Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-01-04

lo & - 4;E ~
ipgs of so-called first love- Cannot you be
satisfied with something more quiet, more
suitable to your age and his7" @tit.
2 "I do not need to be reminded, so often as
you appear to think necessary, Of the fact that
my mature age does not warrant these silly
extravagances,' as you term them, rejoined
Geraldine, scarcely perceptible flush rising
to her cheek "but without any display of
boyish ardor or enthusiasm, a real sentiment
Of affection would certainly prompt q greater
warmth of manner than marks Lord Desbor-
ough's intercourse with me, whom he profess
es to wish to marry. You must acknowledge
that no icicle could be colder" - ~
"What you term coldness, 1 consider mere
ly as suitable gravity, dignity bedtting
his position, and which, to my mind, is far
more proper and becoming than the fashion
able levity so popular nowadays"
"I am sure I am no admirer of fashionable
levity, nor could my worst enemies ever ac-
cuse me Of indulging in it But putting this
question, and the question Of Lord Desbor-
ough's intrinsic worth, which I am quite
ready to admit, aside for the present, Iadhere
to the first and most important point, which is
his palpable indifference to mean indiffer-
ence SO palpable, mamma, thatI wonder even
at your anxiety to secure him for a son.in.law
overcoming your maternal pride sufficiently
to make you excuse it." i
IfGeraldine's voice had previously assum'
ed sarcastic tone, the infection was doubly
marked now. as she pronounced the words
maternal PRIDE" Her mother, however,
chose toignore the scarcely veiled sneer, which
it did not suit her present purpose to resent.
"What on earth, Geraldine, do you ex-
pect2" she irritably asked. :"1s he to 60 down
on his knees, like cavalier of old, or COM
pose aowery verses in your praise, and sing
them under your window at night while he
twangs guitar as an accompanimentP
"Oh! no, there would be great danger, from
his advanced age, of his catching cold, or per-
baps even rheumatic fever" was the satiri-
cal response. "Your ideas of lover.like con.
duct are even more extravagant than mine,
since never should exact such fatiguing
marks of devotion as those"
"Notbing could be more sensible or proper
than the way in which he spoke to me Of his
wishes" continued the elder lady. "Having
said what he did on that occasion, I presume
he thinks unnecessary to be forever harping
on the same string. He considers that you do
him the justice, atleast, to believe in what ne
has said, and he is unwilling to press You in
your decision, since it seems so hard'to arrive
at" 1.slt ~ ~
"Few lovers are so considerate," remarked
Geraldine. ~
"There I agree with you" said her mother.
"aTo my mind, few men are so worthy OF re.
gard, so deserving in every respect, as this
man, who is desirous Of bestowing on you his
noble name, and his large fortune-two gifts,
Geraldine, which it would be worse than folly
in you toyreject"
Especially the fortune" said Geraldine.
II acknowledge, mamma, that we arein some
respects-in most respects-sunk very low
but let me be spared, at least, the humiliation
Of such descent as this-to barter my last
atom of selfrespect for the sake of few pal
try thousands" -
"a few paltry thousands, indeed p exclaim.
ed her mother, Indignantly. "Why, Lord
Desborough is one of the richest men in the
peerage, as everybody knows. And as to our
being sunk so low, l don't know what you can
mean by such an expression, except that we
are poor, which is no fault Of ours-and if
you have lost your selfrespect, /, at least, have
not lost mine r' n
81 am glad to hear il" said Geraldi1e, in
a low tone 1T is we'll that one Of US, at least,
has that to fall back upon." !"
"You talk very strangely to-day, Geral-
dine. I must say that you are very little com
fort to me in my declining years" said her
mother, bitterly. "When you see me as am,
feeble and broken in health, and oppressed
by untold anxieties and cares, you might at
least do all in your power to cheer and help
me- instead Of contradicting and opposing me,
thwarting my most earnest desires, and using
such disres spectfnl tone toward me as would
make any dutiful daughter blush" j,
-" . fsrir. ,.e
mamma, you cannot call me undutiful, or
reproach nae for not helping you. Do I not
work from morning till night, denying my
self even the least qualification in order to con;
tribute what can to your comfort? Do /
spend anything on myself but what is abso-
lutely necessary? My clothes are no better
than yours in fact they are older and more
worn, for always look to the necessities Of
your wardrobe first. Do not strive to sup
ply you with delicacies, allowing myself only
the plainest food Do not stay with you
all the time never, or very rarely, even going
out for walk, unless to accompany you !?
Do I, in any way, seek my own pleasure or
amusement, even to the triaing extent Of read
ing an entertaining book, when it interferes
with your wishes? Surely all this is no want
of duty or respect"
call this may be very true. Yetitamounts
to very little, if you persist in refusing to
crafty the one crowning wish Of my life.
And one, too, that you can so easily crafty
one which any woman less foolish, less obsti.
nate than yourself, would yield to with de-
light! If Desborough had asked you to mar.
ry him twelve years ago, you would have
jumped at the offer, Geraldine, you know you
would; but now
"Hush," interrupted her daughter, in q