Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-04-25
A LESSON IN LOVE.
BY A HARVEY.

Inc END oil WudL!
"You know as well as / do to what refer.
To be perfectly plain, / hear it reported
on very good authority that you are to mar
nv this Monte Cristo. And that is what !
mean when ] say that / suppose we will
not take many more walks together" He
looked at her keenly.
Il suppose it is but a further exempliica,
ton Of the doctrine announced by the Bible,
where it says: TO him who hath, itshall be
given, and to him who hath not, it shall be
taken away and J. wan TO add TO that,
even that which he may seem to have.
There was a silence for a few moments.
Helen reached out and plucked at a fox
glove. She did not look at hlm. After a
I few moments she said in a low voice:
You are getting bitter, John. Don't do it.
1t does not help YOU"
Don't you think | have cause to be Bit
teri A man can smile and stand a great
deal more without giving evidence Of his
suffering, and there is still another degree
of pain, which turns everything to gall. 1
have suffered that"
lyon are very wrong to look at things
that way replied the woman. What have
you to be bitter ov8r? You possess youth,
and health, and strength, and abhity-all
those are priceless gifts. You are well
thought Of by everyone, and ] see no cause
for you to think your lot is hard"
Eyes, what you say is true, but have not
the great essential-money. ] might be a
paralytic, and just have enough sense to
keep out of a lunatic asylum, and enough
morals to keep from being locked up as a
menace to society, but if | had money, all
that would be overlooked, and | would be
better thought of than ] am now. As it rs,
/ am not considered at all"
mot considered by whom?"
Everybody. And someone in particular
whom | wish to consider me, and who has
refused. / nave tried everything else; |
have placed myself at her feet. Love does
not count"
Her face was crimson. She looked far
away over the sere, brown fields, and at last
said:
Then what am 7 to deduce from that as
sertion-it isn't clear"
"You are not to deduee anything-I state
it as my positive conviction that, given on
the one hand a man with everything to make
him desirable in the eyes of a woman, but
with no money, and on the other hand a
man with nothing to recommend him but
money, a woman will choose the man with
the money 90 cases out 100. That's what /
mean"
"Why, John, why, Johni" There was
an infnity of reproach in those words.
eyes, I mean i'll" he added. 81 mean
every word of it. Women are essentially
selfish, and they love the soft side Of life.
They know that money viii make a soft side
TO anything, and therefore, they are on the
side of money"
"I am sorry for you" she said, simply. Il
thought that you had a higher idea Of
women"
Haven't I a right to be hitter?" he con-
tinued. Haven't / every right to such ideas?
If it has not been demonstrated to me, moth
Ing has. There is nothing so convincing as
personal experience, and it is from that l
speak"
81 have known you a long time, John,
and I know of no such instance in your
career that you speak of, When was
ito"
"You know very we'll to what I allude.
You know that | nave loved you for all
these years, since we were little more than
children. You know that my highest dream
of earthly happiness was to some day make
a home for you, where | could have you
with me always. There has not been an am
bition in my brain that was not caused by
my wish to excel and make you proud OF
me.
'SThe rest of the world can go hang-you
are my world, the all mall for me. And now,
after all these years, all that cunts for
naught. There ONE into your life a great
big, beefy man-you know little about him
except that he is very wealthy, and in the
course of two months he undoes what | have
done, or rather in that time aceomplishes
what I could not accomplish in six times
L 80 NLaA aweI $500, -a,,rk ,
What is to be deduced from that except
what | nave stated?"
81 ought to be very angry with you, John
You have accused me of a wretched thing
that | would sell my life, my love, my soul,
merely to provide myself with creature com
forts. | don't know why | don't make you
leave me, and never permit you to speak
to me again, except that | realize that your
anger has carried you off your feet. I~realize
what you say, that such a state of things Is
an awful blow to a man. But | do not grant
that any such STATE exists-that is - I
mean"
"You mean what. that You are not going
TO marry him?" There was light and life
and hope in the questioner's eyes now.
Yes, | mean that; and that / have not
intended to do so. And now let me do a
little preaching to you-you have had your
say, and you have said things you ought
not to have said"
at is a mistaken notion men have. that
a woman wants to receive all and give moth
ing. True love is enlightenment, and bear.
ing the burdens of those we do love. and
nothing gives a woman so much pleasure
as to suffer for the mar she really cares for"
"Do you really mean that?" There was
wonderment upon the face of the questioner.
Yes. And there would be more women
who would be glad to accept even the little
in the way Of wealth their sweethearts pos
sese, If they were given the chance, Instead
of sning bravely TO her and saying 4 have
little or nothing, but l love you. / can pro.
vide enough to keep us from stareing,
and enough to furnish us with clothes. More
than that. | do not care for, with you at my
side. VIII you accept that?' The men stand
off and SWIVEL about women wanting wealth.
it makes me weary. It's weakness
There was a long pause. The sun had sunk
below the horizon, and the west was cor.