The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-01-03


half scornful of Smithers' sage cautions,
was delightful. He learned Of her ante
cedents that they were modest country
folk who wished she would come home.
Smithers made the object Of his visit
that of telling her that he. an expert
enced critic, believed in her talent and
would be glad to do anything he could
for her. She asked him earnestly to call
again. He solemnly promised to do SO.
Smithers was not quite sure before
paying the visit. this the first. that he
was not about to make an ass of himself.
"What if she turns ont to be silly or
scheming creature like the others?''
He knew at a glance when she enter
ed the parlor of the boarding house that
he had made no mistake She was good
and sweet, talented and-yes. and
pretty very.
II he had missed something Of savoir
faire in her manner; il he wished, the
least in the world, that she had ques-
toned his right to call upon her, become
downright angry-not half so-at his
daring. were he, Smithers, to advise
her, a stranger, he put such thoughts
from his mind as foolish. ''She is q
little crude, but she has the markings Of
a wife any man might be proud Of. I
shall ask her to render me the happiest
man in the world in about five weeks. I"
And so he probably would have done
had he not changed his mind and had
not another woman come into his life.
1t was the leading lady, she who played
the adventures in 1.-THE Fullness Of
Life. a."
He previously had had an indefinite
prejudice against blends and sedulously
had avoided meeting such prominent
women OH the stage as he knew his du-
ties would require him to estimate. He
had thought that to know them socially
would prejudice his Judgment of their
work.
But Eleanor Lane had sent for him.
She was widow, a shrewd woman and
really a good one. The idea that a
woman must be an undesirable ac-
quaintance because she has business
ability is false. Miss Lane had brains,
talent and beauty.
She explained to Mr.. Smithers when
he called in answer TO her invitation
that she had always wanted to meet
him and particularly after his kind no.
tice of the play in which she was at
the time appearing. Smithers had not,
it will be remembered, mentioned Miss
Lane in his criticism. 1t was with scant
courtesy that he acknowledged her COM
pliments, and when he left he compared
her advances with Ernestine Gilbert's
maidenly modesty.
Meantime Eleanor Lanes vanity had
been hurt by the indifference, first pro-
fessional, now personal, of the critic,
and she resolved to bring him to her feet.
Smithers dropped in to the theater
one evening not long after to renew his
admiration for Miss Gilbert's talent.
But it seemed to him that she was
rather absurdly lacking in force. Why
did she appear so bashful? He noticed
that Miss Lane played with remarkable
vigor and wondered why he had not no.
ticed it before.
After Mr.. Smithers' next call upon
Miss Gilbert she went to her room and
cried. 1t was what he had not said that
brought the tears. He had paid but the
most formal visit, had not spoken of her
future or of her present, except to ask if
she were i'll, or why she seemed so weak.
Ernestine understood. Smithers un-
derstood too. And he hated himself.
But not so deeply as TO exclude the
thought that he was lucky to have found
it out before he had spoken of marriage.
After all, the girl was only one of an
enormous number, without sufficient
force of character. though having some
talent no doubt, who may early fail and
drop from the ranks And why should
he, Smithers, throw away his life in
bringing up woman of her caliber,
when the leading woman at the Empire,
for instance, with her brains, her posi-
ton, her responsibility, had given
dozen tactful indications of being re-
markably we'll disposed toward him?
Clearly, to tie himself for life to a mere
nobody would be ridiculous.
A month later miss" Lane became
NILS. toulliltIs. tol6 bllll IOluS HtT DOSl-
ton as queen of public hearts at the
Empire. Smithers looks after her press
notices with marked punctuality and is
allowed to carry his wife's money to
and from the bank
There are those who say that he does
not love his lady, but fears her. Smith
ers is known recently to have written
over nom de plume a serious article
on SHOULD Man Marry For Love or
Professional Advancement" 1t was Of
fered TO The North American Insight,
but the editor returned it, with a note
saying that his magazine was not in
tended to meet the wants of the feeble
minded. Smithers is getting over his
youth. He spends his leisure time, such
as he has, in wondering whether it is
better, on the whole, to have wife to
live up to or down to-New York