The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1899-12-14
We Love Each Other.
BY W. Y.

They had been friends for a long
time, Joe Mayers and Lawrie Earle
10 being an abbreviation of J oseph-
inc and Lawrie short for Lawrence. it
gave one an uncomfortable feeling of
things being strangely mixed to talk
| about these two young people, but
they chung to each other with earnest
faith, and were true friends through
all.
Lawrence Earle was an only son of
proud and wealthy old sire, whose
highest ambition as regarded his son
was that he should keep his place in
the world untarnished, his own large
property undiminished. Even these
requirements. simple, reasonable as
it seemed, demanded a good educa-
ton. good habits and thoroughly
good principles, and all these young
Earle possessed.
Josephine Mayors was the Oldest of
five girls, an orphan, and poor.
With a resOlute determination to
do her duty by the children, she had
also passionate love for art, and
fortunately, she possessed sufficient
executive ability to make her art re-
munerative.
| She taught large class in drawing
and worked eagerly through every
leisure hour, making pictures to sell.
1t was in this way that Lawrence
Earle first found her
| Attracted at first by some odd lit
tie picture in a shop window, he left
an order for another, making some
dilettante criticism for which he must
see the artist herself.
Seeing her, he was thoroughly and
honestly surprised
She was such frank, true-hearted
reasona BILE little woman, with clear
gray eyes, a merry laugh and pleas
ant voice
II should think you would have
been married long Def IRE this" he
said to her one day, as he sat oppo-
site her in the studio, and watched
her at her work.
What horrible misuse of gram
mar for college GRADUATED" she said,
laughing lightly.
But, really he said, ignoring her
criticism, Il have thought of it
hundred times, that it is very strange
that you are not married"
"Well, to tell the truth" began 10.
Il did used to think of that.
You see, there was such a lot of us
girls at home. | knew there ought to
be some marrying done, if only to
make more room in the house for the
rest, and | was, | believe, quite vii
ling to be made the first sacrifice; but
after the trouble came. here her eyes
grew gentle and luminous, and SEEM
ed to be looking far away, then |
knew | had the girls to take care of,
and SO | gave up all thoughts of
separate home.
But suppose you were to marry
rich man, one who would take care of
you and the girls? Would not that
be pleasanter for you and safer for
them?"
..Rich men are not lying around as
plenty as leaves in autumn, begging
for the privilege OF taking care OF a
family of girls. Besides, | would not
impose my sisters as burden upon
any one, and do not wish to marry.
| love my work; l am doing my duty.
Is not that enough? There are plenty
of women to do the marrying in the
world who have nothing else to do,
but cannot stop for it,"
This conversation was repeated
many times, in slightly varied form
until it became well understood be-
tween them that their two lives ran
in widely different lines, convention
ally speaking, and were not likely to
be ever any nearer to each other.
Meanwhile Lawrence Earle's father
and friends had learned, with dismay,
OF his growing intimacy with some
unknown artist away down in tenth
street.
He had even taken a studio there,
and was working early and late at
his easal. 1t was very absurd, they
all decided, and something must be
done to break up such abolish infat-
uation.
Some attractive political position
was offered him. which he informed