Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-11-29

to give you any idea of how | honor
you, anu as for love" he stopped.
breathing hard, 4 have heart full
for you, dear l don't think know
myself how much | love you"
The girl looked at him curiously. the
simple intensity Of his manner struck
her, then her eyes fell and she sighed.
Love is such a mere name to me- y
she said, lit seems such collapsable
hubby thing and put to such feeble
uses. You want me to be your wife
then, and you offer me a whole heart
full Of love, whatever that may mean.
| must be honest too, and tell you
that l shouldn't know how to dispose
of whole heart full of love. | know
| nothing at all practically about the
matter, and theoretically it has never
interested me. My situation is hard to
| explain she exclaimed, with a petu-
liant sweeping movement of her hand,
lin the face of all this | want to ac-
cept your offer, | don't know why, |
really believe it is not /, Gwen War
| ing. that wants this, it is something
! outside me that wants it for me. /
! never felt so impersonal in all my
| life"
! He WINGED. her honesty, to say the
! least Of it, was a trifie bald.
perhaps | am more concerned in ii
! than | think" she went on with a
/ queer intense serenity, dissecting her
| self audibly, Il like new sensations
l am curious, most things are so fat
| and boring"
| Strange started forward and was
about to speak, she raised her hand
imperiously.
| "Stopr' she cried, II must finish.
want you quite clearly to understand
that if l take you at your word and
| become your wife-wife," she repeated
show astonishing the word sounds III
connection with mer'
She laughed in an untranslatable
| way and went on:
! Remember and understand that
i am doing it as an experiment"
| He flushed, it was his own precise
thought. but it seemed less hideous
when thought than when spoken.
can experiment." she repeated, ''but
whether it is fair to try experiments
f! in lives is another matter. Il WISH
she cast a half-wistful, half provoked
look at him, Il wish you We're suffi.
GENTLY clear and reasonable yourself
to help me to answer the question:
am so ignorant in these matters"
A sudden crimson rushed to hel
cheeks, she was furious. What right
had she to blush like a dairy maid
and mislead the man?
Il am not blushing properly, as girls
ought to blush,' she explained, II am
merely angry, l feel caught in a trap
Why can't / tell you to be gone and
leave me at peace?" she demanded
looking at him with curious swift re.
pulsion, II have never found any diff,
ficulty before,-why don't you help
me?"
In spite of his love, Strange shook
with laughter.
1t was no laughing matter for Gwen
she kept her eyes fixed on him, angry
and full of pain.
you stand there and laugh-laugh
know I am going to accept you'll, who
don't know what love means-I, whe
am, l believe, seXless, don't you know
you're mad and don't you think it's
rather degrading to give all you Offer
me for nothing? After all, it is not
absolutely necessary to my salvation
that | should make experiments on
you
She felt a sudden tiredness come
| ions
II am ready to take you with open
eyes, Gwen; you are very earnest
dear; you will lose some OF that when
you have suffered a little,' he added
with a ring of sadness in his voice
as he looked tenderly down on her.
She raised her head quickly. "Suf
fer. Why should / suffer-"
He watched her for a minute with
somber eyes. 81 don't know" he said
half-absently, "but you will. Their
this is our betrothal is it, dear?"
She bowed her head.
so, my darling!' he said suddenly
"Will he often say it?'' she thought
curiously, 'can l stand this?'
my darling, you have no idea how
I shall enjoy giving you lessons in
love-"
"Will your she said grimly. Il
doubt it, l tell you l have no taste
| for the cult. Well, it is at least fort
innate that one can be honest and that
it isn't necessary for me to befool you
for the sake of your income. This
! marriage is the very perfection of an
alliance from all such points of view
and yet-do you know, Sir Humphrey
l wish quite intensely, we were both
of us in another position, in quite a
low, unknown one, then we need not
marry. Engagements are nothing;
kn wv as much of you now as any
engagement can teach me. We might
then try preliminary experiment as
to how life together goes; if it did not
do, we might each go our own way
and bury the past. | never wished
for such a thing before, it follows, ]
suppose" she added with a mirthless
little laugh, that | care this much
| for you or for my experiment Have
you grasped the whole situation?' she
! demanded, turning her troubled eyes
| full on him.
My child, you have been very ex-
plicit, | think l have quite grasped it.
| When will Won marry mp2''