The Winslow mail., 1897-05-15
.Ddde HdrkInS' Wedding
By VIOLA R0SEBORO.

all but sure 10 find a man i'll love an
OdiOus and tlfesome or noble and graf
flying spectacle, according as he was not
or was i'll love with herself, but now
she was moved to all unusual patience
with Harry, because she was sure that
the colonel's eligibility for marriage
and in all probability his inclination to-
ward that state would be much increas-
ed by Charley's entrance upon it.
Il want to measure your finger, Miss
Kate, F" said Harry, standing in front of
her.
Mercy on us, what for?" said Mrs.
Peytee, leaning back and looking up at
him with brilliant black eyes.
Because / heard Miss Charley say
that you and she wore the same sized
gloves.
He was looking down upon her with
pleased fatuous sense of being rather
neat i'll his way of introducing his sub
ject and of shining little in this early
scene of the lovely happy drama he had
in his mind.
Charley in turn was looking down up
on them both from the garret window.
She now saw him sit down on Mrs Pey-
tees right hand, decidedly close to her,
take string from his pocket and begin
what proved to be the troublesome and
lengthy task of measuring the forefinger
of her left hand. Of course it was Mrs
Peytee who took care that the little task
should be amusingly difficult, and of
course Harry was so innocent-in the
masculine way-that he was all unwarn-
ed by his conscience of the coQuettish
character of these delays.
From her window Charley could even
see the shy, happy embarrassment on his
face and the quizzical, half languishing
glance of the widow.
Naturally from all this she drew con-
clusions, and inevitably. like most hu.
man conclusions, they were erroneous.
How natural and assured her mistake
was, however, how little it resembled
the conduct so often displayed in the
first act of play by a heroine who sac
rifices all ordinary intelligence to the
interests of the playwright, probably
only those can fully understand who
have some knowledge of the curious and
complicated code that governs Irritation
and lovemaking in large sections of
southern society. An exposition of this
code would be interesting, it seems to
me, but my present mission will be bet
ter met by simply saying that Charley,
according to the ideas in which she was
bred. had good grounds for feeling that
she had looked upon more significant
scene than any that had passed between
her and Harry, or that, if he were only
flirting with the naughty Mrs. Peytee,
it was only the moro probable that he
was only flirting with her-a form of
amusement, this, by the way, in which
up to some rather indefinite point he
was encouraged by society-that is to
say, by the women generally. Such
things are mainly regulated by women
in any society in the world, and it is
perhaps not aside from my story to say
that Harry Williams was exactly the
sort of young male creature who never
has any clear idea of what are the sub.
tleties of any such code, no matter where
he lives.
The measurement for that fatal ring
was hardly finished when Charley turn
ed and flung herself face down upon
the hard floor. She had no conscious
ness of right to blame any one. She
was conscious only of pain and the de-
termination to hide it.
Now, poor Charley was blessed or
cursed, as you choose, with an unusual
command of feminine powers of dis
stimulation, aud her natural pride, which
was great, was re-enforced by social
training favorable to its strongest devel-
opment. Now, it put her upon course
of self control and play acting that for
the time seemed like to cost her cruelty,
although, according to her lights, she
was behaving with just that virtue and
discretion which, if southern women
are to be believed, should most endure
happiness. She treated Cousin Kate
with deferential cordiality and met
Harry, when escape would have been
noticeable, with pleasant elusive, mock
ing gayety. He felt and could not un-
derstand a saddening change in the tenn
perature, argue against the fact with
himself as he would.
Life i'll such a place as this is as if
the whole world had taken hasheesh
and the ordinary measurements Of time
were lost The long hours in such
household are more than weeks amid
life's ordinary routine.
By evening the day after she had de-
voted herself to this purpose Charley
had contrived to spread subtle impress
sion of slight but growing WEAKNESS
with Mr.. Williams society and of an
awakening disposition to be interested
in that of another young man. The Of
| fees of the mining company gave an
unusual proportion of young men to the
small circle of summer visitors at Over
tonia. That was its one great recommen-
| dation.
In the meantime Charley was begging
her father to let her go for visit across
tho mountain to the Alpine House, a
much larger and more fashionable cara
yansary He paid small attention to her
and put her off with saying he'd see
about it after the wedding; that he must
take her to that.
Harry cursed himself for fool and
carried himself bravely, with a sinking
heart, but quite without that self seek
ing, domineering spirit of pursuit that
women love in lovers. He had heard, it
is true, Of cOQuetries, retreats and fenc-
ing en tho part of women in love affairs,
and on these traditions he tried to hang