Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-12-20

woman can expect to be reasonably happy
unless her husband can have friendship for
her."
'You seem to have thought a good deal
abolt marriage-even if you are so averse to
| it,"
Millicent, with heightened color, made q
movement to rise. Jacob stretched up both
hands and, taking hers, pulled her back gently
to her seat
''You are so rude" she continued; ''that is
another fault. l should want my husband
to be SO polite to me. It would make me
happier than almost anything"
And l should want to have the liberty of
quarreling with my wife whenever I chose
and making it up again; but I suppose you
would like suave idiot, like that Hastings"
There again." said Millicent, in an in
jupsd tone, ''how ridiculous you are! You
are so jealous, and about nothing. What
could be more innocent, when party of
people are out on blossom-gathering, than
that two of them should run down a hill to-
gether, and yet from the time you made
about tits too absurdr
''But you took his hand and ran laugh
ing"
raced together, and YOU had beaten him
and had walked with you. He was my
guest, and surely l owed him some polite
ness"
TO give him your hand, l suppose, and
caper and laugh with him"
The recollection quite cyercame Jacob
| with anger. He rose and walked a few
PAGES across the lawn and then returned.
"Well, l am named Jacob. I am old !
am rude, and l am jealous. Oh, yes: and
forgot don't believe in Platonic friendship
Five faults; l think that there are seven
deadly sins. Not that have the least idea
what they are l know that seven always
seemed small allowance to me. I surely
| have more than five. More than five would
go to the makeup Of any respectable man.
| Whatl you can name no moreg l could &C
cuse myself of more than that. Don't you
know another7"
YES" said Millicent gravely, while she
! put some OF the sweetbrier roses in her
| breast.
Il am impatient to hear. l sit here only
| for that. The sixth fault. Comet"
| THAT you don't care for women's society,"
Jacob rose and folded his arms facing the
! girl, and looked long at her. Then he threw
back his head and laughed heartily: ''Upon
my soul, that is a fault! Have not liked
your society!"
Eyes, but that of no other woman"
"Welli Upon my soul! Talk of jealousy
l never saw its opposite SO set forth. Do you
wish me-should you wish, l ought to say,
your hu band-to be fond of other women's
societyg"
II don't like mans man." said Millicent,
evasively.
II am more edited" said Jacob, seating
himself again, ''this evening than ever was
in my life. Why do you not like mans
man?"
Because" said the girl, becoming little
rettled at her companions searching look,
II know well enough how that works.'
81 am waiting for information" said ia
cob
A mans man soon wearies of the woman
he loves and he seeks mems society constant
ly. Men influence men more than women
do. l should never be jealous of other wom-
en-, for | could always be a woman, but men
would be a contrary influence. l have seen
the lonely lives of the wives of mems men,"
She paused.
u am still listening" he said.
"At the best, men understand women very
little, and mems men grow at last to under
stand them not at all. Mems men become
at last to be a world wide apart Their
wives have no excuse for being, except inso-
much as they contribute to their comfort"
"Millicent, do you say that women are
younger than men! l don't believe that
men of GO, or men that have been widowers
two or three times, have thought this ques-
ton OF, marriage out like you. Six faults
my name, my age, my native rudeness, my
jealousy, my incredulity of Platonic friend
L.. tN1..x
must name az least seven deadly sins to con-
Wet me. Isn't there anothers'
'sYesn-
"Mllicent, you are absorbingly interesting
l never knew that you thought SO much about
me-"
Il ought to have thought about you be-
fore''- She paused.
Jacob waited a snoment. II understands;
before you refused to marry me. You ought
to make some excuse for that. With what
seventh fault did you strengthen your caser
THAT you are so dreadfully masculine"
Il plead guilty. The roses are rosy, the |
briers are thorny, the grass is green, and l,
Jacob Raus, the man who loves you, am
masculine Alas! alas! Is that more my
fault than my namel You, besides, are i'm
mensely feminine, and / find no fault with
that. Is it fair!''
Jacobs spirits were rising; Millicent's per- |
ceptibly falling.
Eyes, it is fair that /, being feminine, should |
object to your being masculine The two are |
opposites. They are at variance If nature |
has made mistake there, am not response |
BILE. Men and women never understand each |
other, because, what nature has blindly blum
dered into beginning, education accomphsheS
instead OF trying TO set It right"
But have had no education" said Jacob
Mlhcent went Ga without answering him,
falling now into an injured tone:
Even you are constantly misunderstand- |
ing me- You sometimes trample my tend
crest feelings unconsciously, just as you
trampled my best white petuuias the other
day, walking over my flower bed as if it
were path"
YES" he said, II saw you. ran to you
/ did not notice the way. Well In the
west they will be all wild flowers. and if |
trample them they will come up again l
shall think of the petunias, and wish that
l had chance u trample them, and you
will forget what did when you have found
that paragon who loves yor without jeal-
ousy, likes all other women and no men,
who is polite, and credulous, and effeminate
/ am none of these-but love you passion
ately"
He tried to grasp her hands, but she drew
them away, saying e1citedly:
And this is your greatest fault. IF you
loved me tenderly l might trust you; but
you love me. as you say, passionately, and
/ who have looked On at life and reflected.