Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-06-15
Her Splendid
Inconsistency
BY W. W. HINES
cnnrrlrll. laOs. b W. ". HInes
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

On
cd BIZ distance. Moonlight, broken UP
nv intervening trees into bars aud
snlotches of golden radiance. lay all
about them as they walked up and
down the veranda.
They were two, a man and woman.
az bedtted the waltz tune and the
moonlight
..The right kind of woman always
APPRECIATES proposal of marriage
from any man as a great compliment
Gaming from you Il is the much more
IN he valued. but cannot marry you"
said the woman.
Turning In their walk. the woman
leaned back against one of the pillars
If the veranda. and the man seated
himself on the railing. He was taking
his rejection with admirable coolness.
as the woman knew he would take It.
"May I smoker he said politely.
The commonplaceness of the request
struck the woman's vein OF humor. and
n was with little laugh that she gave
her consent. The man lit cigar. look
cd out toward the trees and the moon
light and said:
Rather pretty waltz they are play
ing. isn't it?"
Then he pufted away at his cigar
reheetlyely and continued:
II have to thank you for having
listened TO me so patiently. Might
trespass a little more upon your good
nature aud ask permission TO discuss
the matter further with your
His manner. as calm as though he
had been discussing some abstractly
ethical question. was very Characters
tie Perhaps the knowledge of this ir-
rltatcd the woman little. for she re
piled:
NO amount of discussion can profit
either OF us. so far as can see. But.
as have said, In asking me to mar
~ you great compliment was paid
me, and In return for that compliment
suppose that owe you permission
to Indulge your love for discussion or
argument"
Thanks for the permission" said
the man, still in his stolid manner.
Il cannot recognize my proposal as.
in any sense. compliment. but | am
willing that you should, II you wish,
take the manner In which | made ii
as compliment Recognizing the
splendid development of your own
logical faculties. have made my offer
of marriage in perfectly businesslike
form. have heard you often declare
that a contract OF marriage is like any
other contract and should be entered
into only when both parties are fully
aware OF what they are doing
DO you think women are ever err
tirely eonsistentT interrupted the
woman.
The man looked trifle surprised
and replied:
"At least, | give you credit for hay
ing splendidly consistent mind. You
do not mean that | have erred in my
manner of proposing. that you would
have preferred more OF an air OF ro-
nance and all that sort OF thing?"
Not at ALL" the woman FASTENED
10 assure him. Perhaps one more
placed little credence In her words.
but the man TO whom they were ad-
dressed never presumed to doubt their
truth.
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 important
case before the supreme court You
are twenty-nine-or is 1t thirty p
years old, have reputation as a
beauty, and ali that. You can. know.
marry any one OF two or three men
who can offer you at least as much as
l. but modesty was never prevailing
Characteristic OF mine. and have not
feared TO measure myself with these
other men.
"On the other hand, l can give you
pretty much anything you desire that
costs money. | stand well in my pro
fession and have prospects of soon be-
ing near the top OF it. Altogether. |
am satisfied that any one would call
1t very suitable match all around"
Does the prosecution here close its
caseF' inquired the woman. laughing
a little.
L hardly care TO regard the matter
as one of prosecution and defense"
said the man imperturbabIy. but IL
you wish to use the terms | am forced
70 admit their applicability. VIII the
defense rest its case on the testimony
submitted by the prosecution, or will
u eject to submit an argumentg"
me defense VIII submit an argu-
ment" replied the woman. 81 admit
that the match would be, as You say.
pronounced suitable by every one As
Tor the two or three other men whom
you aver that can marry at any time
cannot answer. have noticed that
the number of my proposals has been
railing on of late, and attributed the
iact TO advancing age-you We're right
when you said was thirty. may
close the discussion by saying that
nave made up my mind to become an
old maid"