Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-09-10
CIRCUMSTANCES ALTER CASES.
From Kate Fields Washington.

love {! ne dSKou. An 0l1pCy, upper
sonal sex-prejudice, against mans
lifelong devotion? You say you love
me, and yet you won't marry me, be-
cause don't agree with you in all your
ideas. A pretty kind oflove p
II am not defending my special
variety of love-" she answered, slowly.
Il never pretended it was all-absorb-
ing, or everlasting, or in any way equal
to mans lifelong devotion. / am,
unfortunately, one of the much-berated
New England women who have
learned to think as well az feel; and to
me, at least, marriage means more than
a union of hearts and bodies-it must
mean minds, too. 1t would be never
ending grief to me, starvation and bitter
pain, to have you Indifferent or con-
temptuous to my earnest thoughts and
beliefs You see I should love you
enough to care"
Eyes, | see / see a great deal - he
replied, walking over to the hearth and
leaning his arm against the mantel.
He seemed to borrow fire from the
glowing Goals, for he came back and be-
gan again with restrained intensity:
"It is another instance of this cursed
modern education. The women OF to-
day develop their minds until they are
stronger than heart and body together,
too strong TO yield to a healthy love.
And so they live, and so they die, and
who is tie better for it ~
t'My dear George, you feel so keenly
thatit makes you unjust. You are not
fair to women. 1t is that, more than
anything else. which stands between
MS IF YOU are not fair now to YOUR
hearts idol, your queen and all that,
what would you be to your wife?'
She leaned back against the dull
bronze green of the great chair, love-
ly picture in the soft freight, and
looked at him steadily. Youth, health
and beauty were in the upturned face,
and the free, fine curves of body and
limb showed that modern education
had trained something besides intel
lect.
He turned over several things in his
mind before replying. 1t was really
difficult. Masculine habits of thought,
dominent for centuries, were strong
within him. He was just man in
most things, and he knew it. But his
sense of chivalry and love for her
moved him to soften what was most
natural to say; and, after all, the in
dividual soul could but admit some
truth in her accusation.
81 can't talk any more on this theme
tonight" he said at last. "But once
convict me of an instance of clear in
justice to your sex, and [ will own you
are right, and that it is wise for us to
live apart. Come, won't you sing to me
little before we go?'
'fWith all my heart" said she. 'You
see it is with all my heart, not my head,
SO we don't quarrel over music y
He suppressed an impatient reioiner,
and they went to the piano.
George Saunders and his friend How
ard Clarke, schoolmates, college chums
and partners at law, were strolling the
beach next day, below the high bluff
where stood the imposing cottage of
Hilda Warde.
She was, as she had said, one of
those New England women who was SO
disproportionately numerous that they
cannot marry at home, while to take
them away would 90 far toward depop-
ulating the country.
They are singular race. Violating
every law of woman's existence accord
ing to the canons, they still live, and
often present favorable contrast to
their married sisters in health and
happiness AS to usefulness, of course,
they have none. No trifies in the way
of personal achievement can counter
balance the delinquency of unmarried
women They live, and Hilda babe fair to
finally join their ranks, for she was 81,
travelled, cultured, experienced and
peculiar.
Clark had loved her. vainly, and
gotten safely over it, much to his as
Constituent Saunders had loved her
md eli 1nf
wholly in vain, for she at least pro-
fessed to love him; but still she would
not marry.
Howard" be said, after they had
strolled gloomy mile, comforted only
by their cigars, "do you think she cares
for me or not?'
Doesn't she say SO ?'' inquired How
ard
eyes. she says SO, but she doesn't act
so. If a woman really loves, she
doesn't hesitate over matter Of opin-
ion. There isn't one woman in a hum
dred to-day, here at least, with heart
as big as a buttonl | am glad | am go
ing abroad"
"Have you made up your mind when
to start?"
81 shall start tonight if I can't get
anything more definite from Hilda
I'll take the early boat to Boston, and
leave by the Wednesday steamer the
Ithuriel. had berth engaged with
the privilege of countermanding, and
only came down here in hopes" He
broke off, and looked YEARLY out to
sea.
''It's too bad, George p cried How
ard. "There isn't Womanin christen-
dom that's worth the sacrifice you are
making You would have been one of
the first lawyers in the country before
this, and nobody knows what political
ly, if you hadn't wasted these years on
Ashford case you lost. | know why
you lost it. Nothing on earth but
sleeplessness and misery. It's as bad
as murder! Talk about justice If a
woman got the justice they are SO anx
ious for, there wouldn't be manyof
them left"
"Stop' said Saunders. "She is a
woman, and / love her For my sake,
be STILL And they were still for an
other gloomy mile, till they caught
sight of Hilda herself, on the edge of
the cliff above them wal kin0 with q