Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-03-19

door," he asked himself, "or come into
the gardeni"
A rustic of the silk skirts coming
down the path toward him, a glimpse
of a comely figure silhouetted momen-
tarily against the pendent ivy, was the
agreeable answer to this query.
"As we have beth come very long
distances and indisputably upon the same
quest" she began, "it is but fair, in
deed the right and civil thing to do, l
think, to ask you if you have come to
any decision about the house? / be-
heve"-here her eyebrows went up, and
she showed gleam of teeth-''in all
business matters man takes precedence. p"
but, in matters of sentiment" he
interrupted her, woman.
Sentiment" she said. "Do you
think, then, that even in her business
transactions woman is necessarily SEN
timental?"
81 certainly do" he answered.
She moved on down nearer the tagged
edge of the reach and stood looking
away across it to the green meadows op-
posite, each detail of her charming per-
son duplicated in the water with dis
tracing accuracy.
"Ah, if you knew me better" she
said, "you would find that am most
prosaic creature. / threw aside senti-
ment ten years ago, when I threw aside
my youth. My head at this moment, if
you could only see the workings Of it,
is full of the prosiest speculations as to
the drainage of the cottage, the exact
character of the soil on which it stands,
for / have strong suspicion 1t is built
upon clay. I am propounding, too,
whether like the kitchen range. The
scullery strikes me as having been
thought of afterward, and about the
bathroom fittings am just wondering.
1t seems to me they are inadequate, as
compared with the flowery suggestion
Of sanitary perfection conveyed in The
Daily Telegraph; and, we'll, the draw
ing and dining rooms are certainly rath-
er circumscribed, aren't they?'
"Yet, at the same time, you are agree
ably pleased on the whole?" he suggest
ed.
"On the principle that nothing, even
in six roomed cottages ON the banks Of
the Thames, can entirely reach the full
ness of our expectations-yes. "
He smiled and spread his hands.
"In that respect the best of us are but
as little children ever searching after
what is absolutely impossible in this
world-perfection he answered.
Eyes, why is it? We should not like
it if we could get it either. Yet we
search, search, search, and waste our
whole lives"
She turned her arch glance toward him
and waited.
"It is our disease. Perhaps it is put
there purposely that we should not
grow too fond Of living Besides-and
here comes the irony Of tiff every.
thing were perfection we shouldn't
know it,"
"No, we should want counteractine
foils, like milestones, to show us it il
perfection. Her eyes travelled up the
green slope toward the house, and she
added, reverting to it: "But you, yor
also, like this by no means faultless bi
jou residence. Yes, I can see by your
face. Youl face assures me that yor
have seen something today that pleases
you."
He dropped his hazel eyes upon hel
and leaned on his cane.
eyes," he said slowly. II have Ger
tainly seen something that pleases MI
today. But" he added quickly, II an
willing to waive priority if have it
which I doubt, in your favor and bacl
out of all competition with regard t.
the bijou residence. After all, wha
does it signify? I am bachelor; any
thing will do for me-.
"And I am spinster, :" she said will
smile. "Why should not anything d.
for me?"
"For all their never 'avin met til
this ERE morning, they seem to b
mighty friendly" observed the care
taker watching their departure dow
the shady road together later. 81
seems to me to lie more question o
taking each other than taking the house
They amt said nothing about the hous
one way or t'other, but they ave SAT-
good deal about each othe- judging b.
their eyes, -
The woman picked more wild flower
as she went back, the man assisting her
Midway down the dusty lane they reste
on fallen oak, the victim of recen
> cyclone, and told each other their biog
raphies. At the inn, close to the rail
way, they lunched together in the I'M
parlor, criticising the proprietor's idea
of art afterward, task of elastic qual
ity according to the degree Of -opportu
: nifty for lingering desired. And she-sh
never looked prettier, even in her palm
lest days.
Have you ever traced the genesis of al
acquaintance? 1t may be quite as caps
BILE of wide advances and undreame
conclusions as the genesis of speech
You may begin in the tropic Of Canoe
and end in Siberia; or you may begin i
Siberia and end in the tropic Of Cancer
it's all matter of chance. But thi
man and this woman began and ende
in the tropic of Cancer, and SO there wa
a marriage in the paper, but the bio
residence is still unlet. George Wemyf
in Sketch.
, He Made Books.