The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-11-21

I afternoon to a most tedious party-a set of
| BOSTON people: you know the style; the best
| European culture, bottled and corked as inn
norted. and let out again by driblets, with
about as much spontaneousress as cham
payne the second day. But must fulfil the
social duties here; no canoeing on the Isis
at Saratoga. However, we must see great
deal of YOU now you've come; so / expect
you to call and drive me down to the lake at
10 o'clock tomorrow.
sIs that proceeding within the expansive
limits of American proprieties2" [ asked,
"sir.n said Mr.. Hitchcock, answering for
her. ssthis Is land. of freedom, and every
lady can go where she chooses, unmolested
by those frivolous bonds of conventionalities
which bind the feet of your European wom-
en- as closely as the cramped shoes OF the
Chinese bind the feet of the Celestial fe-
males.''
Ida smiled at me with a peculiar smile,
waved her hand graciously, and ran lightly
up the stairs. / was left on the piazza with
Mr.. Jefferson Hitchcock His conversation
scarcely struck me as in itself enticing, but
I was anxious to find out the meaning of
Ida's sudden accession to wealth, and so |
determined to make the best of his compan-
ionship for half an hour. AS sure high
road to the American bosom and safe recon-
mendation to the American confidence
ordered a couple of delicate summer bever-
ages Mr. Hitchcock advised an eye OPENER
which proved worthy of the commentator
he bestowed upon it,; and we sat down on
The piazza in two convenient rocking-chairs,
under the shade of the elms, smoking our
Havanas and slipping our iced drink. After
little preliminary talk, struck upon the
subject of Ida.
@When ! met Miss Van Rensselaer, at
Nice,'' | said, 'she was stopping at very
quiet little pension. 1t is quite a different
thing living in palace like this"
eve are republican nafion, SIR" an
swered Mr. Hitchcock, 'and we expect to
be all treated ON the equal Lowell of sover-
eign people. The splendor that you in Eu-
rope restris to PRINCES, we in our country
lavish upon the humblest Hmercan citizen.
Miss Rensselaer's wealth, however,,
entities her to mix in the highest circles OF
even your most polished society"
sIndeed?' | said; had no idea that she
was wealthy"
ssNo, sir, probably not. MissSVan Rens-
selaer is woman of that striking originate
ty only to be met with in our emancipated
country. she has shaken off the trammels
of femala servitude, and prefers to travel in
all the simplicity of an humble income She
went tie Europe, i'll may so speak, incognitd
and desired to her opulence from the prying
gaze of your aristocracy. She did not wish
your penniless peers to buzz about her for
tune. But she is in reality one of our rich
est heiresses. The man who secures that
woman as property, sF, will find himself
in possession of an income worth as much as
one hundred thousand dollars"
Twenty thousand sterling ayear! The idea
took my breath away, and reduced me once
| more to a state of helpless incapacity. l
couldn't talk much more small talk to Mr.
Hitchcock, so / managed to make some
small excuse and returned listlessly to Con-
gress Hail. There over luncheon of Sad
die Rock oysters, (you see never allow my
feelings to interfere with my appetite) de-
cided that must give up all idea of Ida Van
Rensselaer,
have no abstract objection to an income
| of 100000 year; but could not consent
| to take it from any woman, or to endure the
chance of her supposing that had been for
tune hunting. 1t may be and doubtless is a
plebeian feeling, which, as Mr.. Hitchcock
Justly limited, is never shared by the young
er sons of our old nobility; but / hate the
notion of living off somebody else's money,
especially if that somebody were my own
wife, So came to the reluctant conclusion
that [ must give up the idea for ever; and
as it would not be fair to stop any longer at
Saratoga under the circumstances, / made
no my mind to start for Niagara on the
next day but one, after fulfilling my
driving engagement with Ida,the following
morning.
Principally at ten O'Clock the next day I
found myself in handsome carriage watt
at the doors of the Grand Union. Ida came
down to meet me splendidly dressed, and
looked like queen as she sat by my side.
ssWe will drive to the lake" she said. as she
took her seat, 'sand you will take me for a
row as you did on the Isis at Oxford" So
we whirled along comfortably enough over
the six miles of splendid avenue leading to
the LAKE and then We took our places in one
of the canopied boats that wait for hire at
the little quay.
rowed out into the middle of the lake,
admiring the pretty wooded banks and sand
stone cliffs, talking of Saratoga and Ameri-
can society, but keeping to my determina-
| ton in steering clear of all illusions to my
| Oxford proposal. Ida was as charming as
ever-more provokingly charming, indeed,
| than even of old, now that / decided that she
| could not be mine. But stood by my reso-
luton like man. Clearly Ida was surpris-
ed at my reticence; and when told her that
my time in America being limited, must
| start almost at once for Niagara, she was
| obviously astonished. sit is possible to be
| even too original she observed shortly. /
| turned the boat and rowed back toward the
| shore.
AS had nearly reached the bank, Ida
| Jumped up from her seat and asked me SID
| denlyte let her pull for a dozen strokes. |
changed places and gave her the oars.
| To nv surprise, she headed the boat around
| and pulled once more for the middle of the
lake. When we had reached point at some
distance from the shore, she dropped the
oars on the thole pins (they use no row locks
| on American lake or river craft, and look
ed for moment full in my face Then she
said abruptly:
sIf you are really going to leave for Mag
ara tomorrow, Mr.. Payne, hadn't we
better finish this bit of business out of
hand?"
J ST was not aw are," I answered, "that we
had business transactions to SETTLE"
ssWhy,' she said, 81 mean this matter of
proposing
| gazed back at her, as straight as | dared.
''Ida," | said, with an attempt at trmness,
II don't mean to propose to you again at
ALL At least, didn't mean to when start
ed this morning. think thought had
decided not"
.,Then why did you come to Saratoga?"
she asked quickly. "You oughtn't to have
come if you meant nothing by it"
''When left England, | did mean some
thing" answered; s'but | learned a fact
yesterday which has altered my intentions"
And then told her about Mr.. H:tchcock's
revelations, and the reflections to which they
had given rise.
Ida listened patiently to all my faint argu-
ments, for / felt my courage quailing under
her pretty, sympathetic glance, and then she
said decisively, "You are quite right, and
yet quite wrong"
''Explain yourself, 0 Sphinx" answer
ed, much relieved by her words
"Why," she said, ''you are quite right to
hesitate, quite wrong to decide. | know you
don't want my money; know you don't
like it, even; but | ask you to take me in
spite of it. OF course that is dreadfully I'M
womanly and unconventional, and so forth,
but it is what l ought to do Listen to me
Cyril (may call Cyril9) will tell you why l
want you to marry me. Before went to
Europe was dissatisfied with all the rich
American young men. l hated their wealth
and their selfishness, and their cheap cyni-
cism, and their trotting horses, and their
narrow views, and their monotonous tall
talk, all cast in a stereotyped American
mould, so that whenever l said A, knew
every one of them would answer B.
81 went to Europe and met your English
young men with their drawls, and their
pigeon shooting, and their shaggy ulsters,
and their conventional wit, and their COM
monplace chaff and their utter contempt