Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-03-20
THE RESULT OF
AN EXPERIMENT
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lOrlg1nalJ
"Good gracious, mamma" said Miss
Louise Hewlett at the breakfast table,
lust listen to this:
"Wanted.-A woman twenty years DID,
with artistic tastes, capricious, fond OF
golf, lawn tennis and dancing, to act as
secretary
singular" said the mother thought
fully, that the advertiser, whom 1 sup
pose to be a man, says nothing about
beauty"
Since Miss Hewlett was looking for a
position she answered the advertise
ment and was invited to call, which
she did in the company of her mother.
She found a man of thirty-fiye, serious,
reticent and apparently in his right
mind.
81 need Also" said the advertiser,
Mr.. Dudley Vinton, "a housekeeper. If
Mrs. Hewlett will take up her resi-
dence here with you in my apartments,
filling that position, 1 will pay each a
handsome salary. Pardon me for being
so frank, but it is better that l should
gay in advance that love or matrimOny
has nothing to do with my intentions.
At this announcement Louise tossed
her head.
The offer was accepted, and mother
and daughter went to live in Mr.. Vim
toms apartments. From the first he
treated them as guests, though Miss
Hewlett was occasionally called upon
to write a note or a letter or copy some
papers relating to property. At the
end of the first month Mr.. Vinton paid
the salaries and said that he would be
glad to continue the arrangement in
definitely. Louise pouted. She filled
the terms of the advertisement.
Another month passed. Mr.. Vinton
was absent occasionally, sometimes by
day, sometimes in the evening. Once
or twice he was away several days to-
gether. What called him where he
went or what he did he never told.
Louise was piqued and delicately hint
ed that some reference to these alb
sences would be at least civil. She did
not like to be treated like a child or an
entire stranger. Mr.. Vinton failed to
satisfy her curiosity, whereupon b
tossed her head and declared that 1t
was high time such a ridiculous ar
rangement vas terminated. Mr.. Vim
ton made no comments upon her action.
Indeed he seemed to be rather pleased
with it, egging her on to more of the
same kind. Finally she became angry
and ended the interview in tears. Mr..
Vinton then left her without the slight
est sign of temper, indeed rather with
the appearance of great satisfaction.
One morning a delicate little missive
came for Mr.. Vinton which fell into
Louise's hands. She took 1T to him
and watched him while he read it. His
countenance was not to be read. Plac-
ing the note in his pocket, he went to
his bedroom, and soon after Louise,
who was watching him from a win
dow, saw him go out with a suit case.
"Just what l expected" she said.
"That note contained an invitation.
He's gone to the country to visit some
girl he's in love with"
Vinton remained away a week. When
he returned, Louise asked him when he
intended to be married.
81 am not engaged" he replied.
They were sitting in h library at
the time, and Vinton took up a book.
Louise tried in vain to keep her tongue
In her head. Finally she could endure
the silence no longer and asked a
number of inadmissible questions.
Some of them Vinton answered, others
he parried, while others he received in
silence. But not for a moment did he
manifest any dissatisfaction with her
for attempting to pry into his affairs.
Finally he told her that he had been
to see an invalid who had died during
his absence. Louise arose and strobe
silently out Of the room. Vinton called
her back.
"If you don't mind" he said, II am
curious to know what has offended
YOU"
"You have led me to believe what
was not true"
She stood waiting for him to continue
the debate, but as he only said, "Thank
you very much" she went out and
spent the rest of the day in her room
with the door locked.
AT the end of the year Vinton invited
mother and daughter into the library
and announced to them that he desired
to terminate their present arrange
ment.
"And now," he continued, addressing
Louise, Il will satisfy your curiosity.
A year ago l wished to make a very
advantageous match. The lady's char
acteristics 1 described in my advertise
ment. l am a theorist and have a
theory about women 1t is that if a
man wishes to know what a woman
will do under certain circumstances he
must infer that she will act exactly
contrary to what he would expect. |
desired to test this theory and if it
proved a law l would apply it to the
lady l wished to marry and thus en-
nance my chances of success. During
the past year l have applied the test
to you seventy-eight times, and you