Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1881-04-09


yourself or me ?"
Romayne promised and sealed the
promise this time-with a
kiss. "When are wo to be married?"
he whispered.
She lifted her head from his shoulder
with sigh. eff l am to answer you
honestly" she replied, Z" must speak
of my mother before speak of myself"
Romayne submitted to the duties of
his new position as we'll as he under
stood them.
"Do you mean that you have told
your mother OF our engagement lie
said. "In that case is it my duty or
yours-I am very ignorant in these
matters-to consult her wishes? Ny
own idea is, that 1 ought to ask her if
she approves of me as her sonin- law,
and that you might then speak to her
of the marriage"
Stella thought of Romayne's tastes, all
in favor of modest retirement, and of
her rmother's tastes, all in favor of osten-
tation and display. She frankly owned
the result produced in Ler own mind.
Il anu afraid to consult my mother
about our marriage" she said.
Romayne looked astonished. "Do
you think Mrs. Eyrecourt will disap-
prove of it?" he asked.
Stella was equally astonishol on her
side. "Disapprove of it?' she repeated,
"I know for certain that my mother
will be delighted"
"Then where is the diGicultyg
There was but one way Of answering
that question. Stella boldly described
her mothers idea of wedding-includ-
ing the archbishop, the twelve bride
maids in green and gold, and the hun
dred guests at breakfast in Lord
Loring's picture-gallery. Romaynes
CONSERVATION lit rally deprived him for
the moment of the power of speech. To
say that he looked at Stella as prisoner
in "the condemned cell" might have
looked at the sheriff, announcing the
morning of his execution, would he to
do iniusticeto to the prisoner. He receives
his shock without flinching; and, in
proof of his composurc, celebrates his
wedding with the gallows by q break
fast which he will not live to digest.
Ii you think as your mother does"
Romayne began, as socn as he had re-
covered his self-possession, "no opinion
of mine snail stand in the way" He
could get no further. His vivid imag.
ination saw the archbishops and the
bridemaids, heard tho hundred guests
and their dreadful speeches; his voice
faltered, in spite of himself.
Stella eagerly relieved him. "My
darling, don't think as my mother
does" she interposed, tenderly. 81 am
sorry to say We have very few sympa-
thies in common. Marriages, as think,
ought to be celebrated as privately as
possible the near and dear relations
present and no one else. If there must
be rejoicings and banquets, and hun
dreds of invitations, let them come
when the welded pair are at home after
the honeymoon, beginning life in ear
nest. These are odd ideas for woman
to have-but they are my IDEAS, for all
that"
Romayne's face frightened. "How
few women possess your fine sense and
your delicacy of feelingl" he exclaimed.
"Surely, your mother must give way
when she hears we are both of one mind
about our marriages"
Stella knew her mother too well to
share the opinion thus expressed. Mrs.
Eyrecourt's capacity for holding to her
own little ideas and for persisting (where
her social interests were concerned) in
trying to insinuate those ideas into tho
minds of other persons, was u capacity
which no resistance, short of absolute
brutality, could overcome. She was
perfectly cap'ble of worrying Romayne
las well as her daughter) to the utmost
limits of human endurance, in the firm
conviction that she was bound to con-
vert all heretics of their way of thinking
to the orthodox way in the matter of
weddings. Putting this view of the
case in all possible delicacy, in speak
ing of her mother, Stella expressed he--
self plainly enough, nevertheless, to
enlighten Romayne.
He made another suggestion.
"Can we marry privately" he said,
"and tell Mrs. Eyrecourt of it after
ward ?"
This essentially masculine solution of
the difficulty was at once rejected.
Stella was too good daughter to suffer
her mother to he treated with even the
appearance of disrespect.
ooh" she said, "think how morti-
fed and distressed my mother would
be? She must be present at my mar.
rage"
An idea of compromise occurred to
Romayne.
"What do you say" he proposed,
"to arranging for the marriage pri-
yotoIv ond tban tallino Nre Evranourt