Middletown transcript., 1903-02-14
THE OPTION
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 5000
->HESE business men
and these business ways,
mourned Miss Julia
Burnham, gazing for
BIZ GEORGE HIBBARD

m0ufHeu MiSS vo1Ao
ell Burnham, gazing fol
sympathy at her mos1
intimate friend, Miss Brown
and these commonplace business
days!
The most intimate friend, as
she was in duty bound, looked
her deep commiseration.
No picturesqueness-no ro'
nance, complained Miss Burn.
ham. Nothing mysterious, moth
ing dramatic-nothing. 1t isn't
fair for a girl to have to live now
when nothing interesting can
Happen to her.
What do you want? asked the
most intimate friend with the
most fattering willingness to be
instructed.
Iwant some color in life-some
Notwithstanding that has
some significance. But what
can you expect when all the men
you know think nothing but bust
ness-do nothing but business
and are nothing but business
men. A girl wants to try the
man who wins her-to be sure
that he has at least some imagi-
nation-is capable of the finer
feelings. That, in short, he is
going to be able to appreciate
her if there is anything in her to
appreciate.
But. demonstrated Miss Brown
a little timidly in the face of
such vigorous denunciation, it
isn't any worse here than in other
places.
Tn not complaining of that.
I'm speaking generally, Miss
Burnham announced grandly.
It's SO everywhere nowadays.
Why, presently a man will get
married quite as he eats his
luncheon-iust a hurried bite
between two deals. I'm not
sure but it's that way now.
Miss Burnham wrinkled her
pretty brow and glanced discon-
solately out Of the large library
window over the spreading lawn
down the drive to the great stone
pillars where the wrought-iron
gates hung open. Indeed her
lot had been a most comfortably
uncomfortable one. Never to
have known a want without find
ing immediate qualification had
resulted in a monotony that was
distressing. To have had moth
ing but pleasant things as a
daily portion had ended by MAX
ing the days somewhat insipid.
To have love made to her-with-
out undue excitement-by many
unexceptionable young men with
whom she was perfectly at lib
erty to fall in love if she pleased,
and to any one of whom she
might even have been married
without the slightest opposition,
was to have the course of true
love run so smoothly as to de-
prive it of a great deal of inter
est.
From the time that she had |
gone to her first dancing school
she could not remember any
thing more nearly approaching
D crisis than that she should be
obliged to decide to which of two
Or more dinners she should go or
with whom of two or more men
she should dance a cotillion. For
Miss Burnham had been the
MOST praised and admired young
woman in the large Lake city
from the time she had appeared
upon Alaska avenue in her per- ,
ambulator until this hour when
The drove her high trap up and
lown 1t. The position of Amos
8urnham -herfather-president
if the First National Bank, di-
rector in the Surety Trust Com
pany, partner in the firm of
8urnham, Holt Il Co., and with
N egg in almost every local f.
lancial basket, had at the begin
hing a great deal to do with her
prominence. The envious -and
hey were singularly few-said
hat this was everything. But
he truth was that Miss Julia
Burnham's setting had very little
more to do with her success than
he frame with the picture. She
would have won recognition and
commanded admiration any,
where. She was very pretty
luick-Witted, and though some
What petulant and something
Ipoiled, possessed OF q kindly
leart which led her easily to Il
aspect the prejudices of others
md made her D1ad fo hn of cor.