The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-20
A BOSTON ROMANCE.

I was 10. he was ten years my senior.
He was my first lover, and | was con-
WINGED THAI no girl ever had one so devoted
and kind, so noble and high minded, and
withal possessed of such business capacity.
This last was indeed, in the eyes OF my
mother, sine qua non. Without it the
other qualities combined would have been
utterly worthless. He was owner of an
ample fortune, which he had inherited,
but it was well invested and the interest
allowed to accumulate, SO that one day he
might be a gentleman of leisure.
Meantime he was employed at a salary
of So, 900 a year, preferring that to being
in business on his own account. He had
travelled extensively and appeared in many
ways much older than his years. In con-
versation I have never met his SUPERIOR
seldom his equal. We were introduced
one day in August on the beach, and for
the next two weeks we walked on the
beach, we drove on the beach, WI sat on
the beach watching the flowing tide come
in, we stood on the beach looking at the
moon shining with all her might on the
ouiyering waves, and then we plighted
our troth on the beach and left it an en-
gagged couple.
He had, I soon found, a masterful way
that caused one to carry out his sugges-
lions instinctively - overlaid, however,
with great g%entleness of manner and a per-
suasiveness not to be resisted. The gloves
were so soft that the iron hand was sue
cessfully hidden, even from those far more
experienced and keen of perception than
myself. 1t was something new for me to
be thus controlled. An only child, l had
possessed the knack Of making the house
hold bend to my will ever since l could re-
member, but I had met my match in Jer-
ONE Croker.
The middle of September came. At this
time my mother and I had usually left the
shore for beautiful Lenox, where we ound
us, but this year my jerome required my
presence in the city. He was longing for
my society. We could take long drives
in the suburbs in the late afternoon, walks
in the evening-in short, we could be to-
gether, which was the proper thing for the
betrothed couple.
To my amazeIment and-shall ! confess
it?-a little disappointment, which l did
not understand, my mother agreed with
him, and to town we returned. l found
now that / was taken in hand with a
vengeance. Jerome monopolized nearly
all of my time He planned my employ
ment for tho day by mapping out in black
and white the manner in which he expect
ed me to pass tho hours when he could not
be with Inc.
He informed me that I was not method
ical in my pursuits, which was true
enough, I thought, with u sigh. His in
tcntion was evidently to revolutionize my
habits, tastes and temperament also, II
that were possible. Beginning with piano
music, he laid down the rule that | must
practice -four hours each day without fail,
no more, no less-just that.
He prescribed two hours for five finger
exercises and the remaining two ON one
of Beethoven's most difficult s~onatas,
which he had selected, and which he
wished me to make a special study. Now,
l had been in the habit of practicing when
and how liked, and though l had studied
for three years or more with n of the
most competent instructors my playing,
judged from an artistic standpoint, was
careless and slipshod, but having great
musical intelligence / was enabled easily
to master difficulties of execution, and it
was necessary formeonly to applymyself to
steady and conscientious practice to attain
a fair degree Of excellence in the mechan-
ical part of the art at least.
My reading was next taken in hand. On
being catechised it was found that l was
woefully ignorant in regard to most of the
standard writers.
Carlyle? No? had never read a SEN
tence of that virile, dogmatic old worthy.
Accordingly a dose of the French Reyo-
lution'' was administered. One hour a
day was to be spent in gazing at the series
OF 1urid pictures thrown off at white heat
by this grand impressionist, fired with in
dignation at the slow, sad years of inJNs-
tice and tyranny.
jerome spent nearly every evening with
me, and l was fully questioned as to my
progress. Alas, a disgraceful pluck too Of
ten awaited mel l had seldom made out
my four hours of practice, owing to call
ers, engagements with dressmakerS or
headaches. The last l began to have in
plenty. And the French Revolution!" I
could not grasp the situation or under
stand two consecutive sentences and was
helpless to make out in the least what all
those people who seemed so terribly in
earnest were trying to do.
That ponderous work was accordingly
replaced by David Copperfield, which l
should have heartily enjoyed had 1 not
felt that l was regarded by jerome in the
light of another Dora Spenlow. I had an
underlying conviction that the story was
given to me that / might see how small
and insignificant a poor little brainless
woman car be in the eyes of a bright, in
telleotual man. I am of the opinion to
this day that Jerome had an Interior OBJ
ject in selecting that charming book just
at that time. AS I look back on that
strange year of my youth, which was a
veritable storm and stress period, marvel
at my blindness and complete ~infatuation.
My will was entirely merged into that of
Jerome. His calm assumption and quiet
frmness in laying down rules for me were
like the commands laid on the hapless Six
Hundred.
His voice was rich and melodious, and
his manner polished to courtliness, with
not a shade of sternness, even when, as
was so often the case, he must have been
sadly disguised at my lack of appreciation
of subjects in which. he found SO much to
enjoy. Strange to say, he made no ad-
verse criticism on my style of dress. 1t is
true I was always consummately clothed
NOT alone by my own taste, but because
I was allowed to go to the best dresslnak-