The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-03-12


| Knight suppose sou are right about it.
| Til try not to offend again. When / look at
| you 1 forget-everythingl Well. ] went to
Europe, and if i lhadUt been afraid Of your
| laughing at me I'd have come back on the
| same steamer. II .lss
Lady-O! Tom, if you only had!
| Knight-So wrote you letter.
Lady texcitedly yl-Tomi l never got It'll
! Knight (compossdiyy-I never sent it; the
day it wonld have left fathers letter came
from New York, telling me of your new be-
| trothal.
Lady-You might haye saved me.
Knight-From marrying the best man in
| the world? WhatCdo you take me for? had
/ known your most excellent and respectable
| husband for many years. The same woman
| could not love him and me. If you intended
to marry him without loving him, why, it
was poor lookout for him; but that did me
| no good.
Lady (pleadingly}-To I was 90 very miser-
able and he was really very good to me and
| you had left me, Tom
| Knight-Helen, you said you never wanted
! to see my face again. Well, spent my miser-
able quarter of an hour then / braced up, had
a charming trip went everywhere, saw every
| thing, staid four years, came back-ciIred.
Fathers death has left me so rich as to be an
idier for life. / am an eligible" petted and
made much OF. I've got deal of pleasure out
| of life. l never quite forgot you, Helen, but
! didn't grieve for you any more than did
for poor Jack. You remember Jack, Ellio?
Lady (eagerly)-And how you held me on
| his back, Tom.
| Knght-And how you screamed when ne
| began to trot.
Lady-But hung on; that was the first
| time | ever saw you.
! Knight - Cooking at her thoughtfGlly) -
| You've changed since then; yea wore your
hair in pigtaH.
| To9v al fa
| Knight-You were badly freckled then. /
never saw you looking prettier than you do
to- day.
Lady with a pleased little laughl-Absurd.
In spite of my "how many years2" and all.
| Knight-And ally Now, 1 suppose l should
forbidden fruit" all the old feelings came
back. That was about eight years age wasn't
| it2
Lady with visible but futile attempt to
look sad Yes, last February. What did you
say?
Knight-You won't be angry again I think
I probably said " Poor old dutfer! Well, he
wasn't chicken" OF wordslo that effect.
Lady (disgustedly)-Is that the way men
talk of each other
Knight-That, regret to own, is very much
the way in which men talk Of each other at
clubs
Lady-Thcn wouldn't go so much to clubs.
L
60 where can take you.
Lady ignoring last remark Were you
glad when you heard?
Knight-No, not until last Winter.
Lady-Last Winter!
Knight-You see, Helen, vou were widow
with two children. 1 supposed, of course, you
Were old and faded.
Lady Indignantly And faded!
Knight (most aojectly)-My dearest Ella, I
said supposed-e-d; you did not perhaps notice
the ed? If | had thought it possible you
could still be so delicieusly pretty lady blushes
most charmingly), Id-why, I'd have flown to
you.
Lady-AndJas Winter?
Knight saw Jim the other day at the
Philadelphia Club, and he happened TO say, Il
met your old fame, Helen, Thanksgiving,
| when was over in, New York. She's as pretty
as a picture and looks about the same age as
her tall boy and gin,' Oddly enough, while
that was fresh in nay mind came across
photograph of you in some old traps.
Lady-Sitting bx window?
Knight-No: standing with your hands be-
hind you and your, head turned.
Lady-Oh, yes, in blue silk dress made
with peplum. l had quite forgotten it, |
must look awfully. old fashioned. 1t was one
of Sarony's before ne was the rage.
Knight stuck it in my glass, and you
looked at me so saueily while l shaved that
felt quite young and rather lonesome; there's
net much in mans fife when he's over 40 and
without a home. / thought it all out, and
when Ned told me you were hero 1 made up
my mind to call, and if you were--
Lady-Not too old and faded.
Knight-Thanks. / dared not put it so
plainly.
Lsdy--And if you had found nae gray haired
and wrinkled-
Knight-Gray hair is charming ON woman;
wrinkles | do not like.
Lady-If had been unattTactive 20 the eye,
no matter how good and sweet and loving
might have been, you'd have bowed yourself
out. That is a mans honest, unvarnished idea
of love!
knight Helen. be mcrciful You women
are born missionaries; the poorer sicker, for
lorner man is. the moro you coddle and love
him; but I'm man, and we are so made as to
enjoy bright. healthy, happy surroundings. 1t
would be hard to give you up now if you
broke out all over with wrinkles, but last
evening
Lady (ponsivcly)-Why do I sit here and
listen2
Knight-Perhaps because your train isn't
made up. "a slight pause.) l shall take you
abroad in August.
Lady (sitting suddenly erect and gasping out
word)-In -
knight very politely August
Lady tclosing and opening her fan nerv-
onsly)-Tem, you must be crazy. You are iok-
lBg. why, the children, ana you forgot
Knight--Forget the children? Oh no, / don't;
only wish l could; but suppose they are too
real to be forgotten.
Lady-Why, Tom!
Knisht-What?
Lady-Won't you love theme
Knight-Them?
Lady (inpatientlyl-Y them, them, the
children, Fred and Nelly If should mean
if we should-of course it's all nonsense
Knight-What's all nonsense?
Lady-WelI, if We should, wouldn't you love
the children?
Knight tstolidly)-No.
Lady (horrifed)-
Knight-Now, look here Helen, be reason
able about this. I'll agree TO love you all the
days Of my life; but when you ask nae to love
q couple of children have never seen chill
dren that ought 60 have been mine and are not
children that will constantly remind me of the
very unpleasant fact that you were for years
the wife of another mani positively refuse
to make any such foolish promise. I'll tolerate
them in our house when they must be out of
that excellent place-school. I'm not brute,
dear, Don't look grieyed if they are nice
children.
Lady-They are very nice
Knight-Very possibly ia time l may, when
l forget they are yours, grow fond of them.
Now. sweet one, do something for me. Take