The Osceola times., 1881-04-16


his, cannot we be married soon? see
no reason for waiting longer"
"My dear boy there are 80 many busi-
ness arrangements TO omake-settlements
and all that" she answered, gently
stroking his lustrous hair, as she loved
to do. "You see want to have all your
interests attended TO-"
"Never mind my interests, dearest;
what | desire is 10 become your hus-
band"
Are you really in earnest, my dear?
Will you never repeat whnt you are do
ing? Think am old enough to be your
mother"
"What is age?" replied Cashey in his
sweetest voice. 1--WE all of us are no
older than we look and feel
There are times when myself feel Woe
fully old. But you, do you
think you can be less dear TO me be.
cause your kind face was already ad-
mirable in its goodness and soft attrac-
tiveness before was born? As well say
that we should not acknowledge the
suns loveliness because it has shone up
on others before us!'
II am afraid that you are a great flat
pleasant to hear, nevertheless"
81 am not flattering, dearest; love
you with all my heart; cannot you be-
lieve it?"
"Yes, / do; and / feel shall be hap
py woman. But. Dickie (her pet name
for him was Dickie or Bird) what
shall you think when you sometimes
reflect on the difference between our
ages"
81 shall only wish that | had known
you ten years sooner, that ! might have
been happy ten more"
All this you see, was quite nice: and
il is with such little crumbs of sugar
that women have been caught in all
times. So Androgyna gave in. A few
days afterward the marriage was sol
emnized in quiet country church, and
the well-matched pair started out for
the Continent to spend their honey
moon.
Twelve months elapsed, and at the end
of that time any one who had seen An
droyna and her young husband would
have declared that they were a better
assorted couple than ever. For matri-
mony had had rejuvinating effect upon
Androgyna, who now looked better and
dressed more smartely than before;
whereas it had operated in just the con-
trary direction on Chashey, alias Birdie
who was becoming premarturely aged,
through idleness, excess of good living
and general boredom. The poor fellow
took too much succulent food, and was
growing fat; he had no healthy work to
his energies, 80 that he spent his
afternoons yawning; there was plenty
of spare cash in his purse, but he did
not know what to do with it, and so was
worse off than in the days of his pow
erty, when at least he enjoyed the excite
ment of longing for things out of his
reach and striving to get them.
But why did not Cashey set up four
in-hand, a racing stable or a theater,
ny he had purposed doing? All. why
didn't he? The truth is he was not his
own master. He was like fly in a
acle-pot-glued in on all sides by his
wife's gold. There never had been tiff
between him and Androgyna, but in "A
quiet, natural way, she had maintained
over him the authority of her r! per age
and superior social position. He could
not form whim but she satisfied it at
a spoiled darling. He once took to col
Letting china by way of employing his
but one morning he found
lhe walls of his study adorned with
rare assortment of plates, which threw
his own humber purchases quite in the
shade, 80 that he tired of that. Next he
took fancy for dogs, when, 10.
Androgyna, without saying word,
caused n magnificent set of model ken
nels to be erected in corner of her park,
and the astonished Cashey found there
couples of yelping dogs
Of various breeds, all the choicest. 1t
would have been the same if Cashey had
expressed wish for four-in-hand.
He would have got, in less than a week,
the finest trap to be had for money, with
A team purchased regardless of expense,
and grooms of livery to match. If he
had hinted at theater, his Androgyna
would have commended him highly for
his ambition to moralize the stage, and
woLld have bought him a playhouse
straight off; she would also have volunteer
ed-for her devotion stuck at nothing
to help him in selecting his actresses and
the rehearsals. Whew!
Birdie had got into gilt cage; but under
the circumstances it was of no use to
form any wishes, for they were gratified
too soon and too amply to give him any
pleasure. In his heart Of hearts what
Birdie would have liked, possibly would
have been to get his freedom again. To
start off on comprehensive tour alone,
with plenty of money, and no uxorial eye
TO watch his movements. Yes, that
would have been grand; but how could
the young husband suggest such thing
without being guilty of the most indecent
hearllessness? He had married, and
must cleave to his wife like other men;
that was self-evident proposition. If
he had forsaken Androgyna he would
have broken her heart, and there would
have been a pretty mess.
So Cashey-Barter submitted to his
fate, and soon all spirit of independence
oozed out of him. We draw most of our
opinions from the company we keep,
and Lady Curlew had long been the
center of philanthropic circle of pious
seers, parsons, ugly women of talent,
social reformers and repentant sinners,
whose introduction to Cashey led gradu-
ally to his becoming extremely moral.
A Presbyterian minister frightened him
about his soul, and a teetotaler assured
him that man can hardly drink claret
and be saved. The all-prevading pres
ence of Beelzebub became a subject of
frequent and dismal meditation with
Lady Curlew's husband, till at last the
reformed creature consented to be elected
chairman of different benevolent socie-
ties and to deliver edifying speeches.
After this he was invited to read paper
at the Social Science Congress, rnd his
Androgyna chose the subject fer him;
Husbands and Wives-their reciprocal