Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-07-08
Her inconsistency.

+ I. i +
" ROM the open windows came
JT music by the orchestra in the
ballroom on the further side of
the house. softened by distance. Moon
light, broken up by intervening trees
| into bars and splotches of golden ra-
dance, lay all about them as they
walked up and down the veranda-
1.-THE right kind of woman always
appreciat tes a proposal Of marriage
from any man as a great compliment.
Coming from you it is the much more
to be valued, but 1 cannot marry you,"
said the woman.
81 have to thank you for having lis
tened to me so patiently. Might 1 tres:
pass little more upon your good ma
'ture and ask permission to discuss the
matter further with you"
mo amount Of discussion can profit
either Of us, so far as can see. But,
as have said, in asking me to marry
you great compliment was paid me,
and, in return for that compliment, 1
suppose I owe you permission to in
dulge your love- for discussion or argu
ment."
Thanks for the permission" said
the man, still in his stolid manner. Il
cannot recognize my proposal as, in
any sense, a compliment, but I am
willing that you should, if you wish,
take the manner in which 1 made it
as a compliment. Recognizing the
splendid development Of your own
logical faculties, have made my offer
Of marriage in perfectly business-like
form. I have heard you often declare
that a contract of marriage is like
any other contract, and should be en-
tered into only when both parties are
fully aware Of what they are doing"
''Do you think women are ever en-
tirely consistent?" interrupted the wo-
man.
The man looked a trifle surprised
and replied:
cat least I give you credit for hav-
ing a splendidly consistent mind. You
do not mean that 1 have erred in my
manner of proposing. that you would
nance, and all that sort Of thing?"
.'Now the situation is something like
this" continued the man in very much
the same tone Of voice that he
would have used in arguing an i'm
portant case before the Supreme
Court. you are twenty-nine- is
it thirty?-years old, have a reputa-
oil
can, I know, marry any one of two
or three men who can offer you at
least as much as 1, but modesty was
never a prevailing characteristic of
mine, and 1 have not feared to meas
ure myself with these other men.
"On the other hand, can give you
pretty, much anything you desire that
costs money I stand well in my pro-
fession, and have prospects of soon
being near the top of it. Altogether,
L am satisfied that any one would call
it very suitable match all around"
"Does the prosecution here close its
case?" inquired the woman, laughing a
little.
'I hardly care to regard the matter
as one Of prosecution and Defence"
said the man imperturbably, 'but If
you wish to use the terms I am forced
to admit their applicability. Will the
defence rest its case on the testimony
submitted by the prosecution, or will
it elect to submit an argument?'
1.-THE defence will submit an argu-
ment,'' replied the woman. Il admit
that the match would be, as you say,
pronounced suitable to every one. As
for the two or three other men whom
YOU aver that I can marry at any time,
I cannot answer. I have noticed that
the number of my proposals has been
falling off of late. and attributed the
fact to advancing age-you were right
when you said I was thirty. 1 may
close the discussion by saying that
have made up my mind to become an
old maid"
Ear be 1t from me to say anything
against those estimable members of
society-the old maids," said the man,
..sbut I do not think you will ever be
one Of them. A wise man once said
that the cowl Of a monk hides either
a disappointed lover or a great rascal,
and while 1 do not indorse his opin-
ion unquaIifiedly, I am firm in the be-
lief that every old maid is a woman
who was disappointed in love or who
was too cold -bloodedly selfish ever to