The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1894-02-17
I.
An UnwelcOme Visitor.

in life surrounded by the prestige OF
rich connections. This had helped him
undoubtedly; but in spite Of the popular
belief that it does not need a high order
Of intelligence to be successful on the
Stock Exchange, it may be doubted
whether Duke would have done so wei
so early if he had not been very fairly
gifted in the matter Of brains. And
these good gifts, after the manner OF
young men, and perhaps Of young city
men in particular. he rated at least at
| their proper value. So that when, by
lucky speculation, he made, in the year
he became five and twenty. 100000, the
wine Of early success mounted into his
brain, and the world contained nothing
too good for him.
Into the race for wealth. into the
search for pleasure, Duke Bennington
| plunged with fiery energy, which quick
w Wearied him. He was 4 man or al
f%ectionate nature. and he o found
he wanted a wife.
There seemed to be nothing to urge
| against this, if only the world held any
woman fair enough to mate with him.
SO that when by chance, at a country
house. Duke met, in the person of Il
casual visitor, a girl who struck hin,
| as being the loveliest he had ever spok-
| Ell to, he at once, with characteristic
promptitude, made up his mind to mar
ry her.
The young stock brokers' proposal
| came rs a shock to Cicely Pentland.
She was the prettiest girl Of a country
family where there were daughters TO
| spare and no fortunes to dover them
with and ut twenty she was still dream
| ing a girls day dreams Of the impossl-
BILE creature who was to come to o
and marry her. And this creation or
her Imagination was as unlike the
| smart young city man. with his slang
and his cynicism, as he could possibly
be. Her first impulse was to give an
abrupt refusal, and upon this impulse
she acted. Duke was unmoved by it;
he asked her again. He asked her
every other day for a fortnight, and at
the end Of that time she, of course,
thinking Of nothing but this persistent
intruder upon her peace, in a sort of
sentimental vertigo, accepted him.
After the monotonous existence to
which she had been used. her married
life seemed at first to Cicely n long,
"a III, 1ANtS, DdlAos ~ -"
certs-they were too SLOW, trips to
Paris, Vienna. Venice. for the first
three years of her marriage, during
which a little daughter and son We're
born to her, she lived a life of intoXi-
eating excitement which occupied
though it did not satisfy her. For Cice-
ly had a full share of the seriousness
which underlies the English character
where there is any character to under
lie. And by the time her second baby
was lying on her lap she began to ask
herself more and more coherently
whether she and her husband We're
making quite the best OF Life: and a
suspicion began to steal into her mind
hat Mrs. Observation-Disclosures, the
rich merchants wife, who wore such
dowdy bonnets and was laughed at for
being her W head nurse. was really
making a greater success Of existence
than if she had trusted her bonnets
| to a Paris milliner and her babies to a
nurse.
| As these convictions grew stronger
| within her, Cicely began to act upon
| them and to stay at home. And, hus-
| band and wife having had little sym
| pathy deeper than that OF mere com
| panions in pleasure, a breach was thus
| started between them without either of
| them knowing it. And it grew wider
day by day. When, therefore, Dukes
mother died, and his sister, Minna, was
left without Il home, it was Cicely who
suggested that the girl should come and
live with them, and Duke acQuiescet
with much satisfaction.
"She will be a companion for you,'
he said.
And as he spoke he flushed and looked
at her out Of the corners of his eyes
His conscience was not quite free; he
knew who ought to have been the com
panion of his wife.
But she only said. Yes. dear" and
looked down upon the baby on hel
knee with calm eyes.
So Minna's coming was at first
pleasure and 4 relief to both husband
and wife. For Minna was a laughter
loving, fair-haired, plump little person
with a round, pink-cheeked face that In
spired q wish to kiss her. And the per
sons in whom she inspired this wisl
most strongly clustered about Dia
House and made things lively. Chic
among these persons were Algy Hurst
a young stock broker who affected
beautifully-itting coats and a bias,
manner, and Leonard Harvey, an ad
mirer Of the tragic and taciturn sort
but in every way more worthy of Min
ma, who underyalued him according
ly.
Cicely and Minna sat in the breaKfas
room n summer morning, a few
weeks after the arrival Of the latter
They were chatting in Il general wa,
Of the characteristics of married pee
pie.
"All married people are not like 70
and Duke" said Minna.
What do you mean by that, Mir
na?'
"Only what you know quite we'll
that you are very-very-well, that 70
take things in a very matter-of-fact wa
for a woman-that is, for people VIII
have not long been married"
We've been married three years,
said Ciccly, looking very serious. "Yo
wouldn't have two sensible people, VIII
J have been husband and wife all tina
time, behave like young lovers"
! "Three years isn't much out of
lifetime. And you never did behav
like young lovers, you and Duke
why, Minna, where are your prime
I pies? Haven't I heard you say a doze
times that the true basis Of marie
. happiness was money, not love?
THAT is true. as far as I am col
cerned. But you are different. I com
of city stock, and a commercial min
is appropriate in me. You belong t
another class, neither so prosaic nor S
vulgar; and there is a look in your eye
which suggests a capacity for romanti
, devotion: 80 that to see you settle dow
: into just a commonplace good hous'
, wife is a disappointment. There. Nv
been frank enough, and rude enough
L,uo~,,+ YES