The Press., 1904-08-31
Her Splendid
inconsistency
BY W. W. HiNE S
Copyright. 1904. by W. w. Hines

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From the open windows came music,
made by the orchestra in the ballroom
| on the farther side of the house. soften
ed by distance Moonlight. broken up
by intervening trees into bars and
| splotches of golden radiance. lay all
about them as they walked up and
down the veranda.
They were two. man and woman,
as befitted the waltz tune and the
moonlight
"The right kind of n woman always
appreciates n proposal of marriage
from any man as great compliment.
Coming from you 1t is the much more
to be valued. but | cannot marry you.
| said the woman.
| Turning in their walk the woman
leaned back against one of the pillars
| of the ver;tnda. and the man seated
himself on the railing. He was taking
his rejection with admirable coolness.
as the woman knew he would take IL.
May l smoker he said politely.
The commonplaceness of the request
struck the woman's vein of humor. and
| 1t was with little laugh that she gave
her consent The man lit q cigar, look
| ed out toward the trees and the moon
light and said:
Rather pretty waltz they are play
ing. isn't it?'
Then he puffed away at his cigar
refectively and continued:
IL have to thank you for having
listened to me SO patiently. Might |
trespass a little more upon your good
nature and 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 characteris
tic. Perhaps the knowledge of this ir-
ritated the woman a little. for she re-
piled:
mo amount of discussion can profit
either of us, so far as l can see. But.
as l have said, in asking me to mar
ry you great compliment was paid
me, and in return for that compliment
| suppose that l 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. if you wish,
take the manner in which / made 1t
as compliment. Recognizing the
splendid development of your own
logical faculties, have made my offer
OF marriage In perfectly Du'=-=F..--s
form. / have heard you .Oftsn declare
that contract of marriage Is ike 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 en-
tirely consistentY' interrupted the
woman.
The man looked a trife surprised
and replied:
"At least. l give you credit for hav-
ing splendidly consistent mind. You
do not mean that l 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?'
mot at ALL" the woman FASTENED
to assure him. Perhaps one more
skilled In woman nature would have
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 it thirty
years old. have reputation as a |
beauty, and all 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 a prevailing
of mine, and l have not |
feared to measure myself with these
other men.
"On the other hand, can give you
pretty much anything you desire that
costs money. l stand well in my pro-
tession and have prospects of soon be-
Ing near the top Of 1t. Altogether, /
ann satisfied that any one would call
t very suitable match all around"
Does the prosecution here close its
caseY' inquired the woman. laughing
! little.
Il hardly care to regard the matter
ls one Of prosecution and Defense"
aid the man imperturbably, "but If
Tou wish to use the terms am forced
o admit their applicability. Will the
lefense rest its case on the testimony
by the prosecution, or will
elect to submit an argumentY'
'"The defense will submit an argu
nent." replied the woman. II admit ,
hat the match would be. as you say,
ronounced suitable by every one. AS ,
or the two or three other men whom
ou aver that can marry at any time.
cannot answer. have noticed that
he number of my proposals has been
alling off of late. and attributed the
act to advancing age-you were right
vhen you said I was thirty may 9
lose the discussion by saying that
ave made up my mind to become an g
Id maid" a
Far be 1t from me to say anything
gainst those estimable members of
'ciety-the old maids" said the man, {
but l do not think you will ever be p
ne OF them. ] am firm in the belief
lat every old maid is a woman who "
as disappointed in love or who was
o cold bloodedly selfish to ever mar
:. Surely you do not come in either :,
assY'
NO." said the woman refiectively, 81 -
MT say that ! do. and get .,
" "PerhaDs." said the man. and now Z
, voice was very gentle, as though =
! feared he might here touch some B
wound unwittingly. ''there is in
ur life some romance which | have As
t guessed. Believe me, l would not az az
'und you for worlds, and | trust you ar
II pardon my clumsy speech &c t,e
oh. am not blighted being, never sii
sr." this with laugh that did not ms ms
lg altogether of merriment. al
Then your refusal to marry me is fas M
based upon the ground that You ini
efer some other manT' Oh