Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1882-07-20
ONE WAY OF LOVE.

NANh W a VI Nv Ils
Mary y, Prescott in Our Continent.
She was clerk in the treasury at
Washington on salary of nine hun
drcd dollars year; he was in the post
Office enjoying the privileges afforded
by an income of twelve hundred. Once
in while there was holiday, when
they would take the boat down to
Mount Vernon, if lit was warm, and
spread their lunch in the shade of its
historic trees and patrOnize nature as
successfully as if they were nabobs.
Sometimes they had tickets given them
for a comedy or tragedy, when they
laughed or cried with the discernment
of millionaires and the old families,
On Sunday mornings they sang in a
choir, and walked out TO Long Bridge
later in the day, or strolled in the
Capitol grounds and surprised the first
violet in its hiding place. Helcn's land
lady told every new boarder that Mr..
Van Week "was going with Miss Hill
dreth, but Miss Hildreth always pro-
tested that he was only friend, that
they were neighbors at home and had
gone to school together when they
were in their pinafores; and the land
lady always shifted when she remarked
"If he's nothing but friend should
think thcre'd be u accession of his love-
making sooner or later"
One day when they were rambling
about Mount Vernon together Helen
fell into a romancing vein. "Supposc
this is my country seat" said she,
"and have furnished it in the Queen
Anne style, and I'm entertaining the
creme de Ia creme, just as they do in
novels
"A:1rt Of Lady Geraldine-and am
the poor poet, eh?"
"All but the poetry" Knocked
Helen.
"Now suppose this is my manor
house." suggested Theodore, furnish
ed in the renaissance, let us say-l'm
making great demands on your imagi-
nation-and I'm entertaining all the
swels. I've lured you here on the pre-
text of looking for four-eafed clo-
yer, but really 10 ask if you will share
my magnilicence with me; what should
you sayP"
81 should put my lessons in gymnas.
tics into use and jump at the chance. :"
"And if | should ask instead,
"'Come share my cottage, gentle maidn"
"Don't!n cried Helen.
He looked at her little hlankly.
"You don't mean that you care so
little for me?"
~ don't mean anything. Don't let
us talk about marrying and giving in
marriage; we are happy enough as we
are
"But if don't marry you some 9th
er fe. W will"
Nonsense; pennilrss girls are n
drug Oh the market. I've seen misery
enough from marrying on small sal
ary; I've seen people living in two
rooms on water and crust so to
speak, doing their own work, with no
pleasures and no society and no hope
of amendment; people who thought
love would tide them over all the quick
sands-and presently the hallucination
wore of but the quicksands remained;
reproaches set in; she grew bitter and
unlovely, and he morose and neglect
full
"Then you think love an hallucina-
tionp''
II think marriage is n mistake on
twelve hundred year. If | became
dowdy, and hadn't time to cultivate a
taste for esthetics or whatever was the
fashionable craze and grew iadcd and
spiritless with the uncongenial task of
washing pots and kettles and stewing
over u range, and if nobody turned to
look after me as | passed, one day you
would find yourself discnchanted.
Then supposing the new administration
should push you out of office, even for
a month, or you should fall illP No,
we are happy enough just as we are;
don't let us discuss marriage; let us
wait, like Micawber, till something
turns up"
And so Van Week waited. Perhaps
he was disappointed in Helen's views,
but he refused to confess it even to
himself; all women felt so, he supposed,
cared more for shadow than substance
or mistook one for the other; it was
thek poetic temperament which made
poverty hateful TO them and splendor
their natural atmosphere, and he ap-
piled himself more diligently than ever
to his idea working far into the night
at times.
"You were not at the presidents last
evening" one of his fellow clerks said
to him later.
'Ip No; should think not"
"But Miss Hildreth was there; she
and Mr.. Sterling, NJ. c., were hand in
glove. heard him ask her to 90 and
hear Lohengrin tomorrow night"
''Mr. Sterling is in LUCK" was all
Van Week ventured to say; he did
not choose to carry his heart on his
sleeve for every clerk to peck at. If
Mr.. Sterling was fascinated by Helen,
it was no fault of hers; many man
had been bewitched by her before this
elderly congressman, only Theodore
forgot that they had all been needy
suitors-and as for Helen, he felt as
sure of her as of seed time and har-
vest.
But on one occasion he left his work
early and fastened to see her; a cloud
of ugly rumors had assailed him and
interfered with his tasks; she should
brush all the cobwebs out of his heay-
en-. He met her coming down the stair
case in white evening dress, with
flowers in her hand-costly exotics,
such as wealthy lovers send their
sweethearts, such as he had never dar-
ed to buy.
>''Where did they come fromp" he
demanded. 1855 M Il
"rhey grew, ] 'spects-like Topsy,"
answered Helen, laughing uneasiiy.
"Where did You get them, Helenp"
"You are inquisitive, Mr.. Van Week.
They were sent to me-"
"By Mr.. Sterlingp"