The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-08-02

to make speciality of each other, the
gossips said nature was taking its
course, and Immediately began their
calculations as to when the happy af-
fair would eventuate. l was thinking
the same way, and really felt fiattered
that the young woman had selected me
out of all her admirers as the choice.
''She was unusually pretty, tall,
graceful, blonde as a summer sky, and
with money enough to have made her
attractive even if she had been homely
as a hedge fence. Like all pretty
girls, however, so circumstanced, she
was coquettish and uncertain, and the
dozens of admirers she had hanging
about her all the time did not tend to
steady her great deal. l was the one
though of them all who received her
most marked favor, and in the course
of six months we became engaged to be
married. To say that l was pleased
when she accepted me scarcely eX
presses it, and yet | was not altogether
satisfied. Possibly it was her nature
not to satisfy the heart of a man as he
would want it to be satisfied by the
woman who was to be his wife, but one
should not expect everything, and l ac-
cepted the gift the gods gave and let it
go at that. At least, l did for about
two months, and then l bethought me
of plan to test the woman of my
choice. l thought loved her. Possibly
did not. fancy some would say did
not, or l would not have been in such
doubling humor.
''Be that as it may, was determined
to make test, and 1 did. In a town
about hundred miles away lived my
half brother, who was not anxious to
have me marry the girl, notwithstand-
ing the material advantages of the
union, and he was willing enough to do
his share in making the test when
proposed it to him. She did not know
him at all, so when | had him come over
to my town and took him to call on her
as Mr.. Hart, she had no idea that he
was any other than as represented. He
was handsome fellow, much hand
somer than l was, and the smoothest
chap with women / ever saw. He was
fine brunette, while / was red-headed,
and nobody on earth would have taken
us for kinsmen. Our call was extended
until after II o'clock, and when we
came away had feeling that if it had
been anybody else except my brother
I would have been jealous. He left at
eight the next morning, and two days
later wrote him letter to Miss Blank,
which he was to copy and send to her.
"This he did, and in due course re-
ceived an answer, and from that a reg
ular correspondence grew, which very
soon called for three or four letters a
week. He would send her answers to
me, and would write an answer and
send it to him, which he would copy
and forward to her. At the same time
/ became more attentive than ever
and began to insist upon her naming
the day when we should be married.
She thought June was the prettiest
month for a wedding, and at last we
came to an indefinite conclusion that
we would marry in June. Meantime my
letters to her over the signature of Mr..
Hart became more intense, as did hers
to him, and at last 1 proposed to her.
Now you would suppose that a girl
would not accept man until she knew
something more about him, and par
ticularly that she would not when he
was only hundred miles away and
could come in person and make his