The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-14
AN EPISODE.

lection is the love Of an impecunious young
man fer a girl whom he has only known for
a fortnight and whom he expects never to
see again. Such love is concocted of the
best selected circumstances-novelty, de-
spair and lack of consequences. Also,
the brevity of a fortnight concentrates the
emotions, and concentrated emotions are a
kind of mental Boyril. Not only are they
sustaining at the time, but you can scrape
the tin afterward and manufacture quarts
Of excellent memories. OF course the fort
night, to be complete, ought to occur in
summer and to possess a climax, and the
young man and young woman should be
sufficiently intelligent to take advantage of
their opportunities. The might have-said
SO often spoils the delicious memory of the
might-have-been.
This particular young man and young
woman had enjoyed their fortnight to the
full, and the arrangements for the climax
were above reproach. Some kind person
had provided a dance; there was an old
garden at the back of the house. and the
moon was turned on mulberry trees, box
hedges and lavender beds in front of them.
1t was situation where a man might al
most have quoted Browning.
Il suppose" the young man began, chat
that was nearly our last dance-our very
iast-at least, for long time"
You're going tomorrow, them" the
young woman said.
Il have to see my people before I join
my regiment the young man answered
What good time I've had here.''
Il hoped" she said, that you were above
this kind of thing.
What kind of thing?''
"Oh, the going-going gone business!" she
replied Il hate last anythings. Aren't
they just little-shpp-soiled?"
Does nothing ever matter?" he asked.
Il feel that 1 ought to come in with
conversational waltz refrain" she replied,
but it's difficult even for me always to
be Obvious
no answer.
You were about she observed ito say
something about the Southern Cross
The Southern Cross? Why should To-
Surely" she said, you won't throw
away your opportunities? Aren't you going
to gaze on the Southern Cross in a few
weeks. and think of me?"
Very likely" he answered, quietly.
That's right" she pursued mo young
man of feeling within signing distance of
the Southern Cross, should neglect it, L
on the other hand shall look at the Great
Bear. and think of YOU"
Have you been to any theaters lateIy?'
he asked.
NO. she said, "but you must have WIS.,
tied some really pathetic melodramas.'
only meant that it's been rather a
warm July; and are you fond of bicycling?
and it's not bad floor tonight"
Aren't you just a little ungrateful?" she
said Il only wanted"
understand. nice, cold shower
bathos," he answered You needn't be
afraid shall bother YOU Only should like
to thank you for having given me the hap
piest fortnight of my life, and to wish you
good luck
boy" '''eo
Some day." he answered. q trust that
l shall be a nasty man nice boy is
matter
~ Jack" she said, putting her hand on his
arm wdtno o prejudice as the lawyers say,
rs Il quite impossible?" he asked.
We'll, isn't it," She answered
said Jr . course, we should have to wait" he
Please don't think me horrid and mer-
cenary, she said. 1T isn't altogether that,
ment means? It's the longest thing on earth.
1t a marriage on the hire-purchase sys-
tenn, where you pay three times as much
as 1t S worth for a thing that's worn out
before you really get it,"
If | left the service" he urged, 1--WE
should have enough to live OH quietly
You'd be so content If you did" she said
and our castle in Spain would be a villa
in West Kensington. No, Jack, it wouldn't
90. o. l m sorry, but it wouldn't do. Can't you
oh. | see clearly enough" he said, bit
terry. nope that, some day. you'll have
a .. nice, large paper marriage, a la modste,
hal lie ND r1,< r,,I
approval of the family solicitor"
80. Don't, Jack, don't" she answered
a middle like this? Don't let's spoil The
little time that's left US. Let us at least
part friends
I'm sorry" the young man said. 81 sun
pose nothing l could say would make any
Nothing, I'm afraid
Very we'll. May |, at least have all the
other dances to-night?'' S
Yes. ii you want them now" the young
woman said, sadly.
Inc young man and young woman en-
loyed themselves immensely for the rest of
tt the evening, although they imagined
themselves heartbreken. The young man
said several things which he considered
really cynical, and the young woman wal
lowed In sense OF martyrdOm. They said
go1odDye IN the cold morning light, and she
garded as kind Of sacrament.
Now, in the ordinary course of events the
episode might have ended satisfactorily
here. The young man would have blown
his nose Violently when the band PLAYED
THE Girl | Left Behind Me" and muir
INJURED the young womans name when he
felt seasck and then relapsed into remem-
bering the whole thing with a sigh and a
compacent smile. The young woman s
recollection would have depended on her
attitude toward her husband Till her hus-
band occurred she would have practiced
recollection but little.
Unfortunately, the Angel of Death, with
his habitual disregard of the fitness of
things, disturbed the even course of the af-
fair. The young man had possessed a mer-
camille cousin, and the cousin, having gone
two or three days before, to a land where
mercantile possessions are rigidly excluded
had left the whole of his property to the
young man. His reasons for this unex-
pected act of generosity were probably that
he had never met the young man. which,
in view of the old gentleman's temper was
an advantage, and also that the latter Gull
tivated martial aspirations underneath his
mercantile soul, even to the extent of be-
and regarded the young man with favor, as
being the only military specimen of the
family.
Therefore when the young man arose
from his brief sleep on the following morn
ing. he found solicitors letter informing
him of his good fortune. At first the in
formation appeared too good to be true, but
the additional information that he was at
liberty to draw on the firm for any reason
The fact that he rich, portentouslv
rich, at first filled him with an insane de-
sire to shout. AS silent relief to his men
tai tension he took his slippers off and
threw them al the door. Then he put them
on again ana lit a pipe. All his life the