Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-12-20

the man she marriesi / am hereto
enough to believe that she ought not.
If were in love, 1 should not be able
to summon my reason to array all the
advantages L am to derive from nv
marriage--to stand them all up in a
row to look at and admire. and to as.
sure myself that will do well to take
them and their owner, and to leave en-
tirely out of the question the fact that
care less than nothing for him
am glad l don't love him. Love
seems little vulgar to me when [
think of Mr.. Finch, Besides, [ should
be ashamed of myself if 1 were in love
with--himl [ hope [ still have nav
former good taste. My taste is not
polluted, even if / have decided TO
marry him. [ have always fiattered
myself that [ knew superior men. and
that brought out their good points.
wonder if AIr. Finch has any good
points to bring out! Here heis. Not
handsome no. His best friend could
not call him handsome. [ don't like
his mouth. Those thin lips look as If
they could be cruel. He won't beat
me; he will be sarcastic. That long
nose will go up at the corners and look
more pointed and ugly, aud those lines
at the side will deepen into burrows,
and dear Mr.. Finch won't be pretty to
look at nor pretty to hear, [ can assure
you.
Ii were in love with him, his sar-
casm could hurt me. As it is, [ shall
shrug my shoulders and turn my back
on him until he cools down. I hate
man with temper. I've enough for
q whole family.
No, De is not handsome. He is not
good-tempered. Has he anything to
recommend him to woman? Yes
one. He is rich. Rich beyond the
dreams OF avarice, and he knows it.
and counts on it to buy him friends
and-even wife. feel as if | We're
bale of cotton or carload of pig
iron when think of it. He thinks
his money will compensate for the lack
of family and the lack of breeding. and
that it will even get him into heaven.
Well, 1t will almost do that. [ SUD-
pose heaven is the only place where
money will not buy an entrance into
best circles.
wonder if he loves me! He saws
he does, but it makes me creepy to
hear him talk about it. Love! What
does a man who goes by the name OF
Finch, and has such a colorless per-
sonality, know about so beautiful n
thing as love? L am sure I wish he
wouldn't talk about it, or try to pump
up any of the requisite emotion. Iwish
he were even more -blooded about
it than he is
am unable to soften the matter, or
to throw any glamour over it when |
sit here and think about him and the
life must live if / marry him. All my
sophistry takes wings and leaves me to
face the cold, bare truth.
wonder if | shall be actively or
passively unhappy Shall [ just miss,
IN general way, all the beauty and
holiness of the love [ have lost, OF will
it take form and frame face and
speak to me with voice that will
wiring tears from my heart?
If n woman's heart is filled with
love for Il man, it makes it so tender
that he has doubly the power to wound
by word or neglect. Mr.. Finch
could never hurt me. If he would
neglect me | should be glad. If he
attempted to coerce me, L should hate
him. If he tried to make me love
him, | should want to kill him.
don't know why [ have suddenly
come to feel things so poignantly to-
night. l have been lending myself to
this thing for months, and it did not
hurt. L have felt SO cold and apathetic
that it gave me courage to go on.
But the whole thing came to a crisis
to-day, and now [ must face it and
look clear down the vista of the years
to the bitter end. The question is,
Can | do it?
Where are you, Mr.. Finch? Come
out from your hiding-place and let me
look you in the eyes-my future lord
and master-my-husband!
Pah! What an ugly word husband
is, unless it means the right mani
Here he is. A sleek looking indi
vidual, with his hair neatly plastered
down as if it were glued there. I dom