Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-01-02
NOT ROMANTIC.
The Doctor Met and Defeated on
His Own Ground.

Miss Dora Dwight, on her thirtieth
birthday, received the first loye-letteT
Of her life-the first offer Of marriage.
1t was handed into the dormitory Of the
physicians Orphans Home"-not, as
may be supposed, a home for the or
phans doctors have made, but for the
children of deceased medical men. Miss
Dwight was matron there, and at the
moment was changing the pillow-cases
before the wash.
II suppose it's about Johnny Gilroy
and his swclled knee, said the serv.
ant Doctor Emory seems to think il
wuss."
Miss Dwight, however, waited until
the girl was gone before she opened the
note. Then, not greatly to her surprise,
She read the words:
MY DEAR DoRA-You have known me since
| you were a baby. DO you like me well
enough to marry meg OF course, you and
| have given up romance long ago ! have
| had two wives. You must be thirty two or
three. Just thirty" said Dora to herself
| che Is sixty nine."l You will greatly i'm.
prove your position by marrying me- and /
| always liked you. Please meet me In the
4 j
der the willows. Yours, hopefully,
II. EMORY.
1t was not a love-letter calculated to
flatter the heart Of woman of any age.
At first she said II will refuse him, "
Then She remembered how good and
kindly he was, II Will accept him, "
said she, ''but no romance shall be in
my talk with him. He shall find me
like stone. lie shall have the sort Of
wife he wants"
1t was early when the door-bell
changed, and a foot crossed the long
passage, and ceasing to echo on the
painted floor. struck the stones. Earlier
than she expected him, but she was
ready for him under the willows in the
| garden.
Il am glad to find you here, said q
deep, old voice. II thought you would
be sensible enough to do what l asked,
but was not quite sure--not quite. No.
You have read my note carefully? Yes?
Well, imagine that say to you again
| what l wrote. | await your answer with
anxiety.
She looked at him, and he saw that
she smiled in an odd, embarrassed way.
"Will you marry me, my dear?" he
added. Il see ! must make it easier for
you to speak"
1T acas little hard to begin, she
said.
THE usual reason moves me- he
said. I'm in love with you. think it
best to marry again, and l know no one
| like you-no one I've had two wives
before, ! admit However, neither Of
them complained Of me, believe. /
have very nice home, and, really, it
will be a very much better position for
you than being matron Of an institution.
You do it admirably, but | hate to see
you here. Your father was older than
/, but we were great friends think
he would advise you to say yes.
She put her hand upon his arm,
II am a very practical woman" she
said. If marry you ! forfeit a good
position that may be mine for life-an
Independent position. 1t is dangerous"
MY dear, you'll have half of all that
is mine; and I'm not poor"
You don't think me young | know"
She answered. who thinks a woman
young at thirty? But you have four
sons, hard, business men, older than l.
They'll not approve Of tho match"
They are not at home; it can't mat
ter, !" said DR., Emory.
But, said Miss Dwight, with cruel
distinctness ..the trouble will come
when you die. You have made mis-
take; you are older than poor father.
If you leave me widow, your sons will
make every effort to take every thing
from me- ] shall be left with nothing,
my place gone, my habits of industry,
my briskness. | make no doubt you
have heard Of such eases; have
The sutton sat-and who can marvel
at it?-strieken quite dumb by this
speech. At last he gasped:
"You are candid"
II am she answered. am, indeed.
Now is your time. You oan take back
your offer, DR.. Emory Every thing can
be as it was before. I'll tear up your
letter; am content that all shall ro-
main as 1t is
but, then, he answered, Il am not.
After all, all you say is only true.
can face the music, ! hope My answer
is ithis: Marry me, and win make
will, leaving you every thing, on our
wedding day"
THAT would be unjust, she said. at
would be will to be contested Leave
me home and an income" She named
the sum sufficient 70 keep it up.
THAT is moderate And you
will say yes, he said. II promise, Of
course, shall make 1t better than that,
still leaving my sons no cause for com
plant but it is not my fault that we
are not more romantic.
"Let the romance come afterward, IL
it can, said Miss Dwight
After this, they walked about the
garden for awhile, and the day of the
wedding was set leaving time to find
new matron for the establishment Miss
Dwight was certainly, as domestics say,
.'bettering herself but She was not
elated.
In fact, little regret stole into her
heart as she walked about the place
where she had been SO independent, so
respected; and wondered whether she
should be happy in ihe future.
Sat least, " she said, with degree Of
bitterness, II matched him with ms
romance Is out Of the question between
two like lis Matched him, and went
further"
The bell tiukled in the hall just as
supper time was over that evening, and
in few moments q servant came to
call Miss Dwight.
ats gentleman; he don't know ehO
be wants, She said. "Some one who
knows all about the place, he told me"
And Dora went into the parlor, bare
looking room, long and with white
walls, panel carpet, a library table, a
horse-hair sofa, and six chairs, and the
portrait Of the founder Of the home
over the mantel-piece. There stood UNI
der this portrait. with his elbow on the
marble itself, gentleman. Dark-eyed,
dark-haired, with a face that was not so
much handsome as delightful.
Writers often spend good deal OF
time in discussing what it is that men
see in the women who they fall in love
with-when they say:
This is the woman for mep'
e.