Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-07-29

little table on which the tall glass
sparkled like a star under the electric
light. At last he stood still.
81 have done for myself" he said.
Freedom was at an end. His com
Portable chambers, that early IN the
evening he had regarded as his per-
mauent abiding-place. now seemed the
unsubstantlal fabric of a vision; the
breath of Hymen, and they were gone
Then came second thoughts. Had he
really done for himself? Christine was
charming; she had distinctive ways Of
her own, but she was none the less
charming. She would, he considered,
do him credit. The money did not
happen to matter much in his case,
but he remembered vaguely that there
was money. What seemed much more
important was that she looked very
pretty when she cried. A few hours
before he had never dreamed of marry
ing, certainly not marrying girl like
Christine AS It was, he had proposed
to her for reasons that he was totally
unable to analyze, and he must go on
with It.
Half an hours further reflection hav-
ing still shown him that he must go
on with it, he finished his drink,
switched OF the light and went to bed,
and the next morning, having dressed
himself with great care, and grumbled
profusely at his very excellent valet,
he called on Miss Blake, in Bryanston
Square. Now, Miss Blake was the
sister of Chrisunes father, Colonel
Blake, and Christine's guardian.
The engagement was to be short.
The drudgery of it began at once. He
had to go to many places where he had
never been before, and did not want to
60 again. He waited, a perfectly
CHASTITY figure, in the shops of fashion,
able milliners, feeling that every lady
customer who entered regarded him as
an insult and an outrage. He had to
sit through concerts, they were very
good concerts, and a very good con-
cert was, from the Majors point of
view. the very worst sort of concert.
An ordinary tune, as he sometimes OBJ
served, he could more or less under
stand. He was made to dance fire.
quently, and in the small hours of the
morning, when respectable, middle
aged gentlemen should be in their beds.
1t was all very trying, but gradually
it dawned upon him that there were
one or two compensations. Christine
certainly behaved very nicely to him.
He bought her a ring diamonds and
sapphires), and her reception Of it
gave him great pleasure. He repeated
this pleasure by buying her other
things. After a fortnight he owned to
himself that things might have been
worse.
But he didn't fall in love with Chris
tine definitely until she fell i'll. Then
the Major went temporarily mad. He
became a source of wonder and panied
surprise to his friends, and a scourge
and chastlsement to his valet. He
lived chiefly In telegraph offices, ham
som cabs and in the shops of the for
list and fruiterer. By a constant sue
cession of kilograms he kept himself
informed of Christine's progress dur
ing those brief periods when he was
not driving to see her, or purchasing
for her scented flowers, which she
could not bear to have in her room, OF
out-of-season fruit, which she was not
allowed TO eat. BY the time she had
recovered her health her conquest was
complete, and, with the magnanimity
of conqueror, she decided to do some
thing to please him. So she told
him that she meant to have her por-
! trait painted. 1t would be hung on
the line of the cademy-Delmay
was always hung on the line-and af-
terward she was going to give the por-
( trait to him. He said that he was
charmed, and he really was.
But" he said, "the sittings will
bore you terribly, and you are really
not strong enough for them. Why dom
you have your photograph taken in.
stead?"
Christine pointed out that It wasn'
the same thing at all.
mo-" he answered. II suppose not.
In matters. of art his eSucation hat
been somewhat neglected.
But" he went on, II have really
seen some photographs which l liked
better than the things which had beer
eolored by hand"
She laughed at him, and instructed
him.
But why do you go to Delmay's?'
he said. "If l were going to have m!
portrait done I'd have 1t done at bed
rock prices. Delmay charges no end o
a lot, Just because he got some of thos
writing chaps to scribble about him II
the papers"
But he paints so beautifully" SAT-
Christine; there is no one at all lik
him"
THAT is just it," said the Major; 81
you were not very pretty it might b
just as well to go to a clever chap VIII
could put it on bit for you, but as /
is, why any one of them who under
stood the rudiments of his trad
couldn't go wrong.
However, Christine had her way.
The Majors conception of artists
derived chiefly from stage-plays, wa
that they wore velveteen coats an
long hair, and led improper lives. Del
| v,ax, a. ie hardly nacassarv n odd bo