Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-10-24

IOF IHe uTSI CLLA0 Ou the subject, duu
mean to say one or two things before /
close them. l want to ask you plain,
Straightforward question: Why did you
marry Mr.. Walters?''
Il married him." replied Sylvia,
with a ring of defiance in her voice,
because he asked me TO do So"
And that" replied Gwendolen, sis
not reason worth giving. If any one
had told me two years ago that Mr..
Walters was going to ask you to marry
him, should have imagined you drop
ping him a courtesy. and refusing him
in these words: 'Honored sir, q woman.
not to say girl of nineteen, may not
marry her grandfather, besides which,
the chances of family jars will be much
increased if l accept an offer from my
aunts brother-in-law. o, Sylvia!'' and
here Gwen sighed once more. Il think
you made a mistake. 1t has always
seemed to me that you were not quite
yourself when you accepted Mr.. Wal
tiers. You might as we'll confess to
your only sister that you consider you
were a little over hasty.n
Gwen cried Sylvia, angrily, chow
dare you'll Why should Iregret what
did? You often say that you never saw
any one so kind to his wife as Mr..
Walters is to me. l only hope you may
be as fortunate yourself when you real
ize your ideal. Moreover, mother APP
proved of what / did. You know it
was her great comfort on her deathbed
to feel that ] was provided for, and
that my husbands house could be your
home"
That is begging the question" re-
joined Gwen, obstinately. al am not
referring to Mr.. Walters conduct since
your marriage, but to your own before
it. l merely want to hear the story of
how, and why. you fell in love with
your husband. His learning and his
peaceful disposition are his most strik-
ing qualities, and you were not the
girl to be fascinated by either one or
the other"
Love is not a matter of hard and
fast rules" replied Sylvia. People
may fall in love without knowing why"
Il don't think so. There must be
some attraction. If could see any for
myself | should not ask you. For in
stance. if | bestowed my affections on
our opposite neighbor, the reason
would be self-evident. l should need
no justification.
Shouldn't you? Well, l should
think young woman who handed her
heart out of the window to a young
man with whom she has never eX-
changed a word, would need good
deal of Justification.
Nay" said Gwen, smiling, sit
would just be love at first sight. Now
let us suppose. for moment, that Mr..
Walters was like Prince Charming"
Il shall not suppose any thing of the
sort. interrupted Mrs. Walters, with
an angry flash. Nor will hear any
more of this kind of talk. 1t is utterly
purpOseless and shows very little con-
sideration for my feelings"
Il am sorry" said Gwen, penitently,
eff have vexed you. 1t never seemed
to me as if you could care what one
said; but will say no more about Mr..
Walters, anyway. But there is one
thing that did want to say about
Prince Charming-how wish l knew
his real name-which is that l am
sure l have seen him before. Does he
strike you in the same light?'
But Sylvia shook her head.
I've barely seen him nOw," she
said, bending over her work. Il
caught sight of a smart young man,
but their name is legion, and they are
all much alike"
Il beg your pardon, Sylvia; but you
are very much mistaken if you think
our opposite neighbor is just a stereo-
typed young man of fashion. If you
haven't seen him before, I'm sure
have--Only seen him, you know; not
made his acquaintance. must try to
remember where. We went knocking
about so much in the old days that it is
difficult to recall such things"
.Gwendolen, answered Mrs. Wal
tiers, trying to make her fair young
face as severely matronly as she felt
she ought to make it, Unjust beg of you
to talk no more of the young man who
lives opposite. l tell you l will not
cOuntenance your trying to get up a
Irritation across the street. am seri-
ously in earnest about it. If Mr.. Wal
ter's knew he would be extremely an
noyed."
Would he?" cried Gwen, demurely.
We'll, if you tell him. mind you men,
ton the fact that Prince Charming's
demonstrations have not gone beyond
the limits of curiosity. He hasn't done
any thing to which the primmest of
people can raise an objection. He is
merely almost fixture at his window"
And then Miss Gwendolen Rivers
went back to her easel, and Mrs. Wal
tiers then began to look deeply en-
crossed in the shading of her en-
broidery silks; but it was a long time
before she could decide whether she
was looking at terra Gotta or cardinal
red. Perhaps Gwen monopOlized too
much of the scant allowance of London
daylight.
Sylvia" said Gwen that night, as
they went to their rooms. lust come
in here for a moment. I've thought it
all out about Prince Charming. I've
been puzzling over it all the evening.
Didn't you notice how quiet l was?
Now don't look impatient; you must