The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-03-01
A WOMAN'S YES.
An Incident in the Love Affairs of
Miss Bragg.


wonderfully clever young woman.
This was meant in no qualified sense; it
carried with it no contingencies; the
distinction was positive. The fact of
her cleverness stood prominently apart,
and was notable item in the general
assets of her social set. 1t became one
of the chief facts concerning her inter
esting personality, and frequently over
Swallowed less striking ones when she
was being conversationally considered.
She was of the slender, willOwy type;
tall as most men, and graceful after an
unconscious, unstudied fashion. Her
face had straight, angular lines, and
was not essentially pretty. When she
smiled it revealed many surprising
curves and subtle charms of expression.
eyes, power under complete subsection
of her will. Her hair was of the
bright yellow tint of over-ripe wheat,
the tint that somehow suggests arti-
fciality.
Miss Bragg's love experiences had
been numerous; but she had managed
with her cleverness to give them va
riety. Every man she had ever known
well had attempted to make love to her.
She thought it very amusing, and her
women friends agreed with her in this
view when she told them of her ex-
periences, emitting names. She was
not without conscien in the matter,
however, and contented herself with
believing that all of her admirers would
get over their weakness without per-
manent hurt.
A brief note from one of thesS ad-
mirers received one morning just as she
was going out produced marked effect
upon Miss Bragg. She gave up her in
tention to so out and sat down to read
a second and third time the very brief
and conventional epistle. 1t was a
very concise note from MIR. Philip New
mann, asking her to walk with him in
the afternoon.
These walks, it must be explained,
formed one of Miss Bragg's character
istic social institutions. Besides being
clever she was peculiar. She went
walking with young men much oftener
than she went driving or to the theater
with them. Mr.. Phil Newman had
been one of the first young men to en-
joy the pleasure of these walks, and
the sight of him promenading with Miss
Bragg had inspired countless other
young men to aspire to the same priv
ilege. But for three years, although
she had walked often, Newman had
not been her companion. She had seen
him occasionally at balls, parties, the
theater and elsewhere, but had had lit
tie communication with him. The day
before receiving his note she had passed
him on the street and he had bowed in
distantly polite manner.
After reading the note the third time
and vainly trying to comprehend it's
meaning she took from the cabinet, in
which she kept all her letters, letter
in the same handwriting, and, putting
the two together, studied them. Though
totally different in tone and apparent
meaning she believed them to be of
practically the same import. The first,
written by Newman just after their
last walk together three years before,
was timid. half fearful proposal of
marriage. 1t had tremulous note of
fear in it-fear that she would refuse
The last-just four lines-asked her to
walk, nothing more. Yet, Miss Bragg's
logic gave the two the same meaning.
WELL" said Miss Bragg, as she
finished her note of acceptance, 1.-THE
answers the same to both letters
YES Before it was a qualified, OBJ
scure 'yes'-he didn't recognize in it's
disguise. This time-I don't like this
I'll make it plain FOR him."
She tore up what she had written,
and pcnned in scrawling, careless char
acters: ''Yes-Louise Bragg. l like that
BETTER" she said. She read Newmann's
note again, half smiling. 81 wonder if
this last phase in the evolution of Mr..
Newmanns feelings is as compliment
airy to me as the first" she specialized.
lies man of moods, phases and Pc
riods. It's hard to make out the mean
ing of this last. 1t sounds like last
appeal. He is u human paradox"
OF all her love affairs, this was the
most interesting to Miss Bragg. This
was due to its novel history and to
other reasons Newman was a So
ciety man of not remarkable mental
caliber. He measured up to the aver
age of his set. He was rather tall and
handsome, with o face typically south
ern. What particular quality of his
that drew her toward him, Miss Bragg
herself could not say-but she was con-
scious of liking him. Their walks, as
has been said, were frequent, and their
talks, while confidential. had never
touched upon matrimonial topics.
He reserved the mention of this sub
ject for the letter that has been re-
ferred to. Miss Bragg was a bit dis
appointed at having so important
question treated after the manner of a
business negotiation. 1t seemed lit
tie cowardly to write. Her reply was
enthusiastically worded. To few
men in the world it would have meant
mo" but to the generality of men
''yes"-a woman's yes
a call the next day would have ac-
corded with Miss Bragg's idea of what
the behavior Of young man in New
mann's place should have been, but he
did not call the next day, the next
week, the next month or the next year
Indeed three whole years passed and
he neither wrote or spoke to her upon
the subject After n short time she re-
pent'y1 of having replied as she had