a bad egg-an operation
better pretermitted than performed.
Ned Stones mind ran pure and
clear as brook. You were of course
at liberty, if such was your humor,
to deride it as being merely, a water
brook after all-preferring fount of
strong claret, perhaps. Still the
former, be it remembered, is availa-i
BILE at all times and delecta BILE ever in
its own mild wav; whereas the latter.
is only for occasions of festivity at
long intervals, never running for any
protracted period, nor always quite
clear, and, with all its charms, capa-
BILE upon provocation of giving you a
headache or of. throwing you into
fever.
He was broker in the city-nothing
more nor less than that. Whether his
l. hr 4 rrof,fc hol 10 rr,,xI 70, - -
sugar. or ships or stock, [ am not GER
tain. | found it sufficient to know
that hegwas broker of some kind in
the city. The fact conveyed certain
idea to my mind, If | had sought to
enlarge the idea bylclarifying the fact,
[ might have found myself less en-
lightened than further confused about
the matter; for inquiry, l notice, often
sbewilders as much as it instructs. He
had been very poor at one time of his
life, and had had to work very hard.
His industry, however, had in the end
met with Its due reward Arrived at
middle age, he was very comfortably
circumstanced; and he saw no reason
to doubt that his prosperity would
continue. When he announced to his
friends, therefore, that he thought of
taking to himself a wife, it was felt
generally that the step he meditated
was a prudent and proper one, and
only what might, under all the circum-
stances of the case, have been reason
ably expected. And when he further
stated that he hadTmade an offer. of
Shis hand to one Miss Georgina War
rem, the daughter of wealthy East
India merchant, and that his offer
had been accepted by the lady, we, of
course, fastened to tender him our
hearty congratuiatien, Oh the happy
not be understood as employing the
editorial first person plural by way of
yelling my own individuality, but as
other friends of Ned Stones, who
were also my friends, and who cordi-+
ally agreed with me in wishing joy
to our friend upon the proposed inn
1pertant change in his life ,,- isd-ss9 !.
Ned. Stone. spoke of the matter in
his own simple sober way. q
! We'll, you know gsm gettipg ON
he said, and If / am ever to marry,
It's about time, / should think, of. set
ting about it.UA few years hence it
will be too late, shall be settled
down then in bachelor kind of life,
have adopted bachelor views and
habits, and bachelor ways of looking,
at things. which / shouldn't be able
to alter or get out of at any price. A
few years ago couldn't have afforded
it, to put the matter plainly. and so it
was out of the question. But | al
ways looked forward to getting mar
ried when [ could afford it; and so
now, when / can afford it. I'mB going
TO carry out the notion. You're very
KIND. l thinkI shall be happ1-in