The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-07
AN EPISODE.
From Today.

| affection Is the love of an impecunious
| young man for girl whom he has only
| known for a fortnight, and whom he
expects never to see again. Such
| love is concocted of the hest-selected
cumstances-novelty, despair and
! lack of consequences. Also, the brew
! ity Of fortnight concentrates the emo
| tons, and concentrated emotions are
| kind of mental bovril. Not only are
| they sustaining at the time, but You
can scrape the tin afterward, and man.
ufacture quarts OF excellent memories.
OF course the fortnight, to be complete,
ought to occur in summer and to pos
sess a climax, and the young man and
young woman should be sufficiently in
telligent to take advantage of their OPP
portunities. 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
tie house, and the moon was turned
on mulberry trees, box hedges and law
ender beds in front Of them. 1t was
situation where q man might almost
have quoted Browning.
II suppose the young man began,
that that was nearly our last dance
our very last-at least for long
time
you're going tomorrow, then?" the
young woman said.
II have to see my people before l
join my regiment" the young man an
swered What good time have had
here!'
II hoped" she said, that you were
ri Of -
What kind OF thing?"
"Oh, the going going-gone business!
she replied. II hate last anythings.
Aren't they just a httle-shop-soiled
Does nothing ever matter?" he ask
ed.
st feel that ought to come in with
q conversational waltz refrain" she
replied, but it's difficult even for me
always to be obvious"
The young man looked grieved and
made no answer 49, - =. ~,
"Yor were about she observed, ito
| say something about the Southern
| Cross
1.-The Southern Cross! why shoulu
Surely" she said, you won't throw
| awav YOUR opportunities? Aren't you
going to gaze on the Southern Cross
| in a. few weeks and think OF me!'
ssy lh risbt he sbe psrsue dae!S
! young man of feeling, within signing
| distance of the Southern Cross should
neglect it. I, on the other hand,
shall looks at the Great Bear and
think Of you.
Have you been to any theaters late
! Typ" he asked.
mo" she said. "but you must have
f, visited some really pathetic melo-
| dramas"
II only meant that it's been rather
| a warm July; and are you fond OF
bicycling? and it's not bad floor TO-
night" s,,,,,,
she said. II only wanted
1T understand. A nice, cold shower
bathos," he answered. You needn't be
afraid I shall bother you. Only should
like to thank you for having given me
the happiest fortnight OF my life, ana
to wish you good luck"
You are" she said, softly, rather
| nice boy"
some day" he answered, IT trust
that I shall be a nasty man. A nice
boy is a thing that Is supposed neither
| to mind nor matter.
Jack" she said. putting her hand
on his arm, without prejudice, as the
| LAWYERS say, would you mind less II 1t
did NATTER"
us it quite impossible?" he asked.
| well, isn't it7' she answered.
| "Of course, we should have to wait,
he said; "but couldn't you wait aWhlle,
"Please don't think me horrid and
mercenary," she said. 1T isn't alto
| gether that; but don't you know what
a long engagement means: us the
longest thing on earth. It's a mar
rage on the hire-purchase system,
where you pay three times as much
as it's worth for thing that's worn
| out before you really get 1t"
IF I left the service he urged, we
| should have enough to live on quietly.
You'd be so content II you e alo;
would be a villa in West Kensington.
| No. Jack, it wouldn't do. I'm sorry, but
It wouldn't do. Can't you see?"
ooh. see clearly enough" he said.
bitterly. 81 hope that, some day, you'll
have a nice, large paper marriage, Ia
| raodiste with real golden wedding psils,
and the full approval of the family
| solicitor"
Don't Jack, don't" she answered.
Cant you see that it takes two to
make a muddle 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. u
suppose nothing I could say would
| make any difference?"
Nothing, I'm afraid"
VERY WELL May I, at least, have all
| the other dances tonight?"
Eyes, If you want them now, the
| young woman said, sadly.
The young man and young woman
| endowed themselves immensely for the
rest of the evening, although they I'M
| agined themselves heart-broken. me
| Young man said several things which
| he considered really cynical, and the
Young woman wallowed in a sense of
martyrdom. They said goodby in the
| cold morning light. and she allowed
him to kiss her The kiss they regard
| ed az a kind of sacrament
Now, in the ordinary course Of events,
the episode might have ended satisfac-
| torily here. The young man would
have blown his nose violently when
the band played 1.-The Girl I Left Be
hind Mev' and murmured the young
woman's name when he felt seasick,
and then relapsed in remembering the
whole thing with sigh and COM
placent smile. The young woman's
recollection would have expended on
her attitude toward her husband. Till
her husband occurred, she would have
practised recollection but little.
1 Unfortunately, the Angel of Death,
with his hab.tual disregard Of the fit