Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-11-15
BY MARIA SAINTsBURY.

wonder why sons will never marry
the girls their mothers pick out tor
them The perversity Of human ma
turc. | suppose But it seems to me
that if any one pointed ont the proper
line of conduct to me | would follow it.
| had never much of q fancy for
Gerarda Abbey. Her lips and checks
always seemed to be too bright-colored,
andher dark hair curled and flew about
So And then her eyes danced and
shone in totally undignified manner.
Tom" | used to say at least once
week, ~ wonder you don't admire
Margie Hofheimer. She has such dig
nifty such repOse of manner"
$50 has an iceberg-and an oyster"
Tom would retort.
"Wen the young men of the present
day have strange taste. She is just my
ideal Of a woman. She never covers
her forehead with foolish bangs and
frizzes"
"Pity she Doesn't" said Tom. at
has such Iumpy look"
Tom is my only child. | love him
dearly, but he has always been a great
weight on my mind. For instance, IN
spite Of all my entreaties he would 90
to Fairport to settle, though everyone
said there was fine opening at home,
in Paschal, when old DR.. Johns died.
What dear, good old man he Was-but
somehow he never came to see me pro-
feBsionallv that he did not make me
sickCr than ever.
told him SO once, and he did not
take it in good part at all.
Strange how few people can bear to
hear the truth.
Well. as | was saving, Tom would adj
mire Gerarda and wouldn't admire Mar
gle. Now [ am not mcrCenary, but |
do think it is better for a young profess
sionat man to marry a girl with nice
little fortune of her own than one with
a widowed mother and five younger
sisters and brothers. and Just enough to
get along on.
You'll never succeed, Tom, " | cried
in pet, eff YOU marry a girl with a
pack of mothers and sisters clinging to
her skirts
strictly speaking" said Tom, in his
provoking way, Mrs. Abbey can't be
called pack of Mothers
ooh, YOU know perfectly well what |
moan; but have your own way, as
usual"
OF course [ had to call on the girl,
since she and Tom are engaged. The
little house where they lived was always
as neat as pin, | must say, and Gerarda
| was polite, but not at ali cordial. |
am too truthful to assume anything i
don't feel. | told her | thought she
would look better with her hair brushed
back from her forehead. She colOred,
but answered very pleasantly that
''Tom liked it best So
This happened during one of Toms
visits home He never staid long, and
used to tell him it looked as if | did
not make him comfortable. Well, |
did not see much of Gerarda that fall,
though we used to pay each other duty
calls now and then; and when winter
set in ! heard of a queer freak OF hers.
She had opened a dancing school.
Now there seems to be something
very bold and unteminine about teach
ing dancing school. One always
thinks woman ought to support her
self by teaching music or embroidery.
or painting plaques. To be sure Ger
arda did not know how to play or paint,
never having had much time for ac-
complishments, | fancy.
| couldn't understand it at all, for the
Abbeys had always got along so far, and
ii was particularly odd when Morton.
the eldest boy, had been given place in
commission house in Cincinnati by an
uncle or cousin or something of the sort
out ofshCer observation-disclosures or frivOlity
! wrote to Tom, hoping he might
demonstrate with her. | am always
moderate in the expression of my
opinion, so | simply said;
'Gerarda is looking very badly. All
this dancing and racketing around is
not good for her. But the young peo-
pie of the present day have no discre-
ton. Modesty seems to have gone out
of date along with Veneration for their
elders"
That was all | said.
But it seemed to have no effect for
Gorarda still went on teaching. She be-
gan to look worse and worse. All the
color left her face; even her lips were
pale, and her mouth got pinched look.
Then she got hacking cough, and |
used to hear her going coughing along
the street from her dancing school. She
had not been to see me for the longest
timo-treating me with marked disre-
spcut, But at last | could not bear to
hear her, so l just ran out to the gate
aud gave her a box of lozenges.
She thanked me; then she gave me
wisttul sort of look and hesitated. as if
she wanted to say something; but she
evidently changed her mind, for she
passed on.
One day | was walking along the
beach. Winter was beginning to break
up, and there were bright patches of
green to be seen here and there. The
sky Was blue and white, with flying
clouds, and the water around the piers