The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1897-03-10

seriousness and n husky voice, Chat
grocer1es-or anything else / could get
you-might be yours, permanently, il
could-you would-that you might con-
sent to unite your life to mine. My IL.
ther'oontemplates retiring from active
business. lave never before spoken to
you Of this, but in seasons of trouble
we say things-and Ihavc often thought.
when we were singing in the choir to-
gethm-that-we might be very happy
that it was our destiny. have been
in New York and seen the great world,
but you are the wife would choose
from among them ALL" He had a smooth.
round, fresh colored, innocent face, that
seemed made for dmpling smiles, but
which never INDUCED in them.
Beatrix felt sensation of absurd
alarm, like the princess in the fairy tale.
under n spell of enchantment to mismatc
herself in the most grotesquo man
ner conceivable. Mr.. Starcher was
SO much in earnest, and so ludicrously
sure, apparently, that the success of his
suit was among the eternal certaintics.
that vision of a long welded life with
him, amid an atmosphere of meal tubs.
salt cod and pickles, interspersed with
psalm tunes and solemn walks to aud
from church on Sundays-this desperate
panorama of inanimate existence rose mp
before her in such vivid imaginative
vraisemblance that she was impelled to
protest against it with more than ade-
quate vehemence- She gasped for breath
rose from her chair and said: "Mr
Starcher, it is terrible; would
rather diet" Then, perceiving, com
passionately, that he would feel
cruelty wounded as soon as his
astonished senses enabled him to
comprehend the significance of her
words, she added, "It would be wicked
for me ever to think Of being married;
you must see that r. Here she paused,
partly from emotion, and partly because
she was unable at the moment to be-
think herself of any conclusive argu-
ment in support of her assertion that,
for her, marriage would ever be crime.
One certainly would not have drawn
that inference from the superficial indi-
cations. A silence ensued, prickly with
spiritual discomfort. Mr.. Starcher was
the first to find his tongue, and he car
ried of the honors of the encounter by
observing with fearful gentleness that
he should claim the privilege, just the
Bame, of not presenting the little ac-
count for settlement. This magnanim-
ity was none the less genuine because
the materials for it were slender, and
Beatrix long afterward found comfort
in recalling it to mind.
But there was yet another adversary
for her to engage, and he was in some
respects more formidable than Mr.
Starcher, because his position and edu-
cation rendered his pretensiops less mon
strous-nay, there even seemed to be a
mealing disposition ON Mr.. Randolph's
part to accord him at least negative
support. Mr.. Vinal, the Unitarian cler-
gyman, was in fact, from an unworthy
point of view, tolerably inoffensive
match. He was studious, decorous and
endowed with grave and unobtrusive
manners. He was not handsome, but
there was certain masculine concentra-
ton In his close set gray eyes and long
narrow chin which was not In itself un-
pleasing.
His voice, IL somewhat harsh, was
resonant and assured; and, coming a. Il
did from a chest apparently 30 incapA-
cious, produced sensation Of agreeable
surprise. Il would have been unreasoa.
able not to respect the man. and chur..
- not 70 fssl aniahly disposed toward
hin; but for Beatrix II was impossible
10 love him. He lived In little white
wooden house with green blinds, close
to the white, green blinded church. He
posseassd ~ imposing library. In which