The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-09-15
A LONG ENGAGEMENT.

young women, seated In the pleasant
back parlor of a city house, were dis
cussing matrimonial engagements as
compared with matrimony.
"Did you ever notice." asked
Grace, what a satirical sound there
is about the phrase, love and mar
riage? 1t is as if one should say,
summer and winter, or light and dark,
or kisses and bread-and-cheese."
eyes, assented Ruth ; the smiles
come first, and the woodshed after
ward, as was remarked by the girl
whose lover hesitatingly assured her
that Your smiles would shed-Your
smiles would she'd"
"But, seriously" continued Grace,
''isn't it pitiful that all the pretty
part should so soon be done to death ?
The courtship is gone like heart
beat, the honeymoon like two heart
beats beating as one, and then the
memorable kitchen range, the grocer S
wagon and the hired hinderance.
There was a pause. Then Grace
added, $50 you are to be married
next week 7"
YES said Ruth, cheerfully,
quite SO. As one of ]. T. Trow-
BRIDGES characters beautifully re-
marks, I'm going out of poetry and
going into SOAP You know my
prospective papa-in-law made his
money out of that necessary toilet
article"
81 hope you will be happy" said
Grace, signing sepulcharally. Ruth
laughed outright, 81 shouldn't won
der if 1 was,' she retorted.
Now" explained Grace, arrang-
ing her graceful figure more comfort
ably among the cushions of her couch,
II expect to be engaged before long
there was something in the atmo-
sphere the last time somebody called
that assured me of impending chance
and / intend to stay engaged for
years and years. 1t is said that
everyone gives consent to his own
death. don't know how that may
be, but it's certain in this country at
sent to her own marriage. You won't
find me in a hurry to sign away my
liberty and my pleasure. No butch
er bills for me, thank you; no sooth-
ing reference to the bread that my
mother-in-law used to make no anx-
ious perusal of newspaper scraps bear
ing on the best methods of keeping
husbands in the conventional cage of
evenings"
Ruth laughed again. The heavy
curtains separating the apartment in
which they sat from the reception
room swayed in the breeze from the
wide-open front door. There was the
sound of step outside. "That must
be the postmap,' said Grace. She
rose, shaking out her draperies and
adjusting her hairpins.
s'Mercy is it time for the post
mani" exclaimed Ruth. II must
fly home this moment.
That evening Egbert Mallory call
ed on Grace. He was handsome
young fellow, modest and impresi-
bic, not lacking in strong -mindedness
but sensitively alive to the wishes
and requirements of those about him
When he told Grace he loved her he
made no reference to marriage ol
wifehood-whereat she rejoiced ant
marveled in equal measure. There
were no objections on either side tc
the engagement, though several state
ments were made to the effect that il
was to be hoped Egbert would moi
prove too yielding, Grace being ode
and self-willed when instrusted will
an excess of personal freedom.
The weeks slipped away very pleas
antly and proved Egbert an idea
lover. His calls were regular, his at
tentions unfailing, his gifts, origina
and charming in themselves, had th'
happy knack of appearing at unex
pected moments. He was as far from
coming too often and staying too lat
as he was from coming too infre
quently and going too soon. Th
latest chit-chat about town, the new
est magazine, the flower that sh
fancied, and that nobody else knew
she fancied-these were what b
brought her. Grace on her side wa
equally free from fault. 1t was he
nature and habit to be agreeable +
all, and she certainly saw no caus
for making an exception of the on
man who was succeeding better tha
anyone else in giving her pleasure
When a year had gone, Mrs. Rut
Carder casually remarked: cts
wonder Mr.. Mallory doesn't ask yo
to fix the happy day."
"What happy day!" lazily inquil
ed Grace. "All my days are happ
days" In fact, Grace hadn't
thought in life to annoy her. He
soul was full fed on sweet conten
Ruth's last hired girl had been b.
having beyond words,' and "
when Grace said, "Don't be env
Gus, Ruthie," she echoes, "envious
with that odd laugh of hers whic
reminded one somehow of the qualit
of mercy.
When the cause of true love ha
run with unvarying smoothness f
two years, Grace began to inqui
I within herself whether lover WI
enjoys the present only, and has
| thought for the future, is after all Il
one to be most desired. Not that 81
wished to marry Egbert. BY
means. But little of the ardor
}. impatience would give pleasa
zest of variety to character y
was otherwise almost obisSa
/ faultless. -
bF>t,;s ra,,.,.- -