St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-04
A BOGUS NOBLEMAN..
The Romance of Sentimental
Maiden
CHAPTER /.
HER LOVER.

she had gone away and interviewed her
maids in the kitchen? And when Eta
followed her thither, insisting Oh her
return. had she not discovered that
some of her carnations wanted tying up,
and trotted out into the garden to at
tend to them?
But it was to no purpose that the
good lady-more compassionate thah
her daughter-took pity on the young
fellow. whose unsteady lip and anxious
blue eyes showed but too plainly the
depth of his feelings. Eta tacltly re-
fused to be WOOed and when hepleaded
for hearing she shook her head and
kept so close to her mothers side that
at last he heaved a great sigh and took
his leave.
Then Mrs. Grayley put down her gar
dening gloves and scissors and turned
upon the cruel maiden Indignantly.
II am ashamed of you. Eta. Have
YOU no feeling that you treat an old
friend in this way? Poor DOlph Ern-
stein deserves better usage"
LET him come as friend and | will
receive him gladly, but you know.
mamma, that he will not be content with
that"
yes" retorted Mrs. Grayley, 81 do
know that for years he has liked you
and cherished a hope that some day you
would be his wife, and you encouraged
that hope
"Oh no. mamma, never"
"But say you did until | was silly
enough to be persuaded to give you half
dozen terms at a finishing school,
college. mamma" Eta corrected.
"Cal it what you will. | regret that
ever let you 60 to it. You went SIM
pie, sensible girl, eager to study and i'm
prove Yourself: you came back to me
self-absorbed, sentimental and silly"
"Mammaw
MY dear, am sorry to say this; but
It is too true. You managed to get into
set of idle, excitable girls, who i'm
bued you with all their own eXtravagant
ideas. Instead of being loving, in
telligent companion to me, you are al
ways dreaming or reading what you
call aesthetic poetry, and l should
designate as trash; and as for the En-
stems, you have afro ted Lola and
Meta with your GOODNESS, while Dolph-
if he were wise would think no more
of YOU"
Eta grew crimson with modification.
TO be lectured so sharply by the dear
induIgent mother who had hitherto
been so patient with her, was bad
enough, but to be threatened with the
loss of her lover, as if it would be Sc
rious calamity, hurt her pride.
"Mr. Ernstein cannot accuse me OF
flirting with him; and have told him
frankly that do not wish to marry
"Why?" queried Mrs. Grayley.
THAT is curious question to come
from you, mamma. Are you in such a
hurry to get rid of your troublesome
daughter that you would give me to the
first who asks my hand?''
Never mind what would or would
not do" was the grave retort. For
that | am anSWerable to my own con-
science. But answer my inquiry. Why
do you not wish to marry Adolph Ern-
stein? Have you heard anything to his
disadvantages
"Oh. no, no! Every one knows that
he is the best of sons and brothers."
THAT only responds to my second
question. Now for the first. You con-
fess that you do not dislike the young
man: you have long been aware that he
loves you with all his heart, and that
his parents are quite willing to receive
YOU as their daughter? One of your
motives for going to college was to inn
prove yourSelfnin German, because it
was their native tongue; yet now you
refuse their sons proposals, and ask
again-why?"
81 am very happy at home with you,
mamma" faltered Eta. letting her head
droop that she might avoid the piercing
scrutiny Of her mothers eyes; but,
quickly conquerng her emotion, of
which she was ashamed, she raised her.
self to her full height and looked Mrs
Grayley boldly in the face.
Il will not stoOp to prevaricate. l
could have liked. perhaps loved Dolph,
if we were not so Numerically opposed
to each other in thought, sentiment and
feeling. and-and if he were not in
trader
Mrs. Grayley raised her eyebrows.
please to remember, Eta, that your
father was only struggling country
practitioner, yet he was gentleman,
and so is Mr.. Ernstein, although he is
in business. Moreover. | must remind
you that my annitv dies with me, and
my small savings will not amount to a
sum that will place you on an equality
with the upper classes. AS for the
ErnsteinS, they are well-to-do; they
keep handsome establishment, and a
country house. If you were Dolph's
wife you would have''-
But here Eta interpoSed, crying hys-
terically:
atone for the horrible fact that they are
tailors? Oh. mamma, to be known as a
tailOr'S wife; how could | endure it?'
Very deliberately Mrs. Grayley picked
up her scissors and drew on the gloves
she had thrown aside.
pray wipe your eyes, Eta; your
tears are quite uncalled for" she said.
coolly. Il begin to agree with you that
Dolph has made a mistake. The girl
who deSpiSes him because he manfully
does his best in the state of life in
which he was called cannot be worthy
of his love, and | shall do all in my
power to induce him to forget you!"
Eta walked away, writing under the
sarcasm of her mothers tones, and ell
tering the house assembled to her cham
Der, where. though not given to contem-
plating her own charms, she stood before
the cheval glass gazing at herself in
mOurnful muSing.
If Dolph had been professor or q
pOet-if he had shared her enthusiasm
for the transceudental-if he had pos
SeSSed the mereSt spark of romance in
his composition, she could not have
treated him so coldly, but
Il should have been thrown away
upon him,' she cried, passionately.
He has no soul! All my aspirations
would have been dragged down to earth
by his grosser materially, and should
have been most unhappy woman,
pitied by none. for who would expend
any sympathy on the wife of tailor?'
Then Eta sat down, and opening her
desk, wrote little letter to her rejected
sutton.
"They were wholly unified for each
other" she told him; "their minds were
not tuned to the-same chord; they must
be content to dwell apart till, shaking
off the bonds of earth, they scared into
that higher life where they should he
able to understand all that now was dim
and misty and incomprehensible."