The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-18
"You spoke rather vaguely, you

Tho girl cast one glance at the phi
losopher us sho replied:
"Well, yes, I did mean become his
wife"
eyes. Well?"
But" continued tho girl, starting
on another tuft of grass, che doesn't
think much about those things. He likes
her-I think he likes hcr''-
"Wcll, doesn't dislike hcr?" suggest
ed tho philosopher. "Shall wo call him
inditfcrcnt2''
Il don't know. Yes, rather indiffer-
ent. 1 don't think he thinks about it,
you know. But shc-sho's pretty-you
needn't put that down"
II was not about to do so,'' observed
the philosopher.
''Sho thinks life with him would be
just heaven, and-and she thinks sho
would mako him awfully happy She
would-would DO so proud of him, YOU
sec"
81 sec Yes?''
And don't know how to put it
quito-shc thinks that if he ever thought
about it at all he might care for her, be-
cause he doesn't caro- for anybody else
and she's prctty''-
You said that before"
ooh, dear, dare say I did! And
most men caro- for somebody, don't they
some girl, mcan?"
Most men, no doubt" conceded tho
philosopher.
"Wcll, then, what ought she to do?
It's not Il real thing, you know, Mr..
birmingham. It's in-in novel 1 was
reading" She said this hastily and
blushcd us she spoke
Dear me, and it's quito an interest
ing case! Yes, sec. Tho question is,
Will she act most wisely in accepting
tho offer of the man who loves her OK
cccdingly, but for whom she entcrtains
only IL moderate affcction"-
Yes, just liking. Hos just a
friend.
Exactly. Or i'll marrying tho other
whom she loves ext
"Thut's not it. How can she marry
him? He hash the hasn't asked her. -
True. l forgot Let us assume,
though, for tho moment that he has
asked her. She would then have to con-
sldcr which marriage would probably be
productive of tho greater sum total
Off,
"Oh, but you needn't consider that. :"
but it seems the best logical order
We can aftcrward mako allowance for
the element of uncertainty caused by''-
''Oh, 10. | don't want it like that I
know perfectly we'll which she'd do if
hc-tho other man, you llnow-asllcd
her.
you apprchcnd tina" -
Never mind what L apprchcnd. ,
Take il just as l told YOU"
Very good. a has asked her hand, B
has not. ="
YES"
MAY take it that but for the dis
turbng influence of Il a would be Il sat
isfactory- cr-candidato?
"Yc-cs. 1 think so -
'Shc therefore enjoys IL certainty of
considerable happiness if she marries
Az"
"Ye-cs Not perfect because OBJ,
you know"
quite so, quite so, but still u fair
amount of happiness. Is it not so?''
Il don't-wcll, perhaps. p"
con the other hand, if y did ask her,
we arc to postulatc higher degree of
happiness for hor?''
Yes, please, Mr. Jcrningham- much
higher"
For both of thcm?"
For hcr-ncvcr mind him -
"Ncry well. That again simplifics
the problem. But his asking her is Il
contingency only"
Eyes, that's all :"
The philosopher spread out his hands.
MY dear young lady, !" no said, lit
becomes question of degree. How
probable or improbable is it:''
II don't know. Not very probable
unlcss''-
"Wcll?"
UNLESS he did happen to notice, you
know"
"Ah, yes, we supposed that if he
thought of it he would probably take the
desired stcp-ao least, that he might be
led to do SO. Could she not-cr-indi-
cate her prcfcrcncc:'
She might try-no, she couldn't do
much. You see, lIc-hc doesn't think
about such things"
II understand precisely, and it seems
to me, Miss May, that in that very fact
we find our solution"
''Do WEI" she asked.
Il think so. He has evidently no nat
urnl inclination toward hcr-pcrhaps
not toward marriage ut all. Any feeling
aroused in him would be necessarily
shallow, and in a measure artificial, and
i'll all likelihood purely temporary.
Moreover if she took steps to arouse his
attention, one of two things would be
likely to happen. Are you following