New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-22
TWO BLIGHTED BEINGS.
MORTIMER'S FOOLISIINESS.
BY GERALDINE BONNER.

Mortimer was twcnty-four years old, and the
greatest fool earth. This was a proud dis
tinctOn, and il was the only one Mortimer had
lie had proved his right To bear IL dOIen different
times in glorious action Oh the tented hcld in close
rivalry with others of his ana scN, all W Ing Tor
the uni luc honor. But 70 one could Wrest il from
Mortimer. in considering him II was 50 apparent
that ii Swamped every other attribute. No one
ever said How handsome Mortimer Is" or
How well lie dances! or Low hict MS people
are or How many times ne been rejected
all of which could have been sad with perfect
truth. But every one-the girl ne lei tue german
with last night the fellow hc waved DOWNTOWN
with yesterday morning, Tie MAJ G pI yea teams
with on 'tuestay afternoon the lawyer over whose
Office Mortimcrs presence cast respcndcnt
glamOr-all oppressed their views IN the same way
with merely difference of adjective: hat
fool Mortimer is. What consumnatc TOOL
Mortimer is! What blamed fool Mortimer IS :
What d fool Mo.timer Is.
The most conclusive proof 81 MortImers az
gressve, persistent obstinate ioo!sAncsS was that
lie could get no one 10 marry nm. All ne @lis
knew that Mortimer was foo! and would have
nothing To say 10 him. lie had proposed 10 any
number OF them and was always rejected 10
propose came to be sort of iacon de paricr with
him, that he had some difficulty in restraining
himself from making an offer OF marriage m
medlaiely after ne had been presehtGd - lady.
He had offered his heart and hand % NcW-l OrEciS,
BOstOnianS. al'mOreans PhllaQclphlanS, and san
Franciscans Some of them lied away with pierre
ing cries while Others sWOOned al the thought.
1t seemed tlaJ nobody wanted Mortimer short
men, tall men, blond men. dark men. rich men,
poor men, beggar mcn, theVe', all Tot married
and mOUldy ace of twenty-fOur
But one day he met Maud and loved her with
love that was not exactly lis doom-but STU,
do not let IS anticipate events. M3Hd had never
been thought a fool until she reciprocated Nor
timers young affections. After that. there were
dark rumors about the meagIeness Of her mental
equipment and when the welkin rang with her
eilvery laugh. there were those who spoke OF
the cracking of thorns under pot
Maud penneSS beautY-JuSt the heroine
for tragedy She lived on The fourth fiat Of an
apartment-house with her brother Jack. When
you went there TO call, you rang the bell about
six times, listening casually the While 10 the
stampede of flying feet and to Maud's excited
queries to Jack, who appeared u he recOnno ter
ing the enemy through tie keyho.c linen tht
door thrown open by Maud i'll dafA Skirt,
and drapcd about the shoulders IL a WAlF
cashmere shawl. When YOU came 10 know her
better, you acknowledgements Of course,
that YOU were of the female peiSUaslon-th"t MS
shawl hid all sorts of Deficiencies, The most re-
markabe being n deficiency of c0rSc-!aclnes, Their
place having been temporarily taken by piece, OF
llnotted pink Irvine oil the candy boxes with which
Maud was always well supplied. When YOU knew
her still better, TO tie point of p"yine informal
by a loud shrek Of Don't come in pause.
then an inquirirg Who is it, TO be followed
by a gay and treasured oh. it's YOU. Entcz!
and you entered upon the inspiring sptrt clr 81!
the front parior, Uttered with millinery in ali
stages Of evolution, and Maud. in her ni.nt-cown
on the sofa. eating candy and reading "Odida.
Breakfast? No: we didn't have any Ills morn
ing. / forgot 10 Get anything yesterday. and,
anyway. there isn't any more coal ~ the BIN.
throw it in the corner. Jac; took his breakfast
somewhere | suppose and Eve been eating tins
candy. ! forgot who sent II. I've eaten half
the box already thus the placid, impor'urhah",
the always handsome Maud sitting sideways OH
her feet rosy, smiling, INDECENT her h1lr hanging
in lank locks over hey shoulders.
