The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-04-05

Dlo hi'r only hope you We right IN think
- no wants to marry her.
n wish we're as sure sue woulu acceptLlm,
90 avn sure he will ask her to-" replied Mis-
accept him she'll jump a. the chanccn
said her husband.
'Tm not so sure of that rctorted Mrs.
John.
and Mrs. John waa right The senator
; elecs a,a propose to Eleanor, who quietly re-
Jectea MN as she had so many others. Both
John aud his wife were wroth at this.
Mrs. Collins.
ALL" Ao '''0 'o'' num-
And why can't you love Judge Carter?
n am sur | can't tell why
Then can," retorted her sster-in-law.
1T all comes from your reading poetry ana
novel. You are zpecting to love as people
do in books. Let me tell you nobody oes
that in real life. In the first place, the men,
who are so noble and heroic in books, are not
to be found outside of them; and, in the sec
| ond. if they were, I'm not so sure that tne
women could be found to love them as the
ideal ones do. But whether they could or
would love in this tremendous way isn't the
ouestion. They don't and that's all there is
TO be said about it. Tie only romantic love-
! match ever knew was runaway one, and
it turned out miserably; before a wear thew
hated each other as heartily as they had loved
each otuer at first. You are a sensible girl
Look around you, among our acquaintance.
and tell ne Whele dc you see two people who
are in love as they are in books. As far as T
myself am concerned, loved John well
enough when married him, but had none
OF those wild ecstasies, or anv idea that
couldn't live without him, and all that sort of
nonsense. Bat we get along well together;
we are fond OF each other, and then we have
our children" Her voice so!tened as she
spoke. Eleanor" she continued, "there is
no truth in the talk in books about the way
women love men; but there never has been,
tnere never can be put into words, the emo
ton that a mother feels for her baby. SO
long as God gives woman mother-love, Flea
nor, they needn't ask anything more. 1 tell
you. Lly dear, marriage is very disappointing
to m st women. l sometimes think children
are the only things that make mat rimony
tolerabe. But o, what happiness the chill
dren do bring to a woman! Eleanor, every
wo nan .ght to have home of her own,
ana children of her own.
But Mary, 1 canno. think that is the true
ideal Ut marriage, in which the children have
the first place in the mothers heart, and the
husband the second"
| s'As to the ideal state, / have nothing to
say. I only speak of the real one, and nine
| tenths of the women do love their children
best, and they would tell you so, if they
should tell the truth about it. / never spoke
SO candidly to any one before, but you have
romantic, impracticabe notion of love and
marriage. tell you the truth, because am
| fond of you, and can't bear to see you throw
| away such chance for happiness as so good
a man as Judge Carter offers you, and all for
| a mistaken idea."
Eleanor was silent.
do you ever mean to marry? What do
you mean to ?" persisted Mrs. John.
''What ID like to do, I'll tell you. Molly,
though know you II stare. I'd like to earn
my own living
Aud how could you do to"
| 81 sometimes think l could by lecturing
You know they tell the stery of Harriet Hos
mer, that the first time she ever saw a sculp-
tor modelling she said she felt in her fingers
that she too could do it. So. when l sit in
church, and hear dear Parson Moody prose
and prose, l feel in my tongue that could do
it-only better.''
Good heavensH was Mrs. Johns startled
ejaculation.
Don't be alarmed, Molly have no idea of
attempting this, but, seriously, do think I
might earn good living by dress-making and
millinery. do good deal of the last gratis,
you know, and my hats are the prettiest in
church. look round, Sundays wicked as
it is, and see how stylish mine are. I fairly
long to get hold of the ugly les and remodel
them. Why shouldn't open a shop, and
make and trim hats and bonnets for money?'
Eleanor Collins. you are joking! The idea
| of Judge Collins's daughter and Johns sister,
turning milliner! You could really never do
such thingp'
''No. l suppose I shouldn't have moral
courage enough to do it," said Eleanor, war;
ly. There is only one thing for me to do,
and that is-to marry. Perhaps ought to.
You and John are very kind, but of course, 1
her voice trembled, in spite of all efforts to
steady it.
'"That is really unkind, Eleanor" said
Molly. ''When did John or l ever give you
the least hint OF your being burden to us?
No, indeed, you're help. l shouldn't know
how to do without you, and you are like
second mother to the children. 1t is only fer
your own sake l urge you to marry Judge
Carter"
But have refused him. can't go now
and request him to marry me, and he won't
ask me again.
'sBut, ifhe did?'
| ''But he WON'T"
Mrs. Collins said no more, yet, a few weeks
later. Judge Carter did renew his proposal for
Eleanors hand, urged thereto by his own
real affection for her. and emboldened to
| mdhc buio SoCOuu essay ny d lew MUS lFOm
Mrs. Collins. In the meantime Eleanor's
sensitiveness as TO her dependent position,
and her 81 ter-in-aW's constant iteration that
| the true basis for happiness in marriage was
! respect and friendship, had their influence on
the girl. She was too honorable woman,
however. to pretend an emotion which she
did not feel.
II do not love you as I have always
thought woman should love her husband,''
N 0hIIt do
you and like you. Your society is pleas
ant to me, and if you are content with
such affection as can give you, that which
sister gives to a brother, will marry you"
do you love any one else? or have You
ever felt the sort of love you allude to for any
other man ?'
Never" replied Eleanor.
''Then l am satified. will teach Won to
love me, dear Eleanor said her wooer
| Great were the rejoicings in the Collins
family when it was announc ID that Eleanor
was to marry Judge Carter. To her sisters
congratulations she only replied, II hope I
| have done right
Molly; but, alas, Eleanor was not sure of
this.
AS the days passed on, her feelings under
went curious change Before her engage
ment, she enjoyed Judge Carter's society;
now she dreaded his coming, and she shrank
from the thought of her approaching mar
riage almost with horror. She put aside all
her lovers plans for SPECIFY wedding by one
objection after another. But the Judge, aid
ed by Mrs. Collins, overrued them ali.
Eleanor grew pale; she lost her appetite;
she COLD not sleep. She limited to her sister
her desire to break the engagement, but she
was met with such scornful rebukes for hay-
ing allowed the betrothal to be made pubic
and such infecives against selfishness that
would subject Judge Carter to the mortifica-
ton of having been Tilted by her, that she
dared say no more, and Mrs. Collins pressed
forward all the preparations for the marriage
more rapidly than ever. The wedding day
was fixed, and as the time sped by, the girl
grew half frantic. AT last she could bear it no
longer.
Judge Carter she said on one of his Wis
its to her, 81 think / have done great