Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-04-20

er | could have refused. 1t IS very i'm
probable that [ should have been suffi-
| GENTLY firm
''YOu almost tempt me to try"
Mr.. Markham raised his hand
wait" he cried. DO let us finish this
| interesting conversation. What l would
wish to express is this that marriage
| when one is really in love seems to me to
| yulgariZe the situation. 1t makes. to use
the familiar expression, a business of n
| pleasure. Or, more accurat ely, to make
| into n vulgar business matter what
should be jealousy guarded from any
faint of business suggestion
Your objections are, after all, proper
only to the modern marriage"
Il was not" he confessed, thinking
about the Garden of Eden. Business
was in its infancy then-so was mar
| riage."
For my part he continued. 81 dis
| like anything soon as it becomes Il
duty. l used to like hunting; since they
made me master [ look forward to the
autumn as Il parsOn looks forward to
Sunday, and yet there was a time when
| he doubtless loved going to church, when
it was only permissible recreation. Sup
posing it were one of the Ten Command
mentS that we should go to ball every
Monday and the opera every Wednes-
day.
And you mean that you would dislike
| lIc uulS VI DtIIIS III 1ONc
with me- said the young lady, who per-
haps found his remarks becoming too
general, though as temporary senti-
| mental excursion you nave not hitherto
found it disagreed ble?'
What l find fault with isl he de-
| clared, without very directly replying to
| her question. that unless one were to
| marry you one could not do several things
| one would like. For instance, | would
like very much to t3ke you to India
"WhenE inquired the young lady, with
| somewhat startling detiniteness.
Not" he replied. till, say. October.
| India in the middle of the season you
| would not enjoy bit. But l really fear
| unless we do get married) the trip is i'm
| possible. All the same, l should love to
explain the TAI to you, and Shah Aims
mosque at Ahmedabad-oh. and the Gold
en- Gates at San Francisco: it is tiresome
| that [ cannot take you there without mar
| rying you
You could take mamma as WE'LL and
| Aunt AdeliZa. perhaps
That would be different. A superior
| plan for those to whom it commends it
self, but personally should not like it so
much''
Miss Greatorex laughed Mr. Mark
| ham left his seQuestered seat and took
| one beside her on the little sofa.
! Were you thinking" asked the lady
| that you would like to take my hand?'
L have thought that before. | was
thinking of taking it. Now, # we were
! married." he continued after an interval
| this would be my business 1t would be
expected Of me. as it is of hen to lay
eggs, or the Prince of Wales to lay fOun-
| datiOn stones
And then it would cease to please?'
! 1T would then become deteStable. And
| often lately | have pictured myself as
riding home in the deepening dusk of a
winters afternoon from hunting. either
with you by my side or to find you wait
ing for me at home. When | think of it
| nearly take hanson and come here to
lay myself at your feet.
| why don't yOu?'
.'For the reasons detailed above I
picture being refused and the subsequent
discomfort and Inconvenience. 1t would
entail an entire change of all my plans
for the rest of the season.
| But if you were not refuSed?'
Mr.. Markham started.
Oh, that certainly struck me as an al
| tentative but [ did not find it less alarm
| ing. If | were accepted we should prob
ably get married; and how dull for us
both it would subsequently be. What ]
should really like would be for you to
come and stay just in our present capacity
at Markham say, for year. You would
walk with me, row with me, fish with me
| hunt with me; | would read to you
my favOrite bits Of my favorite authors,
and you should retaliate with yours. /
| CAL liz 1lOIul1IS5 81 uSAlSutIuI. nav Z
already had you to stay at Markham; but
then Lady GreatoreX and Sir Marmaduke
| came, too, and my sister came down to
do hostess. We were never alone except
now and then for a quarter of an hour
after an hour Of mutual endeavoring.'
Thank you. interjected, with some as
perity, the lady.
What [ should like would be to have
you thus for a time all to myself. You
would find me much nicer than you i'm
agine. l have much more to me, as
the Yankees say, than you would think.
You are not, in fact, such fool as
you look?'
CMr. Markham took no notice whatever
of this frivolous interruptiOn.)
WELL" added the lady, ION one condi
ton [ will come. Do not look frightened
l don't mean to insist on a prior engage
ment.' You need not promise to marry
me. But / will come for whole year tc
Markham tiff / may bring Lord MendiI
with me-
Lord Mendipr' Mr.. Markham released
what he had been holding and laid it back
in the young lady's lap with something OF
the air Wherewith one puts down agaiI
upon the counter an article that one has
been lingering in a salesroom when one
discovers it is marked Sold" He re
sumed his position on the hearth rug, bu
without again accommodating his back
to the mantelpiece. 1T was" he re
marked presently. very nice OF you tC
inform me of your engagement in that
way. You can do things, when you try
very gracefully. A more awarkward WON
an might have told me fatty half an hour
ago.
Il was going to tell you just now Bu1
you begged me to wait, as you wished tC
finish your delightful conversation. I con
Guided that you thought you were shining
After all you do not affect to ignore your
| reputation as cOnverSatiOnaliSt."
Il am sure he said, after the brief
est possible pause, you will be ex
tremely happy. That is certainly m,
wish-that you may be as happy a
you deserve. Lord Mendip's happiness
of coarse, goes without saying. It i!
interesting to think that he was m!
grandfathers fag at Eton."
| He told me it was your great-grand
father"
"Ah! [ think he was mistaken. Ny
great-grandfather died quite two year:
before Lord Mendip was born. and ht
was not at Elton. Where there is any
disparity of years,
there ia some disparity"