Evening star., 1895-08-17
THE PROPER STUDYOF MANKIND
Is WOMAN.
BY W. J. HAMPTON.

to my friend BaScom. mo, sir, shall not
acc ompany you into the haunts of the un-
married woman"
But my dear Marstcn," argued Bascom,
you ought to go. OF course. you are
bachelor of fifty"
Touch lightly on that point, please"
said I.
LAS the years have" he continued with
a complimentary senudexion. But, as
was going on to say, the fact that you are
fifty is in your favor. for you are now, to
all intents and purposes. seasoned timber,
and are that much more valuable
ITO whom, pray?"
"To the world; to society,""
But I tell you 1 hate society,""
"Why, my dear boy?'
Because society is merely corporation
of associated individuals in which women
hold the majority of the stock, and have
no use for women
THAT Is ungallant in the extreme"
"And equally honest
"Oh," he laughed, lone doesn't have to De
SO honest as all that in such matters"
That's why I am untitled for the place.
I'm too honest
Society might make fad of you as a
novelty"
And again, my dear BascoTn, 1t mightn't.'
However, whether it does or not, 1 want
you to get out of the rut of bachelordom
and go with me-
You are very kind
For a verify. old man. Will you go?"
"As | said In the beginning, 1 now re-
peat: No, SIR >"
You don't even know where I want you
tc go"
somewhere where there are women, and
tell you l want none of them. l have been
bachelor for fifty years and I'm getting
used to it,
IT'S like any other bad habit one ac-
quires; he isn't sensible of his misery"
BaScom had been married for several
years, and I had his frequent assurance
that his entire married life was nothing
more nor less than a path of silver sun
shine through golden garden of roses.
1t was charming metaphor, but 1t fell
Upon unappreciative ears, for I knew that
Bascom had written poetry in his youth,
and. in addition to that, he was married,
and ! knew what all married men had to
say to bachelors of matrimony as they had
found 1t. 1t was simply sugar spread upon
an uncertain condition in order to catch
such unwary flies as might be attracted
thereby.
Where ignorance is bliss, my boy"
smiled, serenely, its folly to acquire an
education"
"Pshaw." he replied, in dissenting voice,
that sentiment is a relic of the early
ages"
so is marriage" I ventured. adam
and Eve began it, and you can't go much
further back in the record than that, 1
fancy"
I was getting the better of him in the
argument, just as / always had done when
and he began to show signs of retreatiny
We'll. well" he said. have it your own
way. I'm sure 1 can stand it if you can,
but say you will join me over Sunday at
my own home. I've told my wife about
you, and she is so anxious to see you that
she commissioned me to invite you out for
Sunday
Bachelor or no bachelor, / could not af-
ford to be boor, and to slight such an in
vitation as this was inexcusable. So be-
gan to hedge a bit.
MY dear Bascom.'' said, apologetically
why dida't you tell me you wanted ME to
20 to your own house?"
We'll, it hadn't just occurred to me, I
guess" and he laughed
"Of course" l went on. ''it is quite a diff
ferent thing to go there than to go"
Then youn go?' he interrupted. with
such an interest that became suspicious
"Are there any of the gay and giddy
throng about?'' asked.
Summer girls and such?" he replied.
Mostly
Then I'll be frank with you and say
there is not one on the place"
Under the circumstances. then, I'll 60"
Good for you, old man." he exclaimed.
ciappiHS ME on the back. III go and
telegraph my wife that you will come up
with me Saturday evening"
Does that mean you will also drop a
hint to have few girls on hand? Because
If it does, l shall back out at once. 1t Is
to be family affair entirely
That's all right. l give you my assur-
anSe that only the members of our family
vill he there"
Then he went out of my office to send his
dispatch.
Bascom was business friend of mine of
about thirty, with strong commercial in
stinct, and as l was an old hand, l felt an
interest in him when he first appeared in
the street. and in various ways helped him
to better his condition, ard 1 had never
given him tip that he had not got out of
1t all there was in sight, and in some in
stances he got more than even my expe-
rienced eye saw in them. He was square,
though, in all things, and a good fellow be-
sides, so that there was little wonder that
we should have grown to be friends.
1t was about o'clock Saturday after
noon when he reached his home in the
country, three hours earlier than his usual
time of arrival. as he had taken me out at
that hour SO We might have little loafing
spell before dinner, and as the day was
unusually fine in the country. and as it had
not been pleasant in the heated town,
was glad enough that he had been so
thoughtful.
1t was delightful under tie big trees of
his door-yard-he objected to calling it a
lawn-and when he brought out couple Of
great. juicy mint juleps, and we sat there
browsing upon them, l don't think l ever
felt more az peace with all the world than
1 did at that very moment.
Later, Mrs. Bascom, a dainty little wo-
man with three as pretty children as chill
dren can be pretty to a bachelor of my
proclivjties. Joined US, and with her came
her sister, Mrs Hilman. a matronly wo-
man of thirty-five, to whom 1 was formal
ly presented.
l confess to an sdmiration Of Mrs Hill
man as soon as 1 saw her, not that Mrs.
Bsscom wasn't admirable, but that her
sister was older and more substantial to
my mind. In fact, Mrs. Hilman was Of
that pleasing rotundity of person which
seems to appeal to an unromantic man Of
fifty, while Mrs. Bascom was rather spir-
ftueIIe, and reminded one more of angels
than of good housekeepers. In addition to
her other attractions, Mrs. Hiiman was of
the laughing, jolly kind of women, who
seem to carry a surplus of sunshine with
them for general distribution. and always
had kind of sneaking fondness for that
kind of woman.
At o'clock we had a delightful dinner
and then a pleasant family gathering on
the piazza, with fine view of the water
out by the sky line. and of the little village
down on the shore with its dancing lights
the stars. Both of the ladies