Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-30
A FAMILY FORMALITY


|
dom. In fact, its pieasurable endurance be
| came the initiation and test of their friend
ship Henry would make many a shy jes,
about his wife having done the counting.
and Agnes would toss her head and blush
and protest that "she didn't care" which.
| being translated from feminine cipher.
| meant that she did care very much and
| was quite proud of her conduct.
Then, as the children grew up they, too.
| became familiar with the recital; indeed,
| their earliest play of any imagination was
| an acting of its details. Young Arthur got
| to tease his parents about 1t; but pretty
Madge would have far sooner joked about
Joseph and his brethren. The tale became
| sacred legend to her, adding a romantic
admiration TO filial love. She never wearied
of it's repetition, and her flushed cheeks
and parted lips and sparkling eyes were in
part the cause of its being stored away on
| the topmost shelf in the closet Of family
tradition.
BLESS the dear little heart" Agnes said
one day to her husband, in that connubial
| confidence which is a shade less interesting
| than soliloQuy. I'VE must get that silly
yarn out of her head, or else one OF these
| fine days she will be following my dreadful
| example" And so, in their sapience. they
| maiden's fancy to do its own fanciful edorn-
| ing.
The story 80 buried was as follows:
Henry Greenock, when a penniless young
graduate of Pierson, Just scraping on the
ash-heap of the law, had dared to make love
| to Agnes Blondell. only child of old Blondell,
who had acquired such riches doth unctu-
Gus and financiaU in OIL Singularly enough,
the millionaire instead of enacting the
stern parent from lowering eyebrow to tip
of boot. had rather fanced the young at
| torney, and thus their passion, being ORR
ented to this golden sun, had prospered in
the light Of its countenance.
But there had come difficulties Swinging
from too much facility. as most difficulties
90. Henry was proud in proportion to his
poverty, and sensitive in proportion to his
pride Agnes was frivolous. and high-spir-
Tied enough to deem her frivolity a right.
she loved sincerely; yet retained her dis
crlmlnatlon. Henry was her chosen above
all others; but still there were the others
she really liked TO make much of them, too,
IL only Tor the sake of the delicious con-
trast And SO there had been a quarrel,
desperate words, and an onlinous disappear
ance on the part of Henry. Judgment OF
good riddance" growled by the disguised
oil king, and to Agnes, repentance and
agitation and despair. She was SO sorry,
She wanted to sob her contrition but how
could she properly do without an ad-
jacent manly breast? Do what she could
she was unable 10 lind a trace OF the rec
, reant.
At last she advertised for him success
fully. but at the expense Of a great sensa-
tion-and OF current rates. She had placed
the Following personal in the most promi-
nent newspaper of the metropolis: Darling
Henry. Forgive me. Return at once to
your brokenhearted A. b." At least so
she had meant to write it: but in her emo
ton she had not only signed her full name
but had added her address. And people
had laughed and talked, and old BlondeIl
had sworn as only IN oleaginous millionaire
can swear at the presumption Of an unto
ward event. and Henry had come back.
and wedding bells had sounded joyous rec
onciliation.
Greenocks in their young days Wanted and
In their ripe days ignored. Parental pru-
dence as has been seen, in part worked
this change: but the dignity of prosperity
perpetuated Ii. OLD Blondell died full Of
years (and of OLD and left countless dollars
each one of which Henry ana Agnes soon
came to regard as a reward of merit prop
eriy bestowed. They rapidly advanced into
that middle-aged state Of complacence,
Which is both puffy and poinpous. and there,
as If 1t were seventh day, they rested.
And in particular they did not suffer their
memory To do any work. Why should they,
Indeed; since If change be recalled il may
also be anticipated. The river Lethe right
iy borders the Elysian fields; and forgetful-
ness is but another name for selfish sat
isfaction. The romantic preliminary to
their marriage was at variance to their
respected decorous and opulent condition in
which marriages are arranged; people, who
have arrived. must put away childish things
or their former absence becomes apparent
Does any one suppose that Agnes, at meet
irgs of the Ethical Culture Club, ever con-
fessed that once she flirted, or that Henry
before corporate boards, boasted of his col
legiate taste for golden bucks and bitter
NnhlasSa nhliya- iallx -b..,, L.
comes from oil.
But Madge kept the tradition deep within
her heart. The flirting part of ii had al
Ways been expurgatei in her presence.
hence II stood as the epitome of constant
loyal devotion. Chvalry did not die when
man abandoned the golden spurs; 1t fingers
a holy spark in many a maiden's breast
When Madge returned home from her fin
ishing school, prettier, more Iinsome than
ever. her mother was well pleased with the
outward evidences of what had been achiev-
ed. Could she have looked within she
would have seen ideals. purposes and as
pirations rendered firm by purity and truth.
which would have seemed signs of neglect
to her. for pincushiony bosom often gets
to cover a pincushiony heart. But Madge
kept her gods within their chosen shrine
where their worship since secret would be
sincere. Perhaps the time might come
when she would have to defend them: she
hoped not, for her spirit was light and low
Gus, Wen pleased with the good things
the air. She hoped not, for she knew that
then not to endure and not to suffer would
seem sacrilege to her. Heroism is a brute
instinct unless reason qualities it with fear.
At this time Arthur was a sophomore at
Pierson. heartily emulating the fame which
his father had repudiated. In an endeayor
TO see all sides of college life and thus gain
a well-rounded education he had formed
two friendships, one with Raymond Larned.
a scholastic marvel, the other with Jack
Barton. a convivial prodigy; or, to use an
apt classical comparison, with a very old
Socrates and very young Alcibiades.
There was. however, a saving quality in
each of these young men. A sense of
humor kept the former from being a pric.
a sense of honor kept the latter from being
a rake. That spirit of frank, honest COM
radeship which Pierson implants as an in
stinct bound Arthur and these two mem
tors in a circle of intimacy
1t was natural then that during the sum-
mer they should all be together at the
Greenock country seat. And since there
they both saw Madge, It was natural that
the two guests should simultaneously and
With equal zest fall in love with her In
his wooing, each one showed his nature
Jack was passionate, tender devoted.
deeming any number of words we'll lost
and peopling the universe with bur his
charmer and himself. Raymond too was
gallant-he would explain Greek ouota
ton, or the precise epoch of rock with
infinite patience and consideration. Rut as
his studies had taught him to ALWAYS seek
the primal cause, he was deferential tn his
host and attentive to his hostess
With the one he discussed Investments