West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1889-07-11
About Those Who Arc Env.rea.

Sophronia is engaged. She lives In a
world OF her own. Some one has said,
Love il as hard TO hide as fire. Sophronia
does not 50 much as hold up hand screen
TO hide the intensity Of hers. Her condition
Is ecstatic.
Webster is the Romeo Of this ardent love
episode. His name Is Daniel Webster
Jones. but he prefers to be known as d.
Webster. He allows his chum the famil-
iarity Of Webb, and lately has been heard
to sigh when Sophronia in sentimental
mood whispers, "Webby." This slide has
brought him to the lowest round OF the
stately ladder he had scaled, Of nomencla-
trical dignity.
Bot what would he not endure for that
dear girl?
He comes and drinks weak tea with her
family; admires the grace with which she
manipulates the urn. He tells her so, and
whispers something about when she will
pour tea and butter toast for him alone,
although he makes q mental reservation
that IL will be coffee and buttered beef
steak.
His unselfsh devotion Is so great he
without a protest contracts malaria, fire.
quenting in her company her favorite spots
In the park, that through their seclusion
are damp and vaporous. He conrageously
wears blue goggles, his eyes having grown
troublesome in the daytime from sitting in
dimly lighted parlor evenings.
The martyrdom Of lovers in sacrificing
themselves, as in tho latter incident, ia
courtship has never been sufficiently dilated
upon. IL Is the highest proof of lovers
unselishness- At no other epoch OF a
mans life will he abide in shadowy apart
ments.
AS young man at home his smoking
room has myriad of gas-jets; his dress :
ing apartments are open to the sky.
As pater famiiids the dining room
shades are let fly to the top, the lace draperies
OF the drawing-room, when he il around,
are tucked up on hooks, chairs-anything
to allow plenty of good light"
No, 1t is woman who reyels in dim re-
ligious lights and aesthetic shadows.
But this depression is anything but COM
pIimentary to our most interesting engaged
couple-interesting TO themselves at least.
We must not object TO their loving each
other and their selfish ways. Love Is sup
posed to be an important item in connu-
bal felicity, but sometimes it has been
observed to be missing. Counting may be
their sole experience tn that line.
II is n sad fact to contemplate, but this
rapturous state may end disastrously. III
i is first attack, IL is pretty certain to
do SO.
Whom first we love- you know,
Courtship is a sort dfstrial balance. and.
IL the state of things does not look prom
isinR, they take the benefit of the bankrupt
law and dissolve partnership. The widest
love does much TO tame uudisciplined
hearts. They exhibit the same feverish
haste to extinguish the last ember of the
flame into white ashes with which they
stimulated it to white heat with rhapsodical
meanderings.
AS before suggested, this is sad to con-
template, but not SO narrowing as in the
days when IL was considered necessary Ia
die from blighted affections. No one dies
Of broken engagement nowadays. We
are none of us acquainted with such love.
lorn being.
The grim lesson of statistics teaches us
that Sophronia in such calamity will pay
the same minute attention to the tit of hel
tailor made suit, bandoline her bang Il
the requisite taste of stiffness, as of yore
Lankiness in love went out with Heloise's
curls.
As to him, to whom in saying adieu We
will restore the dignity of Webster, he also
survives, slightly dilapidated by weak tea,
ETC., but still in the ring. Shakespeare
understood these cases when he said, aMer
have died, and worms have eaten them, but
not for love-"
He who loves and runs away may live tc
love some other day, is sentimen MOI
always despicable. Consistency is monoton-
Gus. uniformity tame. If either expert.
ences momentary gloom, they can in
solitude fling themselves into their pocket
handkerchief and sob it out there. They
sob. however, in the sunshine of hope.
This sunshine but adds sweetness to the
Platonic friendship with which they each
swear allegiance with some one else over
the pretty finger on which lies the wedding
ring.