Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-01-04
A BOSTON ROMANCE.

A BOSIUN RUMANCE.
was IS. He was ten years my senior.
He was my first lover and l was con.
WINGED that 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 be
might be IA gentleman of leisure.
Meantime he was employed at a salary
of 5000 Il year, prefcrring 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 l 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 tho
beach, we drove on the beach, we sat on
the beach watching the flowing tide come
in, we stood on the beach looking at tho
moon shining with all her might on the
quivCring waves, and then we plighted
our troth on the beach and left it an en-
gagged couple.
He had, l soon found, mastcrful way
that caused one to carry out his suggeS-
tions instinctivcly - OVERLAND, however,
with great gcntlcncss of manner and per
suasivGnCss 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 could re-
member, but had met my match in Jer-
ONE Croker.
The middle of September came. At this
time my mother and had usually left the
shore for beautiful Lenox, where we found
the social atmosphere most Congcnial to
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 event gin short, we could be to-
gethcr which was the proper thing for the
betrotLcd couple.
To my amaZcmcnt and-shall l confess
it?-a little disappointment, which did
not understand, my mother agreed with
him, and to town We returned. | found
now that l was taken in hand with a
vengeance. Jerome monopolizcd nearly
all of my time. He planned my employ
ment for the day by mapping out in black
and white the manner in which he expect
ed me to pass the hours when he could not
be with Inc.
He informed me that was not method
zeal in my pursuits, which was true
enough, l thought, with sigh His in
tention was evidently to Tevolutionize my
habits, tastes and temperament also, if
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 Beethovcn's most difficult sonatas
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 had studied
for three years or more with one of tho
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 applymysclft to
steady and conscientious practice to attain
fair degree of excellence in the mCChan-
ical part of the art at least
My reading was next taken in hand. On
being catechiscd it was found that l was
woefully ignorant in regard to most of the |
standard writer's.
Carlyle? No? l had never read a SEN
tence of that virile dogmatic old worthy. |
Accordingly a dose of the French ReYo- |
luton" was administered. One hour a
day was to be spent in gazing at the series |
of lurid pictures thrown off at white heat |
by this grand impressionist, fired with in
dignatiOn at the slow, sad years of injus-
tice and tyranny.
jerome spent nearly every evening with |
me, and was fully questioned as to my
progress Alas, disgraceful pluck too of
ten awaited mel l had seldom made out
my four hours of practice, owing to call
eTs, 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 not
felt that l was regarded by Jerome in the
light of another Dora Spenlow. had an
underlying conviction that the story was
given to me that might see how small
and insignificant a poor little brainlesS
woman can be ri the eyes of a bright, in
tellectual man. am of the opinion to
this day that jerome had an Interior OBJ
ject in selecting that charming book just
at that time. AS l 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 !