The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-13
A JUST IMPEDINENT.

4 y UOl 1MI EDIM EN-.
"Ireally think that l, Eva Hamilton, am the
unhappiest girl in existence. I am engaged to
marry great stupid. awkward creature,
whom have known for less than a month,
and detest as if l had known him all my life,
while Fred-you know you met Fred last
summers staying in the same house and
can hardly speak word 70 me, such is the
devotion Of my odious fance."
The foregoing extract from a letter to E
girl friend represents the condition in which
found myself not long after my 18th birthday.
As l now look back on what happened long
ago l wonder how it was that Gilbert Darien,
my odious fiAnce," managed 10 put up with
my i'll temper and evident dislike for his COM
pany, not to mention my iuceasant Irritation
for I'm afraid l did firt-with Fred.
Poor GilbertI He certainly was awkward
one Of those big men who cannot move
without upsetting something, whether it be a
valuable china vase or your equanimlty; with
q heavy, colorless face, and nothing charac-
teristic about him save the difficulty he al
ways experienced in disposing of his hands,
which is not, however, uncommon amongst
his method Of breathing; it was stertorous,
and could be beard at "a distance Of twenty
yards. But oughtn't to abuse it, seeing that
it often gave US warning in our stolen inter
views Of his approach, and became, ultimate
ly, the means Of my release from him.
was not much over 10 when one day my
father addressed me at breakfast: Eva,
Mrs. Darien wants US to 90 there on the 9Th"
This apparently innocent remark nearly an
initiated me. The long expected blow had
fallen at last. Shortly after his return from
India my father, who was little better than a
stranger to NE, had thrown out certain ON
inous hints as to the expediency Of my get
ting married; and then one fine day informed
me outright that it was his one wish to see
me happily welded TO the son Of his old
friend Darien. Twas, not unEaturally aghast
Not to mention a prior engagement" l
had never seen Gilbert. How could l marry
an utter strangerl How could l throw over
Fred because he had only G40O year, while
his unknown rival had four thousand? had
no mother to contide in, and had not the couT-
age to confess oil to my respected parent,
VINO had returned from India broken down
invalid, whose one object in life was, as he
informed me some twenty times a day, TO see
me happily married to the son Of his Old
friend. Happily married, forsooth, 10 a
man one detestsl" l bitterly exclaimed, per
haps rather unfairly, as had never seen Gil
bert, who, for aught J. knew, might have
been an Adonis, as well as a future Croesus
though, from my fathers significant silence
as to his personal appearance, l had my
doubts.
AT all events, one thing was certain, and
that was that l was not going TO give up
Fred; end with this resolution / sat down
and wrote long letter to him, in which l set
forth my woes. When | received Fred's an
swer, l was sgreeably surprised 10 find that
the Dariens were not strangers to him, as he
had stayed with them as a friend of a younger
brother Of Gilbert's. There is something"
be wrote "Gshy about Gilbert. The fell
low never leaves home, and is about as i'll
bred a hippopotamus as [ have ever met.
The idea of your marrying him." And here
followed long diatribe on my father, and
what he called the "cussednessn of things in
general, and his financial affairs in particular.
However, there was a orumb of comfort at
the end of his letter, and that was contained
in the information that be would fish for an
invitation to Darien hall while we were tSere.
My curiosity was excited by the mystery,
the something fshy" about the man whom
my father had chosen to be my future hus-
band Was he subject to fits Of madnessi
Was he klepto- or dipso-, or anything
else horrid ending in omaniaCl l deter
mined TO cross-QueStion my father, and that
evening I set about the task.
/ ultimately succeeded in eliciting the fol
lowing Information: That Gilbert was the
image OF his poor father" (''The fright!n |
mentally calculated, for l had seen a photo
of the poor father, in big, baggy white trou-
sers, tho legs crossed, and regarding with
wondering salils-~as well he mIght-an enor-
NOUS, u1isshapen SILK hat that he very rarely
left his home, having been educated there by
private tutors" t'keepcrs.n exclaimed to my
self; that DRrien hall had the reputation Of
being haunted that it was my fathers one
wish in life 10 see ne happily married % the
son Of his dear Old friend, snd that he my
father wished l would not poster him with
my iGiotic questions" This last because /
asked If GilbertS eyes were blue Fred has
the most charming blue eyes You ever saw.
My father and l arrived ar Darion hall late
one evening, and n single glance showed me
that my worst fears weTe realized. The pho
togyaph Of my fathers dearest friend
might have been a portrait Of the Apollo
Belviders compared 10 the dearest friends
son, 70 whom, however, it bore a striking re-
sennb'ance with regard 70 the inane smile
a smile which, in addition to his general
sheepish manner told me plainly that Gilbert
was aware Of our respective parents plans
that we two should come together.
The next morning there was a kind OF sol
sfan be,vothsl scene. at which Mrs. Darien
and ny father oficsroi, and during which
Gilbert, like the person in thu nursery rhyme,
cou-iu--' -....., D-"rnr- pr nv misery.