The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-28
Copyright. 1896. by Robert Barr.)


CHAPTER XVII.
There is an idea prevalent that the
young women of our land welcome
addresses which the golden youth OF
the opposite sex urge upon their con-
sideration, and that a girls happiness
au5ments in proportionate ratio as the
number of the proposals bestowed upon
her increases. This, however, is mere
ly a supposition, and there are, I'M
fortunately, no statistics to which a
historian, anxious to be accurate in
statement, may turn in order to sub
stantiate or overthrow this almost uni
versally held opinion. 1t is 10 be re-
GREETED that the census, which gathers
together in tabulated form so many
interesting facts pertaining to the race,
gives no attention to this particular
subdivision of human data; and that.
so far from being able to form any
definite estimate of the feeling with
which a girl welcomes the undoubted
compliment of a marriage offer, We are
in the dark as TO the average number
of proposals a woman receives, say,
between the ages of II and 81. An in
quisitive government which does not
hesitate to ask a woman every ten
years to set down her age in black and
white seems, strangely enough, &c
shrink from inquiring into vital queS-
ton on which the future well-being of,
a nation largely depends; thus no one
can positively state that matrimonial
advances are held in high estimation
by their recipients clinching the prop
osition by referring the doubter to
Blue Book such a number and such
page.
lze, the careful writer is compelled to
fail back on Individual instances, and
1t must be set down that Edna Sart-
well, so far from being happy or elated
over the fact that two young men
within one week had asked her TO
share their varying fortunes, walked
hurriedly back TO the school, filed with
terror and dismay- On the very
threshold of WomanhOod she had sud
denly and Unexpectedly been brought
face to face with a state of things
which made her wish to shrink back
into the untroubled tranquility of the
life she had hitherto led. These two
disquieting events following one so
closely on the other, doomed up in I'M
due proportion TO their Importance,
and threatened to overshadow the fu-
tuIe. 1t seemed an appalling thing
that the fate of two men should be
placed at her disposal; that on her
shoulders should be cast the great re-
sponsibil!ty of deciding. unaided,
momentous question with far-reaching
consequences. And If the first two
young men with whom she became
acquainted acted thus, what was to be
expected from the numerous host she
was still likely to meet? \ pathway
Strewn with broken hearts offered no
allurements to the feet Of the young
traveller, life lived il atmosphere of
deep signs was intOlerabe. The girl
was frightened at the outlook, which
was all the more bewildering because
only partly understood. 1T is often
as important 10 classify your problem
as TO solve it," her father had once
said to her, but solution or classical
ton appeared equally difficult to her.
Barney had taken his rejection bad
". He made no attempt to conceal
the fact that his life was blighted:
that he would re-enter the world a
changed man, but heroieally deter
mined 10 make the most out of the
wreck The austere, rugged road that
now lay before him, unbrightenec by
love or human sympathy, he would
walk with grim. if sombre, resolution;
brushing aside the frivolities of exist
ence; setting his face with sullen but
logged persistence toward the cheer
less journey Of life; hoping for no
recompense except that perhaps he
might have the consolation of knowing
he left the world a trife better for
having lived in it.
Inexperienced as she was. Edna could
not help contrasting the actions of
Hope and Marsten, not altogether to
the disadvantage of the latter There
was no question in her mind that Mars
ten had in reality IN uphill road to
travel; Yet he had gone into no heroics
about it, and he asked nothing but
that she should remember him She
had been sorry that she could give no
encouraging word to Marsten. but Bar
Eey made her feel somehow that she
was to blame in his case. and that he
was an ill-used man. Then it was diff
ficult to realize the serious nature or
hardship OF Barney's future career.
when everv one knew he had more
money than was good for him. Some
thought OF this seemed to occur to
Barney himself at the time, for he
spoke bitterl5r and contemptuously of
his wealth, and of how it handicapped
him; however. he was going to give
il all aWaV when he came into his full