New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-04-18
FRANK ELSIE.
a Common Occurrences.


when we do, find ourselves hurriedly
muttering the words we imagine we
ought to have said, or making audible
apologies for our conduct to the air:
and yet these are not always episodes
Which necessarily involve a tangible
sense OF wrong either to ourselves or
others Some such episode in q COM
mon-place 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 fashions man and a
maid lived and loved. On the wom-
ans part the affection was as
pure and generous as ever filed the
breast of maiden; on the mans. as
warm as his nature permitted. His
love did not absorb his wnolesoul, it
rather permeated his mind and color
ed his being, Like most men OF this
not uncommon stamp, his affection
once given IS given forever His was
not a luDllant nature, nor did his feel
1ngs lie near the surface, and his man
ner was administrative The girlWas
"clear-Slghted enough to see what love
Jhefe was, was pure and true, and she
made up FORTS scarcity with the over
flowing Of her sympathetic nature.
She idealized rather than condoned.
TShe gave in such measure that she
could not perceive how little she was
receiving IN return; or if she noticedit
her consciousness of its worth seemed
TO her a full equivalent. He was an
artist; and circumstances compelled
the lovers to wait, and at the same
time kept them apart. A couple of
= days, once a month, and a. week
now and again, was q limit
r 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, giving full details of daily
events and OF the society in which they
moved. The remedy was an imper-
feet one. Strive as they might, the
sketches were crude, and the letters
had q tendency to become stereotyped.
We only mention these details to show
that they tried to be perfectly honest
with each other.
While the girls life, in her quiet coun-
try home, was one that held little varie-
2 ty init, it was q part Of the man S stock
in-trade to mix with society and to
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 guaging char
acter Unfortunately tor The pur-
poses Of my study, he had no sym
pathy with pessimism or pessimists.
He loved the good and the beauti-
full for their own sakes, and in his art
loved to dwell on the bright side OF
nature, a side which the writer has
found so much easier to meet with
than the more sombre- coloring we are
constantly told is the more predoml-
mating onein life. Like most artists, he
was somewhat susceptible, but his
susceptibility 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 affection rather than dem
Onstrative passion.
At one of the many houses at which
he was q 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, III g. number of WAYS, to
her to 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
We're too strong for him to break.
He could see, too, that the girl re-
garded him with a feeling SO warm,
that chance spark would rouse it
into a flame OF love, and this gave her
an interest as dangerous as it was fas-
cinating. His fancy swerved. Day
after day he strove with himself, and
by efforts too violent to be wise, he
kept away from the siren till his in
famed 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
as far as he could, recorded his opin-
ion of the girl who had captivated his
fancy. Too keen an artist to be blind
to her faults, he dwelt on them in his
frequent letters at unnecessary length.
When the lovers met, the girl cues
toned him closely about her rival,
but only from the interest she felt III
all his friends, known and unknown,
for her love for him was too pure and
strong to admit OF jealousy, and he
with what honesty he could answered
her questions unreservedly.
Little by little he began to examine
himself Which girl did he really love?
Should he not be doing a, wrong to
both by not deciding? The examina
ton was dangerous, because it was
not thorough. The premises were
true, but incomplete. Yet we should
wrong him if we implied that he for
moment thought seriously about
breaking off his engagement. Even