Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-01-31
were thus fully accounted for.

BOBBY; she would have had you, had you
held up your little finger"
"well, WE'LL" said Bushby testify; "and
who did hold up his little finger 7''
"He Lad TO do more, I'll be bound" an
had to go down on his bended knees, you
may depend"
"But who he ?"
"He felt her pulse, john" replied Mrs.
Carson evasively; land he soon discover
ed, have no doubt, that there was moth
ing the matter with her but single blessed
ness"
"Oh then he Is DOCTOR"
"Yes. I began to suspect something at
the time you were laid up with your swelled
face. Ellen complained of nervous depres-
sion, and a doctor was called in. l didn't
know who it was at the time, but soon
found out. You know him-litle Mr.. Will
son."
81 know him." assented Bushby; che
hasn't much practice, but he is a clever
man; writes scientific articles. He sings
Scotch songs too, almost as well as bis
namesake used to sing them, they say
"He is no BOBBY, certainly" rejoined
Mrs. Carson significantly. And it was
very singular" she added, "that as soon
as he was called In, 1 never saw Ellen with
that magazine of yours. She seemed to
have taken quite a scientific turn, and was
always reading Tor appearing TO read) some-
thing about chemistry. She quite lost her
taste, too, for the Beethoven and "Songs
without Words" she used to be so fond of
playing and you of hearing; and, oddly
enough, she took to singing Scotch songs.
her music vulgar thing called Perfect
Cure" I'm bound to say / never heard
her play or sing 1t; but think she must
have got it under mistaken idea that ii
referred in some way to the medical pro-
fession.'
"She seems to have regularly thrown her
self at the mans head" said Bushby with
a sneer.
my dear john" rejoined Mrs. Carson,
gently; "that is a very strong expression.
She gave him quiet encouragement, no
doubt; and he was wise enough to profit
by it. Ellen does not want sense she is
perfectly aware that she has no personal at
fractions; and she, no doubt, felt that she
was at an age which, il she meant to be
married at all to anybody, better than a
mere fortune hunter, she could not afford
to wait and hang back as if she were
young girl and beauty"
"Then you don't think love necessary
ingredient in such matters ?" observed
Bushby doubtfully.
"Ha! ha! ha" laughed Mrs. Carson.
my dear John, you are very romantic.
At Ellen Parry's age, think 1t is quite
enough to feel liking, or even to feel no
dislike. / can conceive" she continued
with gentle sigh and look Of one who
has vision of the past, "a case in which
love should be everything; but ours is a
practical age, in which love is best left to
novels and ballads. 1t is better for girls
not to know what love is, until it arises as
the natural consequence of a judiciously
chosen husbands tender treatment. 1t is
quite sad to think how often love matches
succeeding long engagements, during
which the man il losing his strength and
temper in frantic struggles to obtain a suf-
ticiency for two, and the girl is wasting
both in youth and sweetness under the in
fiuence OF hope deferred,-end in disap-
pontment, discomfort and dissension. l
call 1t foolish and selfish for man, who
has no immediate prospects, to try girls
love so far as to tie her down to an indefin-
ite engagement"
'I can't see," observed Bushby, "that a
definite engagement, to be considered over,
If certain hopes have not been realized, at
the expiration of certain period, is any
better. For just when the two hearts would,
unless a coolness should have arisen, be
more closely knit than ever, they are sup
being unattached"
"An honorable man." said Mrs. Carson,
"who really cared for girl and who had
no prospects, would not seek TO comprom-
Use her future by binding her to any kind
of engagement. He would wait and hope"
"But II he does not declare himself, how"
asked Bushby, "is she to know the state of
his feelingsf And, if he does, where is the
use, unless some engagement is entered in
tor"
"She would be sure to know; women, at
least some women, especially If they re-
ciprocate the feelings, are clairvoyants in
such matters"
"But would she be bound by her knowl-
edge or her sentimentsf"
Certainly not. A girl who has been
properly brought up would strive not to be
Influenced by either until she received a
definite proposal"
"And suppose that in the meanwhile she
had an eligible offer2'
"She would probably accept it, particu-
larly If she had a judicious mother to ad-
wise her. There would be severe strug-
gle, perhaps; but she would not sacrifice,
and think would not be justified in sac
riicing, certainty to uncertainty, reality to
loves young dream"
Bushby sighed.
"And the poor man." he said, "who had
no prospects, and who abstained from any
attempt to hamper her solely out of con-
sideraton for her-what of him?"
"Ohr replied Mrs. Carson, laughing,
she might take his revenge when hi pros
poets improved. 1t is different with man
and girl. What he has to consider is,
when he can afford to propose and she,
when she can afford to decline, especially
If she says like the girl in the song, MY
face is my fortune, Sir Besides, he would
never imagine how much she would have
suffered before she determined TO give him
up; and his resentment would soon cure
his love-"
"And suppose" said Bushby moodily,
"he had in the meanwhile preferred love to
lucre, and, by remaining faithful to her to
the very last, had lost both her and for
tune he might have got by simply holding
up his little fingerf ?"