River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-09-05
HER IDEAL Man.


that as-that as, you know"
1 understand perfectly, Miss Ash
ton. As L am old enough to be your
father, you thought that my point of
view, though moss grown, might be
interesting. This is an age in which
a digniied Importance is allowed
even to the modern antique. As a
modern antique, let me place myself
entirely at your disposal"
'Of course, if you are going to be
horrid-"
Pray don't run away, Miss Ashton,
this is to be a perfectly calm deliber-
alton between youth and age. Moth
ing ruflies the surface of debate so
rapidly rs the least hint of impa-
thence. If you would allow me to
smoke-thanks, very much. 1 am now
all attention"
"Oh, if you are going to be formal
and polite, Mr. Spencer, it makes ev-
erything so stupid"
Let me apologize at once for my
politeness and my stupidity Now,
suppose begin this discussion instead
of you"
"IIow can you, when you don't even
know?"
I'VE are sitting quite in the shade,
Miss Ashton; except as a defensive
weapon, that parasol-"
IF you are going to be tiresome, I
shall go in"
"Well, l might just start the sub
ject perhaps, and if you found me
wandering from the point you might
gently"
Cannot you see that l am really
serious, Mr., 3pencer?"
81 am sure you are, so | will begin
at once. You appeal to my ripe ex-
perience. am 40. The vicar will con
firm this, he christened me. You,
think, are Is. l beg your pardon, 10
last June. You are staying here un-
der the care of your aunt. Your aunt
is highly to be esteemed You and |
both agree that the opinion of the
Ostimable person is valueess on all
practical questions You. therefore.
come to me. A younger man would
feel fattered, while l merely gather
that. in your opinion, am not estima-
BILE"
THANK you, yes; that is a very
comfortable way of putting it,"
"Your encouragement, Miss Ash
ton, is gratifying Let me see, where
was 1? All, yes, being 10, feminine
and perpleXed, you want advice. This
seems to narrow the topics to two
only, say either frock or love
affair. Nowadays the man milliner is
doubtless a parsonage, but"
ooh, it isn't a frock. Mr. Spencer"
81 feel so immensely relieved,
thought it would have been undenia-
bly, fattering if it had been a frock;
however, we will take it for granted
then, that il is a love affair Now
] think, Miss Ashton, that it is your
turn"
"Oh, well, you see, you can perhaps
hardly at least. l mean
NO, see / have not brought You
to the point of fluency vet, so / win
continue For the purpose of this
discussion, let us roughly divide love
affairs into two groups the first in
which both parties are equally con-
vinced. What they are convinced of
would be n little tedious to specify.
let me. however, refer you to any
third volume of any novel of the
early Victorian period The more re-
cent works are not always orthodox.
The second group comprises those
complications in which only one Of the
two parties
Have you ever met Fred Norman,
Mr.. Spencer"
so il is Fred Norman, is it? Dear
me. Met him? Yes, of course | have.
His place is only five miles of.
"Yes, i know. he was at the Ander-
sons garden party-oh, and lots of
other places"
He is comely youth, and it is
pretty property"
How stupid men are. You all think
that because man is young and
good looking
about 1900 acres of the best mead
ow land, l believe"
Il wish you would not interrupt
me, Mr.. Spencer; you all think that
the whole sex must worship him"
Pardon me. never mentioned
worship, or even limited OF love. To
arrive at a sound conclusion from a
discussion such as this. it is necessary
to duly marshal the facts. kindly
let me resume, Miss Ashton The
basis Of our discussion is now youth,
good looks and the 5000 acres, prin-
cipally meadow land"
MIR. Spencer, | hate you, | won
der whether you were ever in love
yourself"
Miss Ashton, let me reassure you.
am man with past. At four
years of age, / made matrimonial over
lures TO my nurse; the good woman
still lives. and my life is Swallowed by
this youthful indiscretion. But come.
we are wandering from our moutons
and the pasture land. Our problem
now is one-sided love affair. in
which Fred Norman is heart broken,
while you are scathess. Had it been
otherwise, | should never have been
consulted, | am sure"
Mr. Spencer, how clever Of you to