Evening journal., 1899-07-20
HIS BID FOR A WIFE.

last thing IN WaltZes. III sJiuck MN ludt |
after all the Green Hungarians were decid-
edly overrated.
Il didn't ask you to sit like mummy"
she remarked, at length. "If you have |
Qothing TO talk about you had better take |
me back to the ballroom"
Il beg your pardon, am sure" he began, |
"but you put me in a trying position. Ny |
mind is full Of one subject, and one subject !
only, and am not allowed to talk about it.
"Then undoubtedly gathered her
skirts together-"we had better go back to
the ballroom. To be depressed is almost
worse than to be bored"
NO; please don't 60" he said; at least
not till have asked you one question"
"What" she said, yawning this time with
out any attempt at concealment.
II want 60 know" he said, IF there is
really nothing / can do that will make you
alter your feings toward me"
Il am afraid not, she said, smile curv-
ing her red lips. "You see you are-well,
you-nothing could make you any different,
nothing You are, | admit, good-loolane,
well-dressed, sufficiently wealthy TO be able
to keep me in the state to which l am ac-
customed, but then so are plenty of other
men, all just as much in love with me as you
hal you arc why nutu4N NASe"~ 9SN 49,
preference to the restT
lie was silent. The hachneyed retort that
he loved her better than these other men,
was, he well knew, out OF place on such an
occasion. 1t would have only excited her
ridicule.
NO" she continued, tapping her fan
against her skirts, you see my argument Is
unanswerable Only if it is any satisfaction
to you it applies equally to the others as to
yourself. There is no reason why shouldn't
marry any one of you. On the other hand,
there is equally no reason'why should. Un-
der the circumstances prefer to remain as
am"
"But you will marry some day|
"Perhaps-it depends If ] do shall
marry a man not in the least like any OF you.
Anyone can be well dressed and good
looking and sufficiently rich. Those three
things are essential but they bre not all.
The man marry must be all that and some
thing more. | want man who is man;
not a mere tailor's dummy, or even a reason.
ing machine We live in a very artificial
age, when people pen up their emotions and
have no higher craving than TO be always
considered good form. The man l would
like to marry should be cast in quite dlf'
| ferent mold. He must have done something
I to testify his manhood; shown me something
| Of the strength that is in him. In an age
| when heroism is fast becoming extinct
should like to marry a hero; like that man
/ In India the papers are so full of this morn
| ing. or that policeman who held two bur
/ glars at bay in some suburb or other for half
an hour. If prize-fghting had not degener-
ated into a mere method Of making the max
imum of money with the minimum Of exer
ton believe I should have liked TO marry .
prize-6ghter, whose stakes had been not a
belt or a purse or anything of that sort, but
real, living woman.
"And risked society declining the acquaint.
auce of you susband!'
"Ah. that is the worst Of it. Nowadays it
seems a man cannot be virile without being
a cad and bully at the same time Brute
strength always seems to lead to brute force,
Still there must be cases Of men who have the
one without the other, who are strong with.
out being violent. All, if only could find
onel Why aren't men like that now?
at is surely more question of opportun
ity than anything else, said the young man.
meditatively. Every man does not get the
chance Of risluing his life for the woman he
loves. Plenty of US would take such chanct
gladly if it occurred"
Il don't know" she said, rising.
''But / am certain Of it, he replied, offer
ing her his arm.
'There is only one thing to do, he thought
as he walked home two hours later in
blaze Of early sunlight. 'the opportunity
must be found"
Before his home was reached he haC
thought of the way. lie would force th
opportunity that so many waited for, an'
which never came. The money that woul'
support a wife should win her as well.
A week later people turning out Of tn
park one sweltering afternoon were horri
fled to see a hanson cab, the horse of whiel
had evidently bolted dash furiously past th
corner and on up Piccadilly. Following
with their eyes up the hill they saw it, afte
escaping by some extraordinary chance IN
Vulnerable collisions, at length came to
sudden and violent stop, while down th
wind came r0ezd after round q heart
ebeering.
What actually happened, according % th
evidence Of bystanders was this: The cal
which contained a young lady Of great pei
sonal attractions, was heading straight TO
+. the big lamppost in the middle OF the roaC
] collision with which would have meant httl
/ snort OF NllNlNllNIlNNs Wltll "a NtiAAiNhl AA
maculately dressed from top to toe, spran
from the path and threw himself bodily ont
the horses bride. For some yards he wa
dragged violently along half on the groun'
r half in the air, but still retaining his grip o
b the reins, despite a nasty bite in the am
e from the infuriated animal. momer
=, more. and in the very nick Of time, succei
= crowned his efforts. The horse was brougl
up painting within a foot or two Of the pos
: while cheer after cheer broke out from Il
gaping crown.
, Another hero had been added 70 the list
y London; another man had grasped the o
5 portunity that comes to most men but on'
in a lifetime How often have men pray'
for a runaway horse that they might displa
the brewery of which they are capable, an
r how seldom does the opportunity come
Il them.
g II takes genius as well as a steady ner'
4 and hand to win hero's crown, and OF
young man had had the genius as well as Il
d nerve His genius might never be suspecte
but his bravery would never be questione
and that is what he desired Love had
~ find a way and he had but assisted love.
~ "You have found your opportunity"
ran the letter the young man received ne
~ ,.as, Govt De- fn4Ia nvnaIlnuf n