Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1895-09-26

creed was thrown to the winds, my
proud ambition hunbled in the dust,
and became a willing slave to the sex
had so long despised and ignored My
only thought now was how and in what
words l should beseech my darling An
ME to become my wife. Time after time
/ was on the point Of speaking, but Julia
always turned up at the critical mo-
ment.
One evening Julia announced that a
week thence she had an engagement to
play at a concert. Then burst upon me
brilliant inspiration. purchased two
stall tickets for the Lyceum for that
same evening, and making pretense that
had had them given to me | persuaded
Annie to promise to accompany me.
This time Julia would not be able to in
trude, and l should know my fate In
two months time should be taking my
summer holiday, which would fit in just
nicely for the honeymoon
On the eventful day hastened home
ward with queer fiuttering in my
heart and a flower spray for Annie in
my hat Julia opened the door, and
hardly permitted me to enter before she
informed me that Annie had been out
in the hot sun and had been obliged to
go to bed with very bad sick head
ache. My futtering heart gave one huge
bound and then seemed to stand still
However, to disguise my feelings, 1
said:
81 am sorry, and you have to play at
the concert?i'
"No, she replied, the concert has
been postponed y
"Then may l beg the pleasure of your
company? I did not ask you before be-
cause of the concert engagement "
"Thanks | shall enjoy it immense
ly."
What a miserable failure that even
ing proved to be- l do not even know
what the play was called. ] was think
ing all the time of my poor, sick dar-
ling, and not Of the acting or the wom-
an who sat by my side wearing the
flower spray that was meant for Annie.
The words We're still unspoken when
my holidays arrived, and tearing my
self away from the two sisters who
stood at the gate and waved their hand
kerchiefs as long as Iremained in sight
it was with no feelings Of joyful antici-
patton that I betook myself to Hastings
for rest and recreation.
Rest Where could 1 find it? Not
on the parade or pier amid hundreds
of couples promenading, as | had pic
tured Annie and myself doing; not on
the beach, where the Ethiopian musi-
clans were eternally playing "Annie
Laurie, - Sweet Annie Rooney" and
Annie, Dear, I'm Called Away" For
a whole week | wandered aimlessly
hither and thither. Then l could stand
it no longer So I wrote a long letter
commencing Darling" and pouring
out the impassioned, pent up love that
comes but once in a mans lifetime, /
besought and beseeched her to take
pity upon me, or my lifeless body should
surge in the billows that beat relent-
lessly on the rocks Of Beachy head.
When had finished, | happened to
catch sight Of photograph which had
purchased the previous day, represent
ing one Of the yachts preparing to start
ON her morning trip, with my own fig
ure in a prominent position in the bow
"Ah, thought |, "I'll send that to
Julia y
If it were possible / had now less rest
than before, night or day, while wait
ing for the answer. Rising in the morn
ing with haggard looks and burning
brow, the other boarders would remark
that the sea air did not seem to agree
with me, while under the mask of as
sumed Indifference there ragged within
me the fiercest volcano that ever burned
in the heart Of man.
AT last the reply came, and, bounding
up to the privacy of my own room, with
trembling fingers | tore open the en-
yelope which hid from me-life or
death?
Dearest, ! am yours forever. / can
not say your proposal was unexpected,
for l have felt that you could mean
nothing less ever since that evening
when you so openly expressed your pref
erence by taking me to the theater"-
What, whew, where l looked at the
signature, Julia Z Oh, heavens, | saw
it all l had placed them in the wrong
envelopes and sent the letter to Julia
and the photograph to Anniel How
ragged and fumed and tore my hair, un-
til at last, in sheer exhaustion, l sank
into chair and endeavored to finish
reading the letter.
Annie thanks you very much for the
photo, and she desires me to tell you
that yesterday Mr. Malcolm proposed to
her and was accepted We will have
the two weddings on the same day.
Won that be nice, dear?''
Nice This was the last straw. Nice
indeed for me to be married to wom-
an l did not care for, and at the same
time to see the one l loved given to an
other man. | cannot remember what /
did for the next hour or two beyond
cursing my foolishness and swearing |
wouldn't marry Julia. Then, when
became calmer, / saw an action for
breach Of promise looming thought
of all my hard earned savings Of years
being swept away by sympathetic jury
to heal Julia 3 broken heart There was
no escape for me. She had my letter,
which simply commenced Darling,
and as no name was mentioned in it
from beginning to end was it possible
that any body Of intelligent men could
be brought to believe that l intended it
for Annie when addressed the envel-
ope to Julia? No, not / must 90 through
with it. would marry Julia Yes, and
would teach her that man is the lord
Of creation, and that woman is but a
helpmate and not an equal, and so, in
my married life, triumphantly assert
those principles which 1 had held so
long.
Julia married me at the same time
and place as Annie became Mrs. Nal
colin. l now spend my evenings endeav-
oring to solve difficult problem, and
that is, Why do they call woman the
weaker sex?--London Tit Bits.
Old Stone Walls.
Who,, 10 oor,nt,.rv xx~a~ ,,nxry ,,,o,,r