She could do anything bat keep the fiat in
order. On winter afternoons SIC STATED, on su-n-
mer afternoons the swan. No one cQHld dlIe a'
So onC Goad dance as ' veil as Moud or keep it
up for such a length of time. ard her manner OF
conducting convGTsatlon on tae stairs was some,
thing mastery. When sh" lauchcd. Nop could
hear her two blocks off, and when Sic served
at tennis the holdcst held his breath for Um".
Add 70 these charms that sh" was H." hnrst-'o7l-
Ing Girl in the world. nearly SiN 'ctt hlgh win
waist Of eighteen inches, splendid Gttli2-c,
and a dark. spirited head, and snail wonder That
Mortimer the susceptible, NJ ttimcr the o'c!eior,
the LONGING 10 be We'd melted before her like ah)"
before th2w
The Irritation advanced with giant 81 ,idc'-i
had on scveHtccn-leagae boots. ~ the ,cro1d
time he had seen her. N0rt uer said, Ike Fri e.
Geraint. Nov. bv Gods rood this Is the ore
maid for me-" lie was so c!ated by tie = ouehi
that lie was once WO,c in love, that ne couid not
fo-hear COME SIM the soft secret 10 ore. q" q
ne was ind;s"rcet er61oh--bUt. of course, b'inl
Mortimer TO one Was Surpreed-to confess l. 10 a
distant female relative
love her distractcdiy. said Mortimer, sitting
on the stone wall ard swinging his lc- they were
lettering in tie garden after dinner, watching the
sunset from Tie rcl-brick wa /" love her dis
tractedly, and mean 10 marry her, he al e l.
with hrdlns pride.
Inc female PdllNc hiu W'Ht an lem tt i'4"-
tives would have dorc under the crcumst2rces
She HE'D her away, ptntinI, w!d-cYci palhd, 70
tell aaothcr female relative. \ family pOw-woW
was immediately convened, and several OF TIE
male relatives wee let in on oathS of srcr'"N
The presence of the male relatives was ro' bril-
liant iusp ration. They WOuli not Sc the cnOr
nifty OF MOrtimcTs crime. They said the had
not supposed he had so much s'nsc. Trey sad
they did rot see why he should no; marry her
he wanted She is as hon !sO.e rs q picture,
said one; y. for ore, tiirk TIE family Sho3il
welcome her with open arms 1ncr, was a muir
mur Of assent from the male relatives but the
female relatives sat rs silent and u1res lonSyc .
the avcUue Of sphinNcs nj kara9k. After az. The
male relatives could not re cNi &c ed to realize tie
fun horror Of the situation. They he'd never
seen Maud bcreft Of tie whitc-cas nee shawl. o.
entered the kitchen Of tn iGt whore the so o
dishes wee nilci rs high aS pciiOl on CS.a. Ih'y
but for some tine aftcrw2id there was mott Cab.i
IN their manner toward Mortimer an unusual re-
sTect. almost amounting TO Difference.
During the pOw-w0w. one female r. awe cane
TO the conclusion that the proper ching To 10
TO tell Aunt Mary, q high power in the family.
For some days Amt Mary reflected on the inrcl.l-
Ing social suicide of MO.t''acr Unic led whether
TO rush TO the rescue OF her nephew. or 10 await
further Developments. }ut en-" day. in the eari IA
light Of noon, she saw Maud with + no tai eyes
and hincing caution 10 the winds, Aunt Nary
took the field. At one fell sWOop she barished
all MaGds claims TO beauty. In truth, thr q Y
UnbccO"ing OHe-vc.y Warm-and MaGd
was flushed. Then Sic wore no gloves. and ;he
amazing tennity of her waist the haU. htv 20 @ o.
her head, the chaeD9ing glance Of her narrow
eyes, and the impudcut manner in which her
sailor-hat tilted TO one side d:SplCa @ 4 Aunt
Mary, who described these peculiaritics with "a
before suspected her capable.
Mortimers papa heard her story and he waXed
exceeding wroth. IL there was person on earth