The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-11-27

are Younger than men? l don't believe
that men of sixty, or men that have
been widowers two Or three times, have
thought this question of marriage out
like you"
81 won't talk to you any more
s'You must. Back to our text. Six
faults then-my name, my age, my ma
tive rudeness, my jealousy, my incre-
dulity of Platonic friendships, and my
being mans man. You must name at
least seven deadly sins to convict me.
Isn't there another?"
eyes,
sMillicnt, you are Accordingly inter
esting. / never knew that you had
thought so much about me"
81 ought to have thought about you
before -" she paused.
Jacob waited moment. II under
stand; before you refused to marry me.
You ought to make some excuse for
that. With what seventh fault did you
strengthen your case?'
'That you are so dreadfully mascu-
line
81 plead guilty. The roses are rosy,
the briers are thorny, the grass is green,
and I, Jacob Raus, the man who loves
YOU, am masculine. Alas! alas! Is that
more my fault than my name? You,
besides, are immensely feminine, and l
find no fault with that. Is it fair?''
Jacobs spirits were fising; Millicent's
perceptibly falling.
Eyes, it is fair that I, being feminine,
should object to your being masculine.
The two are oppositcs. They are at
variance. If nature has made mistake
there, am not responsible. Men and
women never understand each other, be-
cause what nature has blindly blundered
into beginning, education accomplishes
instead of trying to set Alright"
"But have had no education" said
Jacob.
Millicent went on without answering
him-falling now into an injured tone:
Gwen you are constantly misunder-
standing me. You sometimes trample
my tenderest feelings unconsciously;
just as you trampled my best white
petunias the other day, walking over my
flower-bed as if it were a path"
eyes," 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 1 tramp1e them they will come
up again. l shall think of the petunias,
and wish that had a chance to trample
them; and you will forget what did
when you have found that paragon who
loves you without jealousy, likes all
other women and no men; who is polite
and credulous and effeminate. I am
none of these-but l love you passion
ately."
He tried to grasp her hands, but she
drew them away, saying excitedly:
"And this is your greatest fault. If
you loved me tenderly might trust you:
but you love me, as you say, passionate
ly. and I, who have looked on at life and
reflected, have seen that of all traps and
pitfalls this is the greatest. Talk of the
beaute du liable of girls, that fits almost
with the fading of the bridal flowers,
that is no delusion compared with the
passion of men; and yet in choosing
freedom rather than binding ones self
to delusion, you need not tell me that
l choose what is only negative. 1t is SC
discouraging. You have such hopeless
faults; and | shall never like any other
man better than you, Jacob, know
and so shall never marry"
eyes, but am not like that; 1 know
that shall marry" he said, watching
the girls face closely. ''It seems to me
now as if / should not, but l am only q
man, masculine, as you say. AS long as
l am very busy may keepup, but some
times they say it is not quite wholesome
in those ranches, and one is exposed tx
wind and weather. 1 might be ill; and
then when am homesick and lonely
some good Western girl will take care
of me, perhaps like me, even love me
For her 1 might not have so many faults
She would not be so clever as you, O.
have got things down SO fine; and she
wouldn't know, poor thing, what a tissue
of faults is covered by my unfortunate
name, that sounds so homely and simple
and good. So being sick and lonely ant
wretched, and grateful to her, know
that should be weak enough to MARI,
her. / know that should"
eyes," said Millicent, throwing dow
beside her the bouquet Of sweetbrier
with passionate gesture, ''that'e jus
what mans love means. / shall be S
glad that I didn't marry you, when
hear of you throwing yourself away o.
some wild Western girl that any man Q
refinement would shudder to think of a.
his wife. / didn't believe it of you!
and she ran down the steps of the pore
into the garden.
Jacob was up in an instant and follow
ed her; but she ran from him swiftly
leaping over the fower-beds and speed
ing across the grass, slim and active as
nymph, her pink dress telling white i
the soft light of the summer night. H
had almost caught up with her when h
stumbled and fell over the protrudin
root of an old tree. She fleeing breath
less, came suddenly upon her father an
mother, who, having returned from thei
drive, had alighted from the carriage g
the gate, and walked across tho lawr
They stood now hand in hand, lookin
mp in the sky at the new crescent moo
obo ,,tot,,ro IF tho oop-