The record-union., 1898-08-07

iiISt iliieu MIN with an insane desire 10
shout As a silent relief TO his mental
| tension he took his slippers off and
threw them at the door. Then he put
them on again and lit a pipe. All his
| life the young man had been in strait
ened circumstances. He had never had
enough pocket money at school, or a
satisfactory allowance since. Now he
felt that he possessed no single desire
that he could not satisfy. Visions of
/ infinite possibilities rose before him.
He even looked at his pipe with con-
| tempt.
| And now" he said to himself, tri-
umphantly, i shall be able to marry
/ Kitty"
Oddly enough, the young woman had
not stood in the forefront of the possi-
| bilities. He noticed the fact with
! something of a start. Romance was
not at its strongest in his mind that
/ morning. because the kind person who
provided the dance had also provided q
pale pink champagne. which punished
even the most abstemious with the
after horrors of excess.
Yes" he insisted to himself, Il shall
marry Kitty. Not much fear of being
poor now
Then his mind wandered away again
I to the more inanimate possibilities.
Should he stay in the service or not?
On the whole he thought ne would for
! a while. but he would be inclined to
exchange into a cavalry regiment. 4
few racehorses? Yes. He had just be-
gun to contemplate himself leading in
the Derby winner. when he again re-
turned to the young woman.
Yes" he said to himself. ''of course,
that's the best part of it," AS a mat
ter of fact, it was not at all the best
part of it. Marriage, in a way, means
the end of youth. and the young man
was just entering on a new world which
he had never known before. 1t is i'm
possible to be satisfactorily young on
a limited income. The rosy dreams that
came trooping before his eyes were not
domestic. To be adequately domestic
you must be a little tired of other
things-not necessarily vicious things,
but you must know the sunshine to
appreciate the shade Half against his
will, the dream pictures told him this.
He wanted, though he would not admit
it to himself. to enjoy his own sweet
| will without any clog.
| These things were hidden a s yet from
anything but the young mans sub
slowly he decided tv go at once after
breakfast and tell the young woman Of
his happiness. The thought ought to
have suggested a triumphal procession,
but only presented itself as a logical
and obvious proceeding. Also, if his
| feelings had been what he imagined
them to be, he would have babbled out
| his good fortune to the other late COM
ers at breakfast He believed that it
was romantic to reserve the news for
| the young woman. but the belief was
artificial.
He found the young woman sitting in
the sunshine on the lawn. She was
looking, too, prepOsterously healthy and
happy. considering the circumstances.
He was able to explain quite intellig-
ihly what had happened, and the young
woman listened and watched him quiet
! ly. In some ways he was a very trans
parent young man. and she was A
young woman of perception.
$50, now he concluded. ''of course,
We can be married just as soon as ever
we like"
| Married? You want to marry me?'
she said, dreamily, as though he had
suggested new idea. which, as a mat
ter of fact, was the case
why. what's the matter, Kitty?
Aren't you glad?' he asked
I'm very glad that you'll be rich
she answered, with a smile What
are you going to do?"
'Oh. have a good time, generally -
he answered.
"A good time, generally-generally,
she repeated. slowly.
What is the matter, Kitty?" he in
| quired, in puzzled way Il don't
understand
I'm not sure that I do yet" she
said.
Surely. after last night"-he burst
| out.
Last night" she said, Il refused you
because you were poor And last night
was years. ago. to YOU
You surely don't think I'm such a
| cad as to let that make any difference
| OF course, / know you were right last
| night
mo, / know you're not a cad Jack
/ You happen to be a gentleman. That's
what complicates things So she said.
Il don't understand at ALL he said
| You're very, very young, Jack" she
answered. He did look young that
morning, in his new aspect of a possi-
/ Die husband.
| I'm no younger than l was last
night he urged
| IF I said yes''-she went on, quiet
/ ly.
IF you said yes? Don't you care for
me still?'' he asked
Wait a moment" she answered IF
I said yes. we should be married soon.
| Then we should settle down to a quiet,
! humdrun. unexciting life. Do you real
/ ize that? Next year, you wouldn't want
to dance with me all the evening"
| Then. do you mean you don't care
for me-" he asked
! NO. don't care for you" she said
deliberately. She had watched his eyes
| for the light that never was on sea
and land" but it had died away since
| the night before. And I'll tell YOU
why. Last night I was great deal to
you. l should have been the prettiest
thing in a life that wasn't very pretty.
Now I'm only q very, very small part
|. of your life. That wouldn't satisfy
, me-"
Surely you don't mean what you
say" he pleaded
''Oh, yes, | do she said, with a little
| laugh. II shouldn't be adequate and
you wouldn't be adequate 1t wouldn't
| do. Believe me, Jack, it wouldn't. We
| like each other, but we don't love each
(. ntker. Don't let's be foolish any more
Let the dead past bury its dead You've
lot of arrears of enjoyment to draw,
and you'd better go away and play
\