Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-23


| from the motto Of king--E. Z. p. z. Troth-
| for short. Miss Troth
! ''And she awaits Loyaltys explanation of
his object in seeking her cut after Eve years
| "Reply frankly, please, TO the care Of Mrs.
Penrhyn, Al Deep street, Richmond"
The answer came as speedily as cross posts
would allow:
my DEAR Miss TRorH: would rather not
have told you at the beginning why I wish to
renew our acquaintance, lest the information
Itself defeat my object, Utterly ignorant of
the circumstances around you, cannot guess
how you will be affected. But since you make
! the demand, and certainly ii is reasonable
one. must run the risk
My friends have been urging me to marry
\ TOT long time past by arguments which cam
! not be resisted, but nv personal feelings do
| not support them. / have never seen the lady
whose charms tempted me to think that the
grave responsibilities of marriage would be
compensated by the happiness Of her society
! tnrougn lie. Pray do not misunderstand 1
nave not looked For such lady. and / have
| peen very little in the way of finding her by
accident up to this.
But it is my plain duty to take wife, in SO
/ Tar as that dlty is not counterbalanced by
another, which forbids man to marry unless
ne love with all his heart and believe himself
loved In return. Subject to these conditions,
acknowledged the reasoning of my friends,
and therefore it is right to give myself or to
make myself the opportunity of discovering q
.
ditlon-the helpmate who is destined for me,
for whom am destined.
Now. my dear Miss Troth in thinking of this
matter continually and for many months past,
with equal persistence my thoughts have
turned to the little girl who sat with her head
upon my shoulder through long, wet miser-
able night on the deck of Channel steamer.
! 1 scarcely could see her face but think she
was not pretty. and have never asked myself
whether she may be pretty now. But her eyes
| and her sweet voice under sufferings of mind
and body have never faded from my memory
The impression grows stronger, indeed, for 1
was only twenty-one, and boy at that age
takes little notice of girl in short frocss. You
could not have been more than fourteen?
These premises / feel bound to state at
| your demand. But are you able to leave them
there. as mere statements, without drawing a
conclusion? have heard that your sex ignores
| and despises logic; but again, from my very
| limited means OF observation, l have myself
| remarked that it works straightforward syl-
loglSln with unfailing accuracy. 1t would be
| agreeable ut this moment and in this case to
! beheve the former proposition il / could
| But however it be, entreat YOU to forget an
explanation which is offered most unwiilinglv
| since various reasons and motives may induce
You to break of our correspondence at this
early stage, after learning my position. They
may be such as l could not gainsay. But il
| motif they are mere objections of conyen-
! tlonality-I beg you most earnestly to resist
them. Let us talk together frankly, honestly.
without thought of consequences. 1t was in
the belief that the little girl who dwells in my
| recollection could sustain such converse with
/ out need of personal topics to exc it out that l
searched for her again-and Miss Troth's let
ter strongly confirms that belief. l shall wait
I for her reply with anxiety.
''P. 81 also was very sorry to miss bidding
you goodbye at Folkestona When YOU went
down below, in sight of harbor, 1 paid visit
| to friend. queens messenger on board. and
fell asleep in his cabin. He did not rouse me
till too late. As for the rug. shall treasure it
with 'pious care henceforward."
| Loyalty had to wait with such patience as he
could muster. Very seldom does girl receive
| a communication so embarrassing. Kate
| Shafto's brain was singularly clear However
| 1T be with other women. few males had a keener
grasp OF logic: even the mechanics of that art
| she understood well enough to know all the
meaning of a syllogism. The whole process of
| her correspondents argument lay open before
her as before himself. But no objection which
| he could not galnsay arose, and as for the con-
ventlonalities, they were already cast aside
Moreover. her inclination to trust the hand
| some, gallant boy was greatly strengthened by
| the conduct of the man SO far
The propriety of answering. therefore,
caused her not moments hesitation But
how the answer sholld be framed how certain
| grave probabilities should be guarded against
at the outset. occupied her thoughts for two
days, and even, in q measure, for two nights
tudt Is W say. uutli slc went 10 sleep M the
usual hour, and again until she rose. 1t was
| fun of the best class, trimming with interest
and possibilities, but distinctly not the kind of
| thing to make reasonable girl turn on her
pillow.
The outcome of these cogitations is shown
in her reply:
MY dear Mr.. Loyalty; also regret the de-
mand for motives which you SO honorably
meet, since they cannot be quite forgotten
henceforth; but believe myself able to act in
the sense which you suggest. Referring to
your explanation for the last time. it appears
to me that we must fix date when our CORE
spondence shall cease. l think you will per-
ceive the reason or one OF several. The search
to which your relations have engaged will
prove successful, doubtless, and at an earlier
date. your attention will be too much distracted
to find pleasure in writing to stranger /
will not run the risk that my letters NAV be-
come bore. Regarding the question thought
fully, have resolved that two months is the
very longest time that can be fixed with safety
This Is the 24tn OF February; ON the 9th of
April shall write goodbye - with hearty
friendship and respect, feel sure. II the cir
cumstances / contemplate should arise before
that period lay it on your honor 70 inform
me at once. You will ratify this understand
ing. please, without comment or discussion in
Your next letter.
Now what are we going to talk about? In
the division of labor il will be your duty to find
topics and to expatiate upon them: my amuse-
HleIlt 70 CrltlciSe your views aDOut everything.
That Is the approved system in these matters
A clever man creates, Ounce passes judgment
on his work, and the people accept the opinion
of the Ounce. Ii you expect young lady-like
assent to every proposition, it is ungrateful 10
disappoint you. But, really. the part Of Echo
is very dull, and besides, am not qualified to
play it. You will not talk commonplace. feel
sure-partly from recollection, partly from the
wording of your advertisement A dull person
would have said instinctively, If the young
lady, &C., still suSive,' or something superflu-
Gus to that effect. Commonplace irritates me
as nothing else does, think. .But?' Now
does Mr.. Loyalty grasp that bold figure of
speech? Oh. by the by, l must put another
clause into or agreement. l reserve the
power OF closing this correspondence at any
time without regard to the limit of two months
1t seems a rude stipulation, but constitutional
lawyers hold, believe, that the right of self
defense cannot be annulled by any contract or
covenant.
"And SO leave you to the exercise of your
ingenuity. We are to make no alluson to pri-
vate matters, skcepting, if you like, such as
came to our mutual knowledge in the very
broken discourse We held that night You have
forgotten what they were. Ofcourse you have
but will give You hint. 1t is already known
to me that you are a soldier. or WERE and that
the grand desire Of your heart at one time was
to visit India. That may be starting point
for our excursions. am inclined to finish with
the exclamation which sophists of old we're
wont to use when they invited the audience to
give them theme for eloquence. You would
thus be convinced that 1t is no light response
bility you have undertaken. But forbear