The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-01-29

bAcoe thlhSs hel manner, han shy,
half scornful of Smithers' sage cautions.
was delightful He learned Of her ante
cedents that they were modest country
folk who wished she would como 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 20 do anything be 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 20 make an ass of himself.
What If she turns ont 70 be a silly or
scheming creature like the others?"
He knew at 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; yery
II be bad missrd something Of savoir
faire in her manner s,if he wished, the
4 least in the world, timt she had ques
toned his right toaall upon her, become
downright angry-not half so-at his
daring, We're he, Smithers, 10 advise
her. a stranger. he 1put, such thoughts
from his mind asfoolish. .She is a
little crude. but she has the makings of
a wife any man mightbe proud of.
shall ask lSer 10 render me the happiest
man in the world in about five weeks. ."
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 aiyehturtss in The Fullness OF
| Life.
He previously had had an indefinite
| prejudice against bionds5and sedalously
had avoided meeting spch prominent
women On the stage Us he knew his du-
ties would require him SO 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 IA widow, shrewd woman and
really a good oue The idea that IA
woman must he an undesirable ac
| quaintance because she has business
ability is false. Miss Lane had brains,
talent and beauty.
She explained 70 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 ErHestine Gilberts
maidenly modesty.
Meantime Eleanor Ihne's 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 70 the theater
one evening not long sEier 20 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. II was what he had not said that
brought the tears He had paid but the
most formal visit. had not spoken Of her
future OF 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, Smithcrs, throw away his life in
bringing up a woman Of her caliber
when the leading woman at the Empire,
for instance. with her brains, her posi-
tion, her respectability, had given a
dozen tactfal indications Of being re-
markably well disposed toward him?
Clearly, to tie himself for life TO mere
nobody would be ridiculous
A month later Miss" Lane became
Mrs. Smithers. She still holds her posi-
tion as queen of public hearts at the
Empire. SmitherS locks after her press
notices with marked punctualiiy 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 10 have written
over nom de plume a serious article
on should a Man Marry For Love or
Professional Advancement IL was of
fered to The North American Insight.
but the editor returned it. with note
saying that his magazine was not in
tended to meet the wants Of the feeble
minded Smithors is getting over his
youth He spends his leisure time. such
as he has, in wondering whether u Is
better, on the whole. to have wife to
live up to or down to New York
Press