The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-04-29
MARGARET mERLYN,
w11TTlx FOE TH1 Of. CLOUD JOURNAL.
BY MRS. JANE G.. SWISsHELM.
CHAPTER XXXI11.
A GENEROUS PROPOSAL.


: Windermere walked home with Mar
:garet, and on the way INDUCED his
laugh over Mr.. Twinzy's defeat. Mirth
was not the feeling she wished to ex-
cite, and this was tie third time IN
this investigation, in which she had
been dissatisfied with herself: viz. in
her impromptu rejoiners to Mr.. Brown
low, DR.: Dreaming and MIR. Twinzy.
These were all like her attack on Mr..
Twinzy, in her frenzy At his insult,
outbursts Of some internal force of
whose existence she had been ieno-
raot. In her happy childhood aud
youth she had been esteemed a model
of gsntleness, SO loving that the thought
of having given pain to any living
thing, was the most serious punishment
she ever incurred. Her sympathy with
suffering vas such that her parents had
carefully guarded her from the knowl.
edge Of sin and woe, and she did not
realise that this sympathy was simply
a latent force now coming into action,
lifting her above the plane OF ordinary
aims and motives, and compelling her
to toss aside rs baubles, the impedi-
ments which to most persons we're &C.
rious barriers. The impertinence Of
the imposing legal. gentleman, the pat
ronizing coutemptuous condescension
Of tie great divine, and the selfimpor.
tance Of Mr.. Twiusy, were as thistle:
down in the path Of her straightforward
purpose to rescue those helpless chill.
dren from the grasp Of this Iron wo-
man, and she was dissatisfied at having
called so much attention to herself
ln reply to Mr.. Windermere's remarks
she SAID:
II wish I h'd let some one else St.
lence him."
"Oh," said he, "no one could have
done it as you did, and I should not
have missed the scene for several
shares in railroad stock but how did
you come to call him Johnny?' '
~ do not know: exactly. A neigh
Dor in New England had a little boy
that was making a disturbance about
half his time, and his mother seldom
spoke two sentences without that in
junction, tJohDny, bo stillv, It be-
came byword With rs but has lately
quite passed from my mind" "
"Why is it you 50 associate Twinzy
with little folks -? He is taller than tho
average Of men,"
! "Oh, but his aims in life are all 20
little, he is 50 far below my standard
OF manhood that / cannot for moment
think Of him as man but wish I
had not said that this evening. 1t may
look as if I bore him some ill will" =
"Not in tho least, and I think left
no such impression on any one. Your
manner was just that Of schoolmarm
quietipg an urchin. Oh, I hope I shall
never win your contempt. No bitter
ness Of denunclation could have equal
cd your unconscious assignment of the
gentleman to his proper level Of insig-
ni6cance."
After some time, he remarked:
II fear there are few Of as who may
hope to reach your standard Of. man.
hood. 1t appears to be high"
ne spoke with difficulty, and for the
tirst time it dawned upon Margaret's
senses that this man was lover. The
knowledge gave her . paog, feeling
of deso]ation. She must lose him, and
needed him 70 much. Il was some
seconds before she could trust her
voice to answer, then she said:
at ought to be high =; for do you
not know it is my great ambition TO be
as much like . man Is possible 7"
"You? ?" be inquired, looking down
| into tha facn which scarca reached Ia