Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-11-17

why dosn't she go to her mother or TO
Able Servan, her confessor? But. dear
Blanche, I'm not an ordinary girl. Mine
Is an exceptional case. Mamma would
think me moonstruck and Able Servan
wouldn't understand me. Mamma would
offer to take me away for a short trip
somewhere and Able SerVan would
counsel me to seek aid and comfort in
prayer. The good Lord has other things
to attend to, and besides, although my
case is peculiar one, I don't think it
hardly serious enough to call for an in
terposition of Providence. Possibly it's
very natural and very ordinary, this
case OF mine, and only seems strange to
me because it's new to me.
Well, this is it: Mamma wants me to
get married, and theoretically have no
objections. I suppose it is absolutely
necessary to get married, and the
younger the better. I'm speaking of
women. I wouldn t like to marry a
man of my own age. A difference in
ages Of six or seven years seems to me
to be called for. Papa has been dead
two years. and mamma left off mourn
ing the beginning of last winter, and
although she kept strictly to violets and
grays, yet she had her afternoons at
home and her evenings. She was quiet
~ bringing me out. Everybody under
stood 1t. I'm in the market and some
what Of a catch. too. I'm neither ugly,
poor. stupid, nor consumptive. My
parents are Of good family and stand
high. There's nothing of the fortune
hunter about me, nor shall be inf1u-
enced by vanity in making choice of a
husband. Our securities are all gilt
edged; there will be no danger of a
crash. I haven't the slightest ambition
to move in any higher grade Of society,
to hear myself announced as Duchess or
Princess ct receptions to which title
would be passport. Besides, my dear
Blanche, haven't we a "de" already
Am not Mademoiselle Adrienne de
Marias? How old it is I don't know,
but it. quite sufficient to distinguish us
from tradespeople. Everybody treats
US as If we were entitled to it; no
holding up Of hands, no sly grimaces.
Now as to my notion as to what hus-
band should be, let me say that I have
no silly ideals, no schoolgirl dreams. I
don't want any phenomenon, any hero.
1 want him to be in good health and
with something to occupy his time up to
dinner hour. After that he must love
me, must be mine, And my idea of mar
riage, too, is that the wife should have
much more liberty than is usually &C
corded her. Wherever I go, when
mamma isn't with me, my governess is
at my heels. It's beginning to be lit
tie tiresome, this businessl would
take an airing all alone by myself. I
hear certain books talked about. I want
to read them. Ihear them pronounced
to be masterpieces and they hide them
away from me. How can book be mas
terpiece and yet young girl Of my age be
forbidden to read it? Perhaps one of
these books might enlighten me as to
my peculiar situation! 1 don't think
ask too much. In fact, think L m a very
reasonable person. and I should have
succeeded very easily in being quite
happy if something which was quite as
unexpected as it has become complica-
ted hadn't happened to me.
I'll tell you about it in another letter,
| dear Blanche. Meanwhile, little mother,
bye-bye. Wholly thine. ADRIENNE.