Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-04-18

cause he uCoSu care IOr any DOuy olso
and she's pretty
''You said that before"
"Oh, dear, I dare say 1 did! And
most men care for somebody, don't they
some girl, mean?'
Most men, no doubt conceded the
philosopher.
''Well, then, what ought she to do?
It's. not a real thing, you know, Mr..
birmingham. It's in-in novel I was
reading She said this hastily and
bluslled IS she spoke.
Dear me, and it's quite an interest
ing case! Ycl, I sec. The question is,
VIII sho act most wisely in accepting
the offer of the man who loves her ex-
ceedingly, but for whom she entertains
only a moderate affection -
eyes, just liking. He's just a
friend.''
Exactly. Or in marrying the other
whom she loves ex''-
''That' not it. How can she marry
him? He hasn tho hasn't asked her. :"
''Irue. l forgot. Let US assume,
though, for the moment that he has
asked her. She would then have to con-
slder which marriage would probably be
productive Of the greater sum total
Of
"Oh,s but you needn't consider that. !"
"But it seems the best logical order.
We can afterward make allowance for
the element Of uncertainty caused by''-
"Oh, no. I don't want it like that. I
know perfectly well which she'd do if
he-the other man, you know-asked
her.
"You apprehend that
''Never mind what Il apprehend.
Take it just as told YOU
Every good. A has asked her hand, B
has not. -
eyes"
''May I take it that but for the dis
turbing influence Of B Awould be sat-
isfactory-er-candidate?"
"Ye-es. I think So.
''She therefore enjoys certainty of
considerable happiness if she marries
App
"Ye-es. Not perfect because of-B,
you know
"Quite so, quite so, but still fair
amount of happiness Is it not sop
81 don't-well, perhaps. F"
''On the other hand, if B did ask her,
we are to postulate higher degree Of
happiness for her?''
eyes, please, Mr. Jerningham-much
higher
''For both of them?'
''For her-never mind him.
every well. That again simpliies
the problem. But his asking her is a
contingency only??''
Eyes, that's al -
The philosopher spread out his hands.
"My dear young lady, ho said, sit
becomes a question of degree. How
probable OF Improbable is it?''
ST don't know. Not very probable
unless"
"Well?"
"Unless he did happen to notice, you
know"
'Ah, yes, we supposed that if he
thought of it he would probably take the
desired step-at least, that he might be
led to do so. Could she not-er-indi-
cate her preference"
''She might tr.y-no, she couldn't do
much. You see, he-he 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 we?" she asked.
81 think SO. He has evidently no nat
ural inclination toward her-perhaps
not toward marriage at all. Any feeling
aroused in him would be necessarily
shallow, and in a measure artificial, and
in 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
me?''
"Yes, Mr.. birmingham.
'Either he would be repelled by her
overtures, which you must admit is not
improbable, and then the position would
be unpleasant and even degrading for
her, or, on the other hand, he might,
through misplaced feeling Of gallan-
try"-
Through what?''
Through mistaken idea of polite
ness or a mistaken view of what was
kind allow himself to be drawn into a
connection for which he had 10 genuine
liking You agree with me that one or
the other of these things would be like
ly?''
eyes, I suppose they would, unless
he did cor1e to care for her,"
"Ah, you return to that hypothesis 1
think it's an extremely fanciful one.
No, she needn't marry A, but she must
let B alone.
The philosopher closed his book, took
off his glasses, wiped them, replaced
them and leaned back against the trunk
of the apple tree. The girl picked dam
delion in pieces. After long pause she
asked:
"You t K B'5 feelinne wouldn't be
at all like II char
''That o. ~ t'7o man he
b. But if he is an able man, with intel
sectual interests which engross him, a
man who has chosen his path in life, a
man to whom women's society is not a
necessity
''He's just like that" said the girl.
And she bit the head off a daisy.
'Then," said tho philosopher, 81 see
not the least reason for supposing that
his feelings will change
"And would you advise her to marry
the other-A?"
"Well, ON the whole, I should. A is
a good fellow think we made A a
good fellow-he is suitable match, his
love for her is true and genuine''-
''It's tremendously
"Yes-and-er-extre She likes
him. There is every reason to hope that
her liking will develop into sufficient
ly deep and stable affection. She will
get rid of her folly about B and make A
a good wife. Yes, Miss May, if were
the author of your novel, should make
her marry A, and I should call that a
happy ending"
A silence followed Itwas broken by
the philosopher.
''Is that all you wanted my opinion
about, Miss May?" he asked, with his
finger between the leaves Of the treatise
on ontology.
eyes, I think SO. I hope haven't
bored you?"
HT,ve enit,ved the discussion extreme