The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-07-23
AN EVERY-DAYO OCCURRENCE.

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we scarcely dare to think ofthern, and
when we do, find ourselves hurriedly
muttering the words we imagine we
ought to have said, or making audi
BILE apologies for our conduct to the
air; and yet these are not always epi-
sodes which necessarily involve tan
glble sense OF wrong done either to our
selves or to Others. Some such epi-
sodes in commonplace life, such as
must have fallen to the lot of many
men, we would here reveal.
Once upon a time-to commence in
an orthodox fashion-a man and
a maid lived and loved. On the wom-
ans part the affection was as pure
and generous as ever filled the breast
OF maiden; on the mans as warm as
his nature permitted. His love did
not absorb his whole soul, it rather
permeated his mind and colored his
being. Like most men of his uncom-
mon stamp, his affection once given,
was givenf forever. Hewas not ola iu-
bllant nature, nor did his feelings lie
near the surface, and his manner was
undemonstrative. The girl was clear
sighted enough to see that what love
there was, was pure and true, and
she made up for it's scarcity with the
overhowings of her sympathetic ma
ture. She idealized rather than con-
doned. She gave in such measure
that she could not perceive how little
she was receiving in return; or if she
noticed it, her consciousness of it's
worth seemed to her q full equivalent.
He was an artist; and circumstances
forced the lovers to wait, and at the
same time kept them apart. A coup
le of days once a month, and week
now and again, was the limit of the
time they could spend together. This,
OF course, prevented them getting that
intimate knowledge of each others
personality which both recognized as
an essential adjunct to the happiness
of married life, though they did their
best to obviate it by long letters, Civ
ing full details of daily events and of
the society in which they moved. The
remedy was an imperfect one. Strive
as they might. The sketches were
crude, and the letters had tendency
to become stereotyped. Weonly men,
tion these details to show that they
tried to be perfectly honest with each
other.
While the girls life, in her quiet
country home, was one that held lit
tie variety in it, it was part of the
mans stock in trade to mix with So
ciety and observe closely. Whether he
liked it or not, he was compelled to
make friends to such an extent as to
afford him an opportunity of gauging
character. Unfortunately for the pur-
poses of my study, he had no sympa-
thy with pessimism or pessimists. He
loved the good and the beautiful for
their own sakes, and III his art loved
to dwell on the bright side oil human
nature, q side which the writer has
found so much easier to meet than
the more sombre coloring we are con-
stantly told is the predominating one
inlife. Like most artists, he was some
what susceptible, but his susceptible.
ty was on the surface; the inward
depths of his soul had never been
stirred save by the gentle girl who
held his heart, and she was such as to
inspire constant and growing affec-
tion rather than demonstrative
passion.
At one of the many houses at which
he was O. welcome guest, the lover
found q young girl, bright, sensuous,
beautiful. Unwittingly he compared
her with the one whose heart he held,
and the comparison was unsatisfac-
tory to him; do what he would, the
honesty Of his nature compelled him
to allow that this beautiful girl was
the superior in a number OF ways to
her whom he had pledged his life. He
was caught in the Circe's chains OF
golden hair, and fancied--almost
hoped-yet feared lest, like bonds OF
cobwebs in the fairy tale, the tolls
were too strong for him to break. He
could see, too, that the girl regarded
him with feeling so warm that o
chance spark would rouse it into a
flame of love; and this gave her an in
terest as dangerous as it was fascinat-
ing. His fancy swerved. Day after
day he strove with himself, and by ef-
forts, too violent to be wise, he kept
away from the siren till his infiamed
fancy forced him back to her side.
TO the maiden in the country he
was partially honest. In his letters
he faithfully told her Of his visits, and
az far as he could, recorded his opin.
IONS OF the girl who had captivated
his fancy Too keen an artist to be