Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-02-24
CONQUERING A QUAKER.

salu f1elena MARVIN, looking into the
room where her sister was pacing.
'Take9" said Edith, hardly pausing to
answer as she moved about the open
trunks from closet and bureau, why,
I'm going to take everything"
Don't you mean to make any conces-
sions!''
mot concession
You think it will be better to defy
them?'
Defy them! no, indeed What hor-
rifle idear'
"Then what do you mean to do9''
81 mean to please them"
"But how can you possibly please
them if you wear silk dresses and curl
your hair?"
81 don't know; perhaps 1 sha'n't; but
I'm going to try. And know l never
should please anybody if l left my hair
straight;" and the pretty Cambridge
belle thought to herself that it would be
a pity, indeed, if she, who had always
pleased everybody without trying, could
not please Roberts relatives if she did
try.
But this visit to Roberts relatives was
naturally contemplated with even more
than the usual trembling excitement of
the young fiance. For Roberts father
and mother and sisters were all Quakers,
with traditions and beliefs and customs
according to which they ought to con-
template with horror and distress this
union of their only son and brother with
a wording. And such a wording /!
Such fascinating combination of laugh
ing eyes and merry lips and curling hair
and tinkling bangles and rustling long
silk skirts and coquettish bonnets and
bewildering laces and ribbons and little
slippers. Oh, dear! oh, dear. how they
would hate her. And Edith did not
want them to hate her. She had not the
slightest desire to defy or to horrify them.
She was very anxious, indeed, to please
them. But combined with this anxious
desire to please was quite unconscious,
though equally firm, determination not
to win their affection by concessions.
Not so much as the bow of a slipper
would she offer up on the shrine of de-
votion to Roberts relations. Worldly
she was; worldly she would be sure
to remain; and it was best that they
should understand from the first that
she was thoroughly addicted to silk,
satin and lace whenever she could get it.
But she had a faint hope that, once
brought in contact with her worldliness,
they would find it pleasanter than they
thought. Why not9 She had conquered
Robert; why should she not conquer
them9 Robert had not fallen in love
with her in spite of her airs and graces {;
he had fallen in love with the airs and
graces themselves. He had often told
her SO. He had repeatedly pointed out
the particular little curl over her adora-
bic forehead that had first won his at
tention, and had assured her that it was
a certain bit of lovely lace about her
throat that had completed his subjuga-
ton. And that dear little curl was not
only curl, but was boughten curl,
held in its place by hairpins, and as fic-
htlously worldly as curl could possibly
be. True, Robert was not exactly a
Quaker; he was only a descendant of
Quakers. He had not definitely re.
nounced the world, although there chung
to him, from the force of heredity and
training and circumstances, a GER
tain grave demeanor and atmos-
phere of earnestness. He did not
dance; he did not even want to dance ::
but he did not exactly disapprove of other
people dancing if anybody did choose to
indulge in so foolish a caprice; and on
the evening when he had been lured by a
friend to one of the Cambridge ''as-
semblies, and had met there his imme-
date, unquestionable, irresistible, worldly
little fate, he had even felt suddenly a
sort of impotent rage with himself at not
being able to dance. True, he didn't
want to dance any more than he ever
did; but then. she wanted to dance, and
how could he ever please her if he
couldn't do exactly the things she did?
Still, he had pleased her, and with very
little effort; for the quiet, earnest youth
was tall and very handsome, and would
graduate with honors in consideration
OF which attractions his earnestness might
easily be forgiven, even, indeed, if the
earnestness itself had not certain charm
of its own, as at least novelty. So, if Rob
ert had pleased her, and she had pleased
Robert, unlike each other, as they were,
and everybody acknowledged that it was
perfect love match on both sides, why
might it not be possible that she would
please Roberts relations? though not SO
much as slipper bow would she sacri-
flee from her pleasant worldliness to
secure that much to be desired result.
AS 1t CHANGED, test of her resolution
In this respect was offered Immediately.
Mrs. Marvin and Edith had hardly been
shown to their chamber, after their ar
rival at the Longworth home, before
Edith opened her travelling bag and ex-
claimed in dismay:
''Oh, dear! oh, dear! Mamma, my
slate pencil is all broken into bits and
my crimps are all out of curl Whatever
shall do? Oh, know! Esther said she
would be in the next room if l wanted
anything"
In another minute she was tapping at
Esther's door.
Il am SO sorry to trouble you, but my
slate pencil is all broken to bits in my
bag. Could you let me have one of
yours?"
"Thee would like slate pencil?" said
Roberts serene sister, with evident be-
wilderment.
YES for nv crimps Won know thew