River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-06-22
HOWL POUND
MY WIFE 8 8
BY PETER OUNCE
y yETELL Walter, and ysu are mar
Wv ried?"

Wv ried"
YES" I answered, "and to the
sweetest little woman in the world"
''Of course you think SO, said my
friend; "but / cannot understand how
onE who was such a confirmed cynlc
as yourself could be so easily caught.
Pl ay tell me how it WASP"
And so, with my feet on the old
desk, and myself coziIy ensconced in
one of the huge armchairs with which
every lawyers Office is or ought to be
adorned, told my old friend, Harvey
Burt, how found my wife.
'cYou know, Harvey, that | was, as
you say confirmed cynic, sneering
at all Womankind, loving to fiirt with
them, it is true, but only to kill time,
or for little amusement. When the
hot weather came on, did not care a
fig for Long Branch or Saratoga; I
had been to Newport and the Springs,
and by the way, they bore you hor-
ribly; and so / began to look about
for some quiet spot where / could
have months fishing and shooting.
The village of N attracted my at
tention, and / went at once, rejoicing
to think that / might have quiet and
peace, no matchmaking mammas,
with manageable daughters, no extra
toilets for dinner; but quiet home
where J. could do as | pleased.
On, you know, is on Long Island
sound, and / rejoiced in the prospect
of boating and bathing, without the
nuisances that infest a fashionable
watering place But as the numbering
old stage drove up to the door of the
Alderman house, the only hotel in the
place, I saw at glance that my dream
of peace was dispelled. Young wom-
en-! Bah! Harvey-and such young
womeni l assure you that | was
eyed and commented on for at least
an hour by three or four amiable dam
sells. who were on the lookout for
something new I went to my room,
and made ready for supper, as they
styled it, and had the honor of an in
PRODUCTION to several of them at the
table. One attracted more than q
passing notice, and in the evening I
found myself flirting with. Miss Hall
after the most approved fashion. Such
a girl. Harvey! You never saw the
mate for her!"
Was she your divinity"
"No, my boy. Don't interrupt me.
No. she was not; but she was the
most self-satisfed young woman l
ever saw-rather good looking, gifted
with a tongue and correct knowl-
edgs of it's use-believing firmly in
what Thackeray says of Becky Sharpe,
THAT any woman with a knowledge
of herself, and little common sense,
and persistence, may marry whom she
likes This was Miss Halls creed.
To make long story short, we f1irt-
ed all the time, and until we were
the talk of the house. But | began
to tire of the game, and to wish for
something new
zone night. as | rowed Miss Hall to
the village, we met party of three
coming up with Tim, our porter-two
ladies and a gentleman-one was an
invalid Harvey. that face, with its
look of utter WEAKNESS, haunted me.
There's no use to describe it, 1t
wouldn't bear it; but I thought it the
sweetest face ever saw. 1t was more
than a week before / saw it again,
though | had been dreaming of it con-
tinually.
zone night, as / came in from a
bath. on entering the hall, / saw a
pair of little feet, in red slippers
Laugh, if you will, you rascal, but
those slippers, or rather their con-
tents, finished me. AS l advanced l
saw the same face-the invalid was
at last able to be downstairs-and /
was introduced to Ella Benton. Of
course | dropped Miss Hall, thereby
causing much scandal. | had thought
to win an easy victory with the new
conner, but the cool way in which she
repealed my attentions put me at my
wits ends. and l made mental VOW
to drop flirting BY what particular
process | came to that conclusion 1t
would be difficult to explain. | tried
everything l. felt myself falling in
love. and suppose I showed it. l pro-
posed on a weeks acquaintance, and
was quickly refused. Nothing daunt-
ed. | determined on a change of base
/ asked her to consider me her friend
and only that, for life-a true friend.
| got that foothold, and then tried to
render myself indiSnenSah1e TRUSTING