The times., 1898-10-02
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An Episode.
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JOuhS iiii iVi a "AN4i A4S A-S@S NAe<
known for fortnight, and whom he ex-
poets never to see again. Such love Is
concocted of the best selected circum-
stances-novelty, despair. and lack OF
consequences. Also. the brevity OF FORT
night concentrates the emotions, and con-
. centrated emotions are kind OF mental
Bovril. Not only are they sustaining at
the time, but you can scrape the tin az
terward, and manufacture quarts of ex-
cellent 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 eli
max 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 a situation where
a man might almost have quoted Brown
ing.
81 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.
81 have TO see my people before join
my regiment the young man answered
What a good time I've had here,'
II hoped she said, that you were
above this kind of thing"
what kind of thingY'
"Oh, the going going gone business
she replied. II hate last anythings.
Aren't they just a ittle-shop-spoiled?"
Does nothing ever matter?" he asked.
''I feel that / ought to come in with
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.
You were about" she observed. ''to
/ say something about the Southern
! Cross"
1.-The Southern Cross? Why should II"
Surely" she said "you won't throw
away your opportunities? Aren't you go
| ing to gaze on the Southern Cross in
few weeks. and think of me?''
| VERY likely" he answered. quietly
That's right" she pursued. No
| young man of feeling. within signing dis
/ IdnCS or the southern NEOSSr SALOu4u
| lect IT. /, on the other hand, shall look
at the Great Bear and think Of you"
Have you been to any theaters late
ly?" he asked
No" she said, but you must have vis-
tied some really pathetic meiodramas-'
II only meant that it's been rather
warm July; and are you fond of bicy-
cling? and It's not bad floor tonight"
Aren't you just a little uRgrateful?
I II f-A
II understand. nice. cold shower
bathos." he answered. You needn't be
! afraid l shall bother you. Only l should
/ like to thank you for having given me
| the happiest fortnight Of my life, and TO
wish you good luck
You are she said. softly. rather a
/ nice boy
Some day" he answered, II trust that
shall be a nasty man. A nice boy IS a
4 thing that Is supposed neither 10 mind
/ nor matter
Jack" she said. putting her hand on
his arm, without prejudice. as the law
yers say. would you mind less If 1t did
matter?'
rs it quite impossible?" he asked.
We'll. isn't is?" she answered
"Of course, we should have 10 wait. J"
/ ne said 'but couldn't you wait awhile.
Kitty?"
please don't think me horrid and mer-
] csnarv." she said 1T isn't altogether
that; but don't you know what long en-
] gagement means? It's the longest thing
4 on earth It's a marriage 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 II
"If I left the service he urged. we
should have enough to live on quietly
you'd be so content if you did" she
added, land our castle in Spain would be
! a villa In West KensingtOn. No. Jack. II
wouldn't do. I'm sorry, but it wouldn'
do. Can't you see?'
ooh I see clearly enough" he said. BIT
teriy. 81 hope that some day. you'n have
a nice. large paper marriage. a la modiste,
with real golden wedding bells; ana 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. Il
suppose nothing I could say would make
any difference?"
Nothing. I'm afraid"
Very we'll May l. at least, have al
the other dances tonight?"
Yes, If you want them now, the
young woman said, sadly.
The young man and young woman en-
ioyed themselves immensely for the rest
of the evening, although they imagined
| themselves heartbroken. The young man
said several things which he considered
really cynical and the young woman wal
lowed in a sense of martyrdom- They
said good-by in the cold morning light,
and she allowed him TO kiss her. The kiss
they regarded as 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 Left Behind Me-" and
murmured the young woman's name
when he felt seasick, and then relapsec
into remembering the whole thing with
a sigh and a complacent smile. The
! young woman's recollection would have
depended on her attitude toward her hus-
band. Till her husband occurred. sh'
would have practiced recollection but
little.
Unfortunately the Angel of Death
with his habitual disregard of the fitnes:
of things, disturbed the even course o.
the affair The young man had possessed
a mercantile cousin. and the cousin, hav-
ing gone two or three days before, 10 {
land where mercantile possessions are
rigidly excluded, had left the whole OF hi:
property TO the young man. His reason!
for this unexpected act of generosity wer'
probably that he had never met th'
! young man, which, in view of the Ole
gentlemans temper was an advantage
and also that the latter cultivated mar
tial aspirations underneath his mercan
tile soul. even to the extent of being a
one time a captain of volunteers, and re
, garded the young man with favor, a