New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-04

WIN W. IN our emancipated country She has shaken
% erave III all the simplicity of an humble income
and Went TO Europe; ii may speak, incognita
gaze Of arsocraoy She did not Wish p Your
Penhless peers to buzz about her fortune. But she
whn reality one of our richest heiresses. The man
FL sGtouIts !nat woman as a property sir will
mna III himself in possession of income worth as
MMch as one hundred thousand dollars
Wehty thousand sterling year, The idea took
my breath away, and reduced once more to
@are 81 n1lpl1ss III ~ couldn't talk much
70 make some small excuse and returned lstlessly
S So dHIopEIes , Hall There over luncheon Of
tteSenngs to interfere with my appettel | decided
'nat must give up all idea of Ida Van Rensselaer,
!; 1900 year; but could not consent to take
81 from any woman or to endure the chance of her
De and doubtless plebeian feeling, Which. as Nj
yonnHsr Justly limited is never shared by the
II that somebody nv own wife So came to
d he relnctant conclusion that must give up the
any longer at Saratoga under the circumstances.
maze h up my mind to start for Niagara the next
uy eut one after fulfilling my driving engagement
with Ida the following morning.
mr rhffiin n at 10 o'clock the next day found
OF OF, the Grand Union. Ida came down to meet me
sptehnidly dressed, and looked like queen as she
said. she took her seat and you will take me for
arrow, row as you did on the Isis at Oxford So we
,'i1d along comfortably enough over the six
then we took our places in one of the canopied
boats which wait for hire at the little quay.
i, roWed out into the middle of the lake admirinx
!hc Pretty wooded banks and sandstone cliffs. talk
IN Oh Saratoga and American society but keeping
10 my oxford proposal Ida was as charming as
o ,e provokinGy charming. indeed, than
Ge e Oh oi4 now that had decided she could not
i pG NINE But stood by my resolution like a man.
clearly Ida was surprised AT my retcence and
M.,;t told her that my time in America being
ri'cu must start almost ut once for Niagara, she
was obviously astonisled. 1T is possible to he
even eyer too original she observed shortly turned
inc BOAT and rowed back toward the shore
AS had nearly reached the bank Ida jumped up
from er seat and asked me suddenly to let her pull
Tor Il dozen strokes | changed places and gave her
the oars. To my surprise, she headed the boat
around and pulled once more for the middle of the
lake. When we had reached a point at some dis
lance IRON the shore. she dropped the oars on the
thoie pins they use no rowlocks on American lake
or river frdttl and looked for a moment full in my
ldct: linen size SAID abruptly:
II yon are really going tn leave for Niagara to-
morrow, Mr. Payne hadn't we better finish this blt
OF business out of hand p
l., -, was not aware answered, that we had any
business transactions to settle
w NY she SAID. mean This matter Of proposing
, gazed back at her as straight as dared. Ida
- SI nrL WIN al attcn4pt ct iTmncss, don't mean
mean to whom started this morning / think
thought had decided not
Then Why did lOu come TO Saratoga = she asked
qu!fEly. You oHghtnt to have come il you meant
her, left England l did mean something
ans" rcd, but learned fact yesterday which has
altered my Intentions And then told her about
Nj. liiGhcocks revelations and the reflections TO
Ida listened patiently to all my faint arguments
Ion itIt my courage quailmg under her pretty
%mpathotlc glance, and then she said decisivcIy,
1on are quite right aud yet quite wrong
Explain Yourself, o Sphinx, answered, much
relieved by her words.
why she sad. You are quite right to hesitate
quite wrong 10 decide. | know Won don't want NV
money; | know you don't like it. even hut / ask
you 10 take nae IN spite of it. OF course that is
dreaduily unwc manly and unconventional. and
forth, but 1t Is what ought 10 do Listen to
al N,I( 'NTl f.l
Why | want you To marry me. Before went to
Europe was dissatisfied with all these rich Ameri-
can }oung men. ! hated their wealth. aud their
selhshncSs, and their cheap cyniciSm, and their
tt"ttlne horses ana thor narrow views and their
American mould. so that whenever said \, | knew
every one of them would answer Il.
| went To Europe aud met your English young
men, with their draw Is, and their pigeon shooting;
and their shaggy ulsters, and their conventional
Wit. and their commonplace chat, and their uttor
contempt lot women, ~ though We were all herd
OF marketable animals from whom they could pick
and choose whichever please; them best, according
10 men lorlly fancy. would no more give myself
mp 10 one of them than would marry my cousin,
Jefferson Hitchcock. But when | met you first at
Nee, saw you were different sort of person You
could think and act Tor yourself, and you could APP
preciatc 4 real living woman who could think and
act to. lon taught me what Europe was like. |
only knew the outside. YOU showed me how to get
within the ! uSS You made me admire Ezra. and
Roccahrnna and lllcy Church. You reused
>omctl my within me that never felt beore-a
wish 10 be different being longing for some
thing moro worth living for THAI diamonds and
Saratoga. know am not good enough for you, |
don't know enough OF read enough or feel enough
but don't want to fall back and sink to the level
of New York society. SO have n right to ask you
"a marry me If you will don't want to he a blue;
but want not to feel myself n social doll. You
know yourscli-l see you know it-that oughtnt
10 throw away my chance of making the best of
what nature may have in me. am only a be-
ginncr | scarcely half understand your world yet.
! can't properly admire yOur Bottcels and your
PmturiocioS | know; but | want to admire, |
me because know you understand me and would
help me forward instead of letting me sink down 10
the petty interests OF this American desert You
liked luc At Nice. YOU did more than like me ut OK
ford; but | wouldnt take you then, though ]
longcd TO say yes because | wasn't quite sure
whether you really meant IT, knew You liked me
for myself not my money, but left You 10 come to
Saratoga for two things. ! wanted 10 make sure
You were III earnest not 10 take you Mt a moment
of weakness | said. II he really cares for me- If
come and look for me If not must let the dream
GO And then. wanted to know what effect my
fortune would have upon YOU Now, you know my
whole reasons Why should my money stand III
our way Why should We both make ourselves I'M
happy about lty You would have married me if was
poor; what good reason have yon for rejecting me
do for you tand You have enough of your ownl II
will be nothing to what you can do for me. VIII
You tell me to go and make myself an animated peg
for hanging icwclry upon, with such conscious
antouatou ~ Jefferson Hitchcock to keep me COM
pany through life =
As she finished, flushed, proud, ashamed, but
The utter meanness and sciiShncSS Of my life burst
upon me like thundcrbOlt 'Oh, Ida | cried,
how terribly You make mo feel my own pettneSs
and cgotlsm You are cutting me 10 the heart IKE
Il knife | cannot marry you; | dare not marry
you; | must not marry You. ! am not worthy OF
such wife rs YOU How had ever the aulacity
TO ask YOU NV life has been too narrow and ego
tstic and self-ndulqcnt 10 deserve such CONFIDENCE
as yours. ! am not good enough for you. really
dare not accept it,
GOOD enough for another ana That =