The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-07-20
MODERN WOMAN.

Margaret Brockton never for an instant
suspected herself of being assntimentalist
She thought she was modern in every par
tlcular including heart and soul. She
was charming, she knew, and somewhat
vain, clever and little mercenary and
thoroughly worldly wise and worldly
minded. And yet there were three years
when Miss Brookton rivaled any old time
heroine of romance in her sentimental at
titude.
1t happened In this wise: One day,
when she was e3, there came to her Ger
tain stalwart fellow she had known from
infancy and told her what she already
knew-that he loved her and wished to
marry her. Miss Brockton, liking him
exceedingly well, realizing how pleasant
life might be made with his money, his
name, his devotion to her and his compan-
ionship and deciding that the ecstatic love
of which poems and novels treated would
never come to her anyway, accepted him.
The engagement came out duly; the cups
and sauccrs came in. Margaret liked Jack
Whittlestone q great deal and found the
position OF fiancee charming, and all was
well.
y Then the villain appeared upon the
scene in the shape of Louis Radcliffe,
jacks cousin. Louis was delightfully."-
unmodern person, who seemed to have tax.
on for his model some of the early Vic.
torian heroes. He was combination of
youthful romanticism, elderly cynioism
and other interesting qualities. He had u
superb scorn of the conventions, n magnif-
iceut belief In himself and correspond
ing amiable skepticlsm In regard to other
people.
He interested Margaret greatly, she
said, at first. Then she ceased TO say any
thing about him. Jack, not being skilled
in the ways Of women, did not worry over
either his betrothed speech or its absence.
He knew the "ncw woman we'll enough
not to assert his rights and bid her have
less conversation with his cousin, even had
he wished to do SO. Liberty being the law
of Margaret life and unsuspecting good
nature of Jack S, the situation had every
chance TO Complicate itself.
1t did so promptly. Margaret, who had
decided that fervid and ecstatio love was
not at all likely to come her way, awoke
ono fine morning to the realization that
the universe had in 1t just one man
Jacks impossible, poverty stricken, ire
sistible cousin. And Jacks cousin, who
had laughed at Margaret's feminine cynic-
ism and pretense Of GOODNESS, felt that she
and she alone could be tho complement to
his life. They were both unhappy enough
to give them credit for some good inten-
tions but in the midst of their unhappi
ness they were supremacy conscious of
what trlfle misery was compared to tho
| joy of seeing each other.
| Margaret knew perfectly, in her few
sane hours, shat she did not wish to marry
| Louis Radcliffe She realized thnt no
would develop into thoroughly undesir-
able Sort Of husband, even apart from his
! poverty,
'If only could get over this" she
moaned to herself "At 40 l should be
wrotched with hsm, at 40 should be com
Portable If not madly happy with jack.
If only, if only were 40 now"
II was one day when she and Louis had
sat for an hour staring ahead of them at
the sea that the climax came.
"Why don't you talkP" demanded Mar
garet, finding her heartbeats oppressive.
Because cannot say what wish to, I"
he answered. Then, of course he proceed
ed to say tho things which he should not
have said. And for few minutes the sea
and sky reeled before their eyes and they
breathed US If in trance. After which,
according to the sacrifcial modern man
ner, they decided to part, and the next day
the community was startled to learn that
Mr.. Radcliffe was going to Europe
Then 1t was that Margaret showed how
thoroughly lacking sho was in the modern
moroenary spirit she had always claimed.
1t gave her a meurnful satisfaction to
think that, though sho could not marry
Louis, who, to tell the truth, had not asked
her to do so, she need not marry Jack. So
she broke hor engagement promptly and
proceeded to indulge herself In her great
grief. She heard nothing of either Of tho
cousins for long time, for naturally her
course of action with Jack had suspended
communication between the families.
For three years she was secretly as ro.
mantle as the most romantic schoolgirl.
She thought of Louis constantly and
pleased herself by imagining that he, in
Egypt or Algiers or wherever he was must
know her thoughts. She was exceedingly
happy with her grief Outwardly Sd,
seemed much the same, but inwardly sht
acknowledged the sway of love and III
power.
One evening three years after Loui
Radcliffe had gone away she went to Il re
ception. A little pudgy woman, over
dressed and oPergenmed, stood by he
hostess side.
MY cousin, Mrs. Radcliffe, Miss Brock
ton, said her hostess. And then, witt
sudden remembrance: "You must recall
Mr.. Radcliffe He was Jack Whittlestone'
cousin, you know. y
} And thun as Margaret cordially Inquire
aftor Mr. Radcliffe and said how she wei
remembered him, stntlmentalism for til
first time fell away from her. From tina
moment she was the really skeptical an
thoroughly modern woman She had al
ways claimed to Disadvantages