The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-28
From Household Words.

"Why is II a law of nature that tall
women must marry short men? want
TO marry. But what man of decent sta
ture will wed feet 8? refuse to mar
ry anything under feet so l shall have
to die an old maid. It's very hard.
"You will scarcely be measuring the
mans inches when you fall in love,
Anna" said her friend.
Perhaps the heavy figured, plain-fea-
tured woman of Internationally would
not have been averse to changing places
with the tall, supple-limbed young Am
azon who bemoaned her i'll luck from
the long deck chair on the sunny VIC
arage lawn. and would have taken
fate's fine of possibly short husband
kindly enough.
II shall measure his inches before,
and so / shall not fall in love, wise Lu
don't you see?"
And you would rather marry a man
like Charley Langley. feet of we'll
built stupidity, than, we will say Mr..
Royce, who is clever and"
Handsome, and almost a pygmy, I
allow Mr.. Royce to be the miniature
model of what a man should be-but ]
do not wish to marry q model, l want
the man. Some big men are handsome
and clever as well: but big men like
little wives, and so / must go husband
less. Charley Langley worships little
Flosse Cresscld. Heigh no! What am
I to do? l must be off, Lu, or l shall be
late for dinner"
One the other side of the thick. quick
set hedge stood owen Royce, the clever
artist of whose future great things
were predicted. Walking carelessy be-
side the overhanging hawthorn and
wild rose, he had been caught and
held by a struggling thorn; while i'm
patiently unfastening the OBTAINING
brambe the words spoken in the garden
had fallen on his ear. He was clear of
the thorn at last he was standing
erect and still in the meadow, his eyes
Oil the low summer sun, and with a
thorn in his heart piercing and burning
as no mere physical pain could do. He
had walked carelessly through the sum-
mer, as he had walked through the
brambles to find himself suddenly
caught. Two months of tennis, riding
and boating with Anna Waymoor had
not left him heart whole. Heart
whole! He bit his lip, and put hand
across his eyes; he could see her men,
tally, tall even among the tall women
of the day, beautiful in her strong
grace. Like many small men, the ar
tist was wonderfully active and wiry;
neat-handed, and quick of eye, he was
an expert in all he did: during his
two months stay at Greyland Manor
ne had good d-naturedly coached Miss
Waymoor in her drawing, at tennis,
and had taught her to ride with some
of the "haute ecOle" knowledge which
he himself possessed. That teaching
had been a dangerous paStime; parti-
cularly dangerous were their long read
ings and talks together; perhaps it was
o tnen that the artist had fallen head
long in love with his beautiful pupil,
when the Amazon" had been laid
aside, when the gracious gentle woman
lad sat beside him with her tender,
deep gray eyes, and with color coming
and going had learned to love Beatrice
and Juliet, and to know, through him,
her Shakespeare and Dante by heart.
And all the time she had thought of
him merely as what he was--"almost
a pigmy." He saw himself suddenly as
little more than a dwarf-a laughahle
atom!- He enVied the duh BOBBY
Langley his broad shoulders and great
frame; what beautiful woman-such
a woman as Anna Waymoor-could
care for such a scrap of humanity as
I!HlSelI. ltt ne Hdu udTeu 10 love nGr
to love her as intensely as any 6-foot
Hercules could do, though he learned to
know it only when he learned that he
the pigmy-Scarcely ranked in her eyes
as a man at all.
Anna stood armed with her golf clubs
on the manor terrace; Louisa stood be-
side her, a STUDY in drabs, a foil to the
fresh brilliant coloring of her friend.
Now, Mr.. Maxwell is what I call
man, Lu," the girl was saying.
He is big and we'll made. / can not
speak as to his head-piece. And he
appears to have no dislike to a tall wo-
man, my dear" said Louisa dryly.
Anna twirled her club.
mo, I do not think he dislikes me.
Jack has asked him to stay on for the
cub-hunting."
Has your brother persuaded Mr..
Royce to remain as well?"
Yes; his picture will give him quite
another months work. He has grown
very stupid lately. l can not think
what has come to him; he paints and
paints, and Is as dull as an owl" and
she moved off to join the staIwart
young Maxwell, who was patiently
awaiting her pleasure at the park gate.
Louisa went back to the house to
sptdh WIN MIS. " dyIlOOT, tRe WIDOW
lady of the manor. At the door she
came on the artist, who stood watch
ing Anna and her companion crossing
the park, watching so intently that he
was unaware of her neighborhood un-
til she spoke. He turned with an apol-
ogy.
II was watching the golfers; they
make handsome pair. do they not,
Miss Blackston?"
She followed his gaze; when she
looked back at the man, two queer
little upright burrows marked her fore
head.
You admire her?"
II am an artist. l must admire her.
Her eyelids We're lowered as she went
by him into the hall; she was shiver-
ing, though the September afternoon
was warm and bright.
That evening, after the choir prac-
tice, she said abruptly to Anna:
MY dear, think why Mr.. Royce has
grown stupid is because he loves YOU. Z"
The girl leant against the garden
gate, and laughed till the tears ran