The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-01-11
A MISTAKEN MARRIAGE.

,'uNotll- Jul l hHcW VIC NIlIcFt anu was
by no mean seriously curious.
ELLEN i'll dreadful distress about some
drcssmakcr. or exercised about her
spring shopping | said, .and it can
watt
For ! am particular about Il few things,
and q calm deliberate breakfast is one
taem.
So | laid the note aside and took up
the morning paper. Having finished
both breakfast and newspaper, / took
up Ellen note with that feeling of re-
luctancc with which we come back from
great emotions to the small selfish con
Germs of II own everyday life.
The noic, for once, was full of real
earnest feeling, and reused both my
sympathy and curiosity, though it con-
tanned only these few lines:
DEAR SAaAn,-Come to me at once. /
am III great trouble about Alice.-Yonrs,
stc., ELLEN TRAvEEN."
About Alice!" | specialized now
with a very grave interest. Alice Ira
vcen IA very dear to me, and l dressed
myself in haste, and went at once to re-
licYe the curiosity which had now be-
come anxiety.
! found Ellen nursing her trouble in
the most elegant of morning-drssses,
and with the most dismal of faces. Yet
somehow the tone and atmosphere OF
the house had quite dispelled the fears
that had hurried beth my hands and my
feet for the last hour. For 1heard Alice
taking her singing-lcsson, and Maud
had kissed me in tie hall with an her
usual joyous abandon.
Some love affair."" | now decided.
Aud l was not wrong.
Ellen was feeling herself to be the
most injured and miserable of mothers.
Alice had had two offers, and had madly
refused the chance of becoming Mrs.
Van Solgen, and accepted the modest
destiny that a young captain of artillery
could give her.
"And, my dear Sarah, he is under
orders to join the army now, and he and
Alice want TO be married at once, and
the girl has not a dress fit to be seen,
and there is no time to arrange any
thing decently; and, upon the whole, it
is the most dreadful affair"
What does William say about it?"
She looked at me Indignantly.
Now, Sarah, what do you expect that
William would say? You know how
full of dreams and crotchets he always
is. He says, of course, Let the young
ones have their way; that young Ell
bridge is 4 fine noble-hearted fellow;
and that II dress Alice has is nice
enough to be married in"
well. Ellen. l. think myself that
Young Eldridgc is in every way Alice's
equal; the family is a very estimable
one"
.'Oh dear me, Sarah! that is not the
question. Jack Eldridge is poor. ]
don't care for family, and that kind Of
nonsense. Van Solgen is rich, and has
al establishment, and everything re-
spectacle. Fancy Alice Traveen follow.
ing the drum in a baggage-wagon! And
William never will see these things in a
proper light. | don't see what can be
done to save Alice if you go against her
TOO
My dear Ellen, l am not against the
child; You know how dearly l love her
But this Van Solgen had a very bad
name about his first Wife"
His FIRST wife! Why, Sarah, she had
not Il partiele of style! How could q
m;a rs. Let a woman who neither knew
how u dinner or a lady ought to be
dressed: Ii under such circumstances
he lost his temper, l think he ought tc
be excused for it. Now Alice knows
how to manage both cooks and dress
makers; and between you and me, my
dear, they manage the world"
Il have heard, too, that with all his
wealth this Van Solgcn is really very
stingy."
''stingy! And he has got the deares'
little cottage at Newport, aud the fines,
establishment in the city. / think it is
3; shame for people to say such things.
Two such houses as Van Solgen owns
ought TO cover II multitude of SINS"
but two houses can't make the child
happy ii she does not love the man."
Then she is very unreasonable, anC
she ought to be made to behave her
self"
And so she was. Poor Jack Eldridge
went Off tl:e next week to his corps,
looking dark and hopeless enough; ant
Alice came oftcner than ever to see me
and wept and complained passionately
at her and Jacks disappointment.
respected and sympathized with her
Twenty years before l had had my own
little dream of love (Which had MOI
come true), and so l was quite able tic
speak with authority on its uncertainty
and instability.
Then, as the summer ripened, / went
to my pleasant country house, and the
Iraveens vent to Scarborough.
A NNit1, x,rbpt e,,h.ln t,al Ir1.x> 1-.J H..
plans, and with what patient indomite-
bic industry she worked them, | know
not; but the autumn brought her her re-
ward. For though ~listless and inditler-
cnt about many grave things, she was
Il colsummate taetician where fashion
OF worldly advancement was in ques-
ton; SO | was by no means surprised
when read in the papers the announce
ment of the contemplated marriage be-
tween Arthur Van Solgen and Alice
Reid Traveen.
Not surprised, but still very sorry, and
the moro SO when l saw Alice's ~listless
looks and variable temper.
Mr.. Irtvcen was not satisfied.
81 do not like this marriage, Sarah"
he said to me night, as we sat alone
oYct INC diiWilS-fOonl IRE, waiting 0
Mrs. Triyeen and her daughters. ivan
is not the kind OF man l should have
thought Alice would have chosen, and
] would have much rather have had
Jack Eldridge for u son-in-law--that is,
if Alice must marry at all.n
"Oh, | suppose she must marry; Ellen
thinks she has no time to lose"
And the child is lot twenty until
next March. That is what troubles me.
Between thenursery aud the school-room
and the visiting since. l really have not
had time to get acquainted with my
own da~ughter-and l do think j should
like her beauty and accomplishments to
adorn my w home n little while be-
fore she is given to some fellow that is
almost 4 stranger to me-
But Ellen is quite satisfied. she saws,
with Mr.. Van Solgen's character and
position
"Ihat is what amazes me. If Provi-
dcnce, who gave the dear child, had
-sked for her again, and there was to
be a burial instead of - wedding, YOU
would see Ellen almost frantic. But
here comes a man about whom she
knows nothing, except that lie is rich,
aud was not happy with his first wife;
she strives with thinos imposSihla