The Press., 1902-09-25


land chicken instead of goulash and
corn pone instead of bread sticks.
They were going home one night
about six months after their first meet
ing when Thurston proposed. His sal
airy had been raised SIS week, and in
the pride Of wealth he told her that he
thought that with economy he could
| undertake the support Of family, If
only she would consent. He was a
manly, straightforward fellow. and his
avowal of love was the sort that would
appeal to any good woman. They had
been walking uptown and We're resting
on one of the benches in Washington
square.
She regarded him wfstfully for
| awhile. Her face went first white,
then red. Thurston, eagerly studying
her expression, was torn between ex-
ultation and fear. A tremendous up
heaval was going on within. Love was
struggling with some intruder. and the
conflict was sharp.
When at last she spoke, there were
tears in her eyes. I'm so sorry, Jack, "
| she said softly. II do love you; l real
ly do, but it would kill my career.
have come here to work and win. Mar
rage would spoil all my chances"
Thurston mentally consigned careers
| to place where they would be very
apt to shrivel up and gave voice to
| many arguments. but all in vain. Ma
bers head was filled with all the non
sense written about Bohemia and the
| necessity for being bachelor girl II
| one would succeed in literature. Her
mind was set upon success, and she
never realized that she was starving
soul and brain by living in makeshift
apartment and eating with the bohe-
mians, where the feast of reason was
supposed to atone for lack Of food.
Against this fixed idea even the ar
gument Of her own heart was unavail-
ing. and when they resumed their
stroll homeward the best promise
Thurston could get from her was that
when fortune came to both she would
marry him.
Beyond a warmer handclasp when
they met and parted no allusion was
made to the incident for several weeks.
Jack was polite and saw that Il cam
paign was necessary. A coup would
not avail. The forces were too evenly
egy, q siege was necessary.
He induced her to change their res
taurant The society people and those
who constitute the under crust kad fol-
lowed the space writer's to the Ostrich.
The nanny had grown rich, and with
her increased position came the belief
that she was losing money, running
accounts which never would be paid
by those who had virtually created the
place.
The new Bohemia was located in
Blocker street. The proprietor had
an Italian name, and they drank log
wood Chianti at 10 cents a pint and
tried to like it. At the Ostrich the
cooking at least was clean. Here moth
ing was The hot summer days had
come. Luigi was fighting the ice trust
at the expense CT his patrons, who ac-
| counted themselves fortunate if half
| the dinner was eatable.
Mabel wanted to change, but the bo-
| hemians had not yet moved on. Thurs
ton noted the fact with satisfaction
even going to the extent Of writing up
the place while he paid his bill.
One August evening the revolt came
The soup was thinner than Croton wa
ter. The fish fairly appealed to the
| board of health for investigation. The
| entree was worse, the roast but little
better, while the inevitable ice cream
| was half melted and utterly without
| flavor. Mabeps best story had come
| back that afternoon. She was sick and
discouraged.
Their table was in a little nook free
| from observation. She let her head
| drop forward on her hand. Thurston's
hand stole softly toward her own. 1t
was convulsively clasped as tear
dropped on it.
Mabel" he urged, don't you think
it about time you gave this sort of
thing up? You have lived eight months
in Bohemia. You see what an empty
| farce it all is. Let's go out and get
married and start housekeeping in the
morning. In place of coffee and rolls
we will have real breakfast. We
| will have q real home, and we won't
get Indigestion from changing the ma
| tionality of our stomachs every time
the leading bohemians exhaust their
credit. We aren't real bohemians,
dear Let's go back home"
An energetic nod of the head an
swered the question, and Mabel looked
| up, smiling through her tears. 81
| wanted to when you first asked me-"
| she said; now I'm sorry l didn't say
| yes them"
Thurston called the waiter. Carlo"
he said impressively, you take this
| bill Go up to the saloon ON the corner
| and get bottle of real wine-the real
thing, you understand, not the stuff
we get here. We want to drink to our
| last night in Bohemia"