New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-07-22
HER SECRET.
BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.

From the New York Mercury
When Milton Stanley sent up his
card to Alice Hall that morning, helm
tended to ask that young lady to be
his wife before he left the house.
He had reached that stage Of ennui
which comes to every man with a soul
who lives a life of license and freedom
into the thirties. The apples of Sod
ON turned to ashes in his hands, and
every pleasure palled upon him. He
had decided that marriage, being the
only experiment he had not yet tried,
was the one pathway to happiness left
open to him.
And Alice Hall was a girl whom he
admired, belle, of good family and
popular socially. She would make a
wife of whom he could be proud. He
would settle the dilemma OF his life at
once and ask her to be his wife.
Yet, when he left the house half an
hour later, he had not asked her the
momentous question and mentally
thanked the fates that he had not.
She was not the woman for him.
The fact was: when Miss Hall came
down to greet him, she had returned
the pressure OF his hand by a gentle
yet warm clasp Of her own, and she
had taken a seat beside him on the
divan. She had never before been
guilty ofsuch familiarity, and although
ne came with the unspoken intentions
Ola lover IN his heart-so long as he had
not spoken, he felt that she was scarce
~ modest to exhibit herregard so free
y. Then in looking over collection
of pictures which lay on stand near
by, he had noticed that she flushed
andlooked embarrassed when he asked
the name Of one whose portrait repre-
sented a man of striking appearance.
"a Mr.. Ledyard-I knew him one
Summer at the seashore," she said,
and hastily changed the conversation.
Now, like every man who has lived a.
life of absolute freedom, who has tast-
ed of every pleasure and broken all 1.-THE
commandments, Milton Stanley de-
manded the utmost rectitude and the
strlctest observance of every rule of
propriety in the conduct of a woman
He had tempted innumerable women
to acts of imprudence and then de-
splsed them for their weakness. He
had been the serpent in many a para
disc, but had always gone forth, be-
lieving it was Eve who first suggested
plucking the apple.
sThey are all alike-weak, frail,
vain,' he sometimes said, and then
pausing, remembered his sainted
mother, and added: "No, there must
be another like her somewhere one
whom Providence intended for NV
bride; some sweet saint who is to lead
me up into heaven OF pure love and
peace"
All, yes! that was what he wanted.
Some spotless angel on whom the
gaze of man had scarcely fallen; some
unsophisticated embodiment of all the
feminine virtues, devoid of all the
weaknesses Of her sex, who should take
him, world weary and Sustained as
he was, and lead him into happiness.
And 1T never occurred to him that
such union would be unsuitable-no.
indeed. That was woman's mission
on earth.
AS he went down the steps leading
from Miss Halls home, he felt a sense
Of anger and humiliation to think he
had been almost betrayed into a con-
fesslon OF love by woman who had
any memories connected with any
man which could cause her to blush
and look confused at the mention of
his name. Yet he had memories he
could not mention in the presence of
any women-hosts of them.
He rushed down to the seashore the
next day, to a quiet place, where he
need not. be vexed by the sight of a
crowd of frivolous and foolish women.
He did not know a soul and meant to
make no acquaintance aside from the
fishes on H.Blue Fish Point
But before he had been at Surf
Bay twenty -four hours he changed his
mind.
He met two ladies walking slowly on
the beach one morning one hand
some matron in the early for
ties; one delicate, refined looking girl
in her late teens. The latter did not
look at him, the former did.
He had seen a thousand handsome
girls, but never a face which attracted
him, he said, after he went to his hotel.
Who was she?
He was not long in finding out.
"Mrs. O. B. Mills and Miss Delphie
Mills, New York CITY," Thatwas what
thehotelregister said. A little inquiry
brought to light the fact that Mrs.
Mills was the wealthy widow OF we'll
known member Of the New York bar.
Ever since his death, three years pre-
vlous, the widow and daugh Inter had
been abroad. They had but recently
returned. The young lady was in deli
cate health, but was highly accom-
plished and very amiable.
This Milton proved to be less than