Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-03-18

mistaken and that you are several things
no one would ever dream you were
good things, mean-and l admit that
like you very much, but-don't you
seeY-it is your very excellences that are
against you. You are worse than the
others, becausee you come so near, and
yet you do not attain. 1t is criminal in
man to approach so near a woman's
ideal and then fail of i'll"
The light that burned in Mr.. Amory's
eyes was not wholly amiable, but his voice
was quiet as he said:
al knew all this in general way be-
fore; that is, suspected it. We are not
getting on. Those objections of yours,
those deficiencies of mine-I beg you to
specify them"
"1f you were used to arguing with
women" observed Miss Winchester
maliciously, "you would not expect to
get on"
"You are not like other wonsn," he
said, simply, with lovers conviction.
"You will not evade or put me off,"
The girl flushed. "Have l not said
enough2' she demanded. "Did | not
tell you in June it would be sacrifice
to marry you2"
"What thenf" he urged. "Did you
not also tell me onoe that love could be
demonstrated only by sacrifcea'
Gam pretending to love your she
retorted, hotly.
81 had forgotten that momentarily,
murmured Amory, dejectedly. "But
the objections2 Surely, l have a right
to those"
"vcry well, if you insist. But if you
do not like what 1 say, remember l did
not say it willingly" she warned. SIN
the FIRST place, l admire men who have
force, who can be powers in the world.
do not mean that you are weak, but
that you are indifferent. You are only
a power in the world of diners-out."
81 admire the beautiful self possession
with which you say horribly cruel
things"
81 knew you would take 1t badly!
But did not mean to be cruel; | am
only trying to be true"
81 WISH" he said, fervently, chow l
W sh you would be untrue to that cold
soul of yours for five minutes. | wonder
if you have any idea how dear you eau
be when you are not trying to be con-
scieutious!"
''As was saying, you care too much
for social success" resumed Miss Win
chester. striving to speak with the calm
ness of DISTINGUISHED critic, aud failing
signally."
"Ah, yes. What else?'
"You care too much Tor the things of
the world-the luxuries and pleasures OF
it. You care about being comfortable,
she SAID, disdsinfully.
"What else?"
She hesitated. "Wbat right have to
say that yours is not a spiritual life2 And
yet-is 1t not!'
''In short-why don't you sum me up
by saying that it would not occur to me
that needed the consultations of religion
So long as the cooking was excellent at
my clubf"
"How furious you arei how | must
have irritated you, to make you say that"
"Irritat ed is not precisely the word |
should use," he returned. 'tWhen it
comes to making race with woman, |
probably am out of 1t, but that does not
make it any the pleasauter to be told so.
You have been very explicit. Youlea
little to my imagination. think | I'M
derstaud you now. OF course when l
hoped to meet your requirements was
under the impression that they were
reasonable ones. You always seemed to
me supremely reasonable, IN spite of your
enthusiasms.
She lifted an appealing hand, but he
hurried on:
~ suppose failed to appreciate the
fact that your ideals do not look like me.
A girls ideal is not likely to be triae
stout and perceptibly past thirty, AMI |
suppose he never has the beginning of a
bald spot on his head"
She disdained to answer.
"And at dinner he probably cures
more about whom he takes out than
what is set before him. / admit that it
is no longer the case with me---unless
I am taking you out" he continued.
"Of course THESE things are serious
offenses against the higher life, especially
the stoutness; AMI they amply demon
strate that am of the earth, earthly. l
am glad it is proved to your satisfaction,
for otherwise there have been moments
when l have b2en so fatuous as to think
that you might after all find it hard to
throw me over completely"
at is hardly fair to talk like that"
she said with suppressed agitation. az
try hard to recognize the facts of life. |
anu reasonable beng. l have not been
dreaming about tue hero in melo-
drama. But surely, somewhere, though
have never known him vet, there is
man who is both strong aud fine, man
who can use the adornments Of life with
out falling their slave, or can dispense
with them aud respect himself no less;
man who is not ashamed to have ideals
and 10 stri re toward them. Is humanity
so poor, thea, that may not hope to
find him9 And do you suppose like
to tell you that you are not heG You
who come so lear in most thiugs9'
Outside the swift November twilight
had begun to fall. The light was grow
ing faint in the library. Amory turned
the carved paper-cutter over and over in
his strong, soft hands, bending it this
way and that.
"If | were to tell her that am that
man, what would she say. wonderl" ne
thought. ''oa my soul l think that
am not far from beng it. If my life is
not blameiess In my own eyes, yet it
would hardly be blameworthy even in
ners. Is 1t nothing to have kept ones
hands clean and ones soul unstaipedi
Docs she think man does that without
ideslsf Does she really think | am under
any serious misapprehensions as to uses
of lifef Does she-0, Lord. How hope.
ess it would be to try to make her un-
derstand."