The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-04
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BIZ P. J. cRAIGrE. Jg.
Miss Nelson. sged thirty. was not untu-
tored in the ways of man. For many
years she had reigned In her fathers
house. where he. proud sire, from early
days had brought his many friends tfor
he was very rich) hat they might see how
beautiful she was. And they saw and
came again. SO she grew In wisdom and
In stature-naturaily enough-in favor
with man. OF her favor with woman per-
haps the less said the better
II takes man three score years and ten
TO live the fullness OF his time, after
which his life is but little blessed. Using
language somewhat the same. II takes
woman not more than one score years
and ten--if she be beautiful-to learn the
fullness Of mans heart. after which her
life Is often greatly damned-at least, so
We have been told
Bearing all these things In mind, Il can
readily be seen that by nature and by
training Saying nothing of the wealth..
Miss Nelson held the field. armed to the
teeth and armored well about the heart.
Not so was Bertron Goodrich. Though
reared. as was she. in a fathers wifeless
house. no hollow square of adulatIon ever
compassed him about The women who
had come 10 see his mother never crossed
the threshold sfter she was buried Dame
Goodrich. although ker father wore a
coronet. and her family tree (eminently
Blackstonian) fixed its roots fairly abour
kingiy neck. was greatly iamented
when she died. but slimly mourned when
her will was read and promised bequests
were proved to have been forgotten.
This one son OF a silent stern-faced
father carved his own staff OF destiny. He
had brain and muscle. judgment and
courage. and self-eonfidence. He he'd his
head nigh, as becomes a man. and wo-
men. speaking to other women, called him
handsome. None had told him so. for he
had kept beyond their reach. This was
bad, for knowing little of them, he took
too much for granted. which in later days
made him believe a great deal that they
said.
He came to the Nelson's house at sun
down and. with his host. walked about
the place through the twilight When
they went to their supper his eyes, slight
ly dazed by the splendor OF the lights,
saw something after the nature OF an an
selic vision at the head OF the table. He
bowed and murmured sthe usual inarticu-
lates as the father made them known the
one TO the other. Then he went to the
seat at her right hand and partook of the
things before him.
women sometimes come close to the
truth Of things. and the Misses Wythe,
who sat opposite Goodrich during the
meal. dialogued the matter after the
lights went out ar eleven-ffteen.
Martha" said the elder, poking a
broom beneath the bed for tramps, I'm
perfectly disgusted.'
SO am ]" replied the other, battling
with the patent sham holder. but isn't
1t Just as / told you? Did you ever see
sueh woman? Caught him before he
even knew what she looked like, and he
never noticed that she hadn't fixed her
hair after her nap, that her neck ribbon
was full OF black holes from her silver
pin, that her finger nails weren't polished.
that"
Ihat her slipper wasn't tied"
But ne tied 1t afterward in the parlor
on Belle. 1t was simply disgraceful, When
he tied that shoe she showed Her
voice was lost in a whisper
why. Marthar'
Yes, she did! But. Belle dear. how
does she make men like her SOP"
Ine question was an anguished wall. for
Martina was thirty-three and lovers stayed
afar on. Belle. who was forty years. save
one. banged a pillow to greater softness
and sighed.
All that these two maidens said was
meant to mean that Goodrich was be-
yond all hope
Fer week things went their smiling
way Wherever nature had half-formed
a masterpiece of scene there would Good-
rich and Miss Nelson sit together on a
broad rock and finish out the pictures
Ii the moon dropped blank ray upon the
lawn between two trees there hammock
would be swung Thus they went the
gamut OF the poges; and under all was
the talking, talking, talking of things not
meant for other ears. Sometimes, be-
tween the words. were silences which
meant much more. For eyes can tell
their story, particularly by moonlight,
better Than the tongue.
Goodrich expected to leave at the end
OF the week, and Miss Nelson. with wo-
manly wisdoni, had appointed the week
following for the ceurtship of Henry Ly-
man, of Atlanta. Lyman was the man
who would be her husband. At any rate
that was what people said; and, too, she
wore his solitaire on her third finger.
left hand. Was that not enough? Good
rich, for one. thought it was. So he was
almost glad that he was going away.
In the last hour OF the last day they
stood by the window in her fathers IL
brary. Outside 1t was raining. and some
where down the track, twenty-five or
thirty miles off. the limited was coming
TO take Goodrich away Miss Nelson,
dressed in gray and white. was looking
down and pulling a rose to pieces. When
nothing remained but the stem Goodrich
asked her for it. She laid II In his hand
and he transferred 1t to his waistcoat
pocket.
Typical Of my FUTURE he said. smil-
ing slightly.
How SOP she asked looking out into
the rain.
Life stripped of its romance" he an
swered.
She smiled and began tracing his name
on the window pane-which, sad to relate,
was not too clean.
Roses fall to pieces in a week. any