Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-07-09
PORTIA JUNIOR.

]
/ virtue of her beauty and amIability. Her
father was learned, even tempered, and
unprepossessing; her mother handsome
and of equal temperament, but not un.
| Culy Observation-Disclosures may account
/ for the fact that Portia herself, while of
the intellectually beautiful type, was not
superciliously lovely, as is so often the
case with women similarly gifted She
could talk with man without COMPEL
ing him to feel his own ignorance, and
of course, this made her excessively pop
ular with the male portion of the com.
munity in which she lived but, rarer still,
PorGia endeared herself SO TO women that
plain girls despite her beauty, loved 20 be
with her She had a way OF making them
feel that her beauty detracted from rather
than enhanced their plainess, as though
she shed the glamour of her persona hty
on all those about her, Just as the sun
! sometimes seeks out the dark corners of
the earth, and makes gloom itself seem
the source of light. WIthal Portia was
not conscious OF her prepossessing
as simply, as quietly, and as senslbly as
she could.
That she should have princes dancing
.
| surprising; that she should have her pre-
ferences for certain princes was equally to
be expected; that she should have at least
two particular princes who wished her to be
theirs was not startling; and yet, sensible
as Portia was, when these gallant gentle
men made known their matrimonial hopes
to her, she was startled That, | think
was the only commonplace thing about
POrtia. To be startled by so insignificant
an episode as two proposals on the same
evening is quite in the line Of woman
way
But Portia had an excuse for her EN-
barrassment, which most women have not,
and that excuse was that it was not until
Prince Henry proposed marriage to her
than she realized bow much she cared for
Prince John, nor did she awaken to the
fact that she had very warm place In her
heart for Prince Henry until Prince John
asked her the same question that had
been put bg his rival just two hours pre-
viously. To neither could she say no; to
neither could she say yes-surely here was
a dIlema! 10 IS my own opinion that
most women would have solved the prob
lem 10y quarreIing with both princes, and
marrying q third; and a man similarly
placed would have settled it by the toss of
coin. Not so with Portia. Neither
dissemblance nor penny-tossing was one
of her accomplishments. Frankness was,
and she told the two gentlemen as plainly
as she could just how matters stood.
nj think love you both, " she said
"And so, of course, / cannot marry either
of you at present Time alone can tell
which of the two love the better"
Most girls would have said (which of
the two l love the best" It was in mat
ters of this sort that Portia showed ner
erudltion
Come back in FIVE years, she added,
land ! will decide between you. Mean
while you should both bestir yourselves
for by that which you achieve are my feel
ings likely to be influenced Ordinarily a
question of this kind is settled on the
basis Of love and affection. Here the love
and affection being in both cases equal, it
becomes a question of those qualities plus
the unknown quantity that must de-
eide"
at depends, then, said Prince John,
upon that unknown quantity
Yes, replied Portia.
"But supposing this unknown quantity
turns out to be third prince?' suggested
Prince Henry.
"The advantage is with you, returned
Portia "You h,ye the start on him II
he ovartakes you and passes you, am not
TO blame.
And the two princes went out into the
world and stroye.
Prince John devoted himself assiduousy
to many things, and succeeded in ALL He
/ became a lawyer of recognized standing
not alone in respectabillty, bot Of marked
/ ability. In or out Of court Prince John
was sure 10 win any cause to which his
energies were devoted vet fearful was
! he OF not ultimately realizing the ideals of
J the still undecided Portia that he branch
ed out into literature. He wrote a nov !
! that even pleased the critics HIS work
was discussed seriously by the pulpit and
/ although while writing his novel he had
no idea that such was 10 be the case. be
| found himself six months after the pubii-
I cation of his great work as father OF a
new philosophy. To CJuuteTaCt the effect
| of his novel, which, wniIs gratifying, was
not exactly TO bis taste, be became a hui
morist-g humorous humCrist, who, while
I Be brought tears 20 the eyes Or bis readers
/ as do most other hum0rists, dld so less
, abruptly, leading up to them through the
medium of laughter. Having shown his
abilty 10 this direction, Prince john, ia
I order 10 show P0rtiI what "a universally
accomplished person he was, turned his
( vita such success that one OF his poems
crept INTO several western papers credited
I 10 Tenove9n, wnlle bis Hamlet wa Of such
+ a quality that a prominent society journal
called him mute, lnRlari0us Booth,
which, naturally, he construed into the
I highest possible praise
{ And what Of Prince Hsnry2 Alas, for
every forward stride taken by Prince John
/ Prince Henry took one backward. lie too
/, tried the Law, and failed. He too tried
literature. vet succeeded not Next Prince
/ Henry tried to become young Napoleon
of finance. and did 50 well that he met his
Wellington, went through bis Waterloo
/ and came out sans ever thing save mis-
! good name in less than SIX months. The
| good name be managed TO retain, though
il vas sadly mortVsged. Money had been
| borrowed on it, but not in such fashion
] - IaaI "a af1Er45n51yf al n his N -