The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-05-30
INTERFERENCE.
ny BARRY PAIN,

eS, SalQ my lIleHQ, sadiy, you Inlay
play poker with a stranger and an unlim-
tied raise, and may come out all right; you
may shoot lions and tigers and the falls of
Niagara, and never suffer in your health;
you may play with fire and take no harm.
But never NEEDLE in the least degree with
anyone else's love affair. For you will come
out of it with the reputation of a fool, with
fool stamped all over you back and front,
and you will deserve it. A helpless, unen-
durable fool for all time-shat is what you
will be- If you see pure minded, refined
girl on the verge of marrying coarse, vul-
gar brute, let her-don't stand in the way.
Probably the brute will never forgive you
and it's absolutely certain the girl never
will
"You speak with some warmth and bitter
ness. You have some personal experience
in your mind?"
81 have. AS you know, l am not mar
ried man."
1--WE only got your word for it,
'But at one time | was engaged. 1t was
years and years ago, and was never one of
those men who are-we1l, silly about the
girls they are going to marry. But, speak
ing in fair soberness, must say that Jes-
sica was really remarkable girl
Eyes; engaged girls always are"
Her hair was "a"
81 know. 1t would be. Pass that"
Don't be an idiot. There was look in
the girls eyes
81 know it by heart. Skip it,
And her mental powers were equally out
of the common"
'The mental powers of every engaged girl
are quite out of the common. Just say that
you loved Jessica and Jessica loved you, and
ho to Ia ,f
a thoroughly practised journalist"
'Now that just shows where you're too
hasty; for I'm by no means sure that Jessca
did love me. / can't help thinking that if
she had really loved me, things would have
happened differently. Mind, l admit that
was wrong in interfering in any way with
Ernest Budd."
"And who was. Ernest Budd?"
81 think he was the most nauseous beast
/ ever met in my life. He was short, thick,
and ugly enough to stop the clocks. Hewas
also vain sentimentalist. He talked about
women by the hour. He believed himself
a woman killer. To listen to him made
you feel sick and tired. I've heard him
say that the beauty of women was practic-
ally the only thing he lived for-just that.
in those words; and the other man to
whom he said it died week later. Well,
at this time Budd had come to an under
standing-he said it was not actually an
engagement, but was to come to that
with a washed-out puss from Wimbledon,
called Emily Chatter. saw the girl, and
was sorry for her; she was a weak and
playful little thing, and there was no harm
in her. l was very happy myself, and l
wanted to save her from Ernest Budd and
infinite sorrow in her after life. knowing
the rapid, miscellaneous and volcanic tenn
permanent of Ernest Budd, my task was easy;
had but to introduce him to more attrac
tive girl than Emily, and introduced him
to Jessica."
Seems rough on Jessica.'
"Pd talked it over with her, and she'd
agreed to it. She was so happy herself
that though she had never met Emily she
wanted to save her. Jessica had implicit
trust in my judgment them
But after she had met Budd?"
81 own, she didn't like it. She said
might at least have told her what an appal
ling bounder Ernest Budd was Well, I'd
told her what | told you, and | think that
ought to have been enough. AS pointed out
to her, within very short time of Budd
meeting her he would throw over Emily
Chatter
"And you were wrong?"
81 was absolutely right. And when EN-
lily was saved by our intervention, then,
so / told Jessica, she was perfectly free to
drop Budd. In fact, hoped she would
And Jessica knew how to drop people, too.
She never seemed to say anything in par
ticuiar, and they just knew that it was no
good to 60 on and that she had no further
use for them. She was girl of wonderful
tact, always perfectly polite, but"
well, as l say, | pointed all this out to
her, but she still was rather averse to it.
She said the mans attentions were becom-
ing perfectly insufferable, and that-know-
ing as he did that she was already engaged
he ought to be ashamed of himself. How
ever, she kept on meeting him, and in a
week he broke off his understanding with
Emily Chatter"
Here my friend stopped, and selected a
cigar with great care. He amputated the
end, lit it, and appeared to let his mind
wander to other subjects.
"Well?" / asked. 'What then? Did
Emily commit suicide?"
that Ernest Budd was no fit husband for
decent girl. No, she married solicitor, and
is very happy, they tell me-"
"But you started this story to show me
the dangers of interference"
Exactly"
Apparently everything went right-just
precisely you wished and intended"
"Well, it didn't then"
"What was the matter? Did Jessica lose
her, exquisite tact, her ability for letting
people see that she did not require them?
No, not that, either. She was as good
in that respect as ever she was. The trouble
was-put in few words-that it was me
she chucked, and Ernest Budd whom she
married"
He paused, and added, vindictivey:
And I'm glad to say that they're both
beastly unhappy. Black and White.
Classified.
During an encampment of the national
Guard of Pennsylvania at Mount Gretna
several wears ago a Darty of officers went ont