Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-08-29

the carriage. when the whistle " eAo
long delayed train was heard. a nasty
good-by. and he found himself Just In
time to have the train tagged. lie hung
himself into a comfortable seat, ana has
lily tearing leaf from his notebooks
wrote:
DEAR EvERTDGE-I am ready to keep. my
share of the pledge we once made eacn otner.
have found my ideal, and you are Sne si allss
come. I've seen her, and been conquered.
She's the woman I've dreamed OF, from heI
lovely baby blonde face to her sweet, soI6
voice. and best of all, old fellow, have posi-
tive proof that she isn't that pet horror OF
mine-that drug in the modern matrimon-
iaI market-'a splendidly educated girl.
It's the most curious thing, but she has Deen
brought up according TO my latest theory,
which I'll tell you when Never mlnu her
name. IL shall be Mrs Rylance, if she'll con-
sent and can be pretty stubborn soldier at
a seige I'm not mad, but intend TO De- be
sure you keep your pledge, as have mine,
and congratulate me, not this minute, but
after while
FRED RYLANCE.
A day or two later the threatened
siege began. There was an uninterrupted
series of picnics and drives and walks,
all arranged by Mr.. Rylance, and all
given in Dolly's honor. and all conspicu-
Gus by Fred's absolute devotion to the
yellow haired visitor at Riverview.
She furnished him more food for re-
Election than any one he had ever met.
Until he met Dolly he had had some
sneaking doubts of his 'latest theory,
viz, that provided a woman were
thoroughly refined, the less she had of
g book-larnin'," the more charming she
would be. But here it was, the only ex
ample he had ever seen, and the most
startling and complete vindication of his
ideas.
She was quite as bright as her cousins
and after the most careful scrutiny he
failed to find a single occasion upon
which her lack of . a common-school
education placed her at disadvantage.
To be sure, he wasn't quite fair. He
never permitted the conversation to turn
upon books, and he could net help Won
dering at times what people would say
when Mrs. Fred Rylance's acceptances
or regrets were conveyed always in her
husbands writing. One glance, how
ever, at Dolly's bright animated face was
doubts His curiosity ran high at times
as to how this singular state of things
had come about A remark of Milly's
gave him a little light She said once:
''Isn't Dolly lovely2 And it is so
strange that she is. She has been
brought up entirely by her father, who
has the most unheard- of ideas on the
subject of educating, or rather not edu-
eating. girls. It's wonder she isn't
spoiled.
'sPity more women weren't spoiled in
the same way" growled Fred.
Save for her confession at the station.
two circumstances only betrayed her ig-
norance. He used to post letters almost
daily to her father, but always adj
dressed in Hates writing. The other
was that he came upon her once in the
library. and found her reading HGvper's
Monthly upside down.
This really touched him. There was
something pathetic in the idea that she
so felt the difference between herself and
other girls that she was led into this
childish way of pretending that she was
not so ignorant as he might think from
her inability to write. He longed to tell
her that he at least valued her all the
more because she hadn't been spoiled by
ridiculous theories of education. He
found an occasion.
They were talking one day-that IL,
Kate and KIiIly were--of a woman's
novel that was running in one of the
magazines. Dolly had been very silent,
and Fred judged that his time had come
for declaring his preference for I'M
schooled and unlessened femininity.
Throwing himself on the grass, and gaz-
ing up at the blue patches of heaven
visible through the network of bOughs
above him, he announced. dictatorially:
81 never intend to read line again
from the pen of any woman. It's all
who has married Miss Colby-she calls
herself Daisy Earle on paper, / believe.
Fancy man deliberately selecting lit
erary wife! Oh no; anything but an
educated and superior female compan-
ioni"
Dolly looked conscious and embarras-
sed, but was silent Kate retorted:
''Oh, you gOoseI You are like all the
other men in the world, thoroughly in
consistent. notice that in real life you
never pursue sweet ignorance, as one
would expect from your conversation;
indeed, the girls you like are invariably
those who are called brilliant and"
ssNonsenser' said Fred; sswho ever
said / liked fool2 But, seriously. the
brightest and most charming women Che
hardly dared say woman) 81 ever met
could neither read nor write"
No one answered for moment. Then
I L IL