Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1905-02-16

! Ind bought Them
Awestruck at such insight, he passed
| into his bedroom. half fearing that
here the charm would be broken, That
conN enience would have been sacrt-
| feed to looks" and that he would
| have TO dive into n pocket nailed to the
| closet door for one slipper and then
| dive again for the other. At the sight
Of them standing openly and demurely
beside the fireplace Wentworth voiced
| the highest praise TO be spoken OF wo-
man.
"Bless her hearth he said softly.
"She ought to be n bachelors wife,
During the three months that fol-
lowed this conviction grew more and
more fcrvent His admiration for the
skin with which Ethel Manice (at 9TH
er times a merry, companionahle glrD
ran the household. reducing friction to
the minimum, making life a continual
JOY, grew into n sort of religion TO him.
And il was something of this sort
that he said to her one night, scarce
knowing that he was saying il and
adding to il q humble request that
she marry him.
She looked at him oddly for mo
ment Then she laid her hand upon his
arm and said half kindly, half mock
ingly:
What YOU want IL a housekecper.
Mr.. Wentworth. not q wife" Then n
little more earnestly, please let us
NOT remember" And Wentworth, fee,.
ing more discounted than he cared to
admit 10 himself, did his best TO obey
her
After this life flowed smoothly on for
another six months, the ripples closing
over the night when Wentworth was
rejected and leaving no sign
1t seemed sometimes rs if his latch
key admitted him To another world
where all was order simple beauty
and good will, where every hour made
him stronger and better. Little by lit
tie he had become part of the small
family, often making n third in their
coy drawing room sometimes talking
sometimes reading and again scoldiny
or advising Ethel with the freedom of
big brother
His appreciation of the delightful
nominees and ease led him into his
second blunder. II was clustering
night in November On her couch
Mrs Nance who had been less well
than usual. lay sleeping, while Ethel,
who had been playing Schubert with
dreamy Inconsistencies, wandered or
into some improyis0tiOns OF her own.
Presently Wentworth laid down the
book that he was reading with an al
most sul1ocating sense OF the DEAFNESS
Of it all, Then suddenly Ethel stopped
playing aud rose from the piano. The
action seemed significant Wentworth
was Jared by the thought that just as
| abruptly might the slender thread by
which he held this utterly delightful
| home be snapped Mrs. Manice might
grow worse Ethel might
| lie gave sharp sigh. lie would not
| suffer The thought, and again from the
! fullness of his heart he spoke
Ethel" he pleaded, lis it SO impos-
siblc? i can't tell YOU what all this il
| to me- How could l ever get along
without you?"
But again he was stopped by that
| odd, impcnetrable glance. Again with
| a smile. half kind, half hooking, she
looked up at him and answered, 'You
want a companion, not wife" Again
they rravely agreed not to remember.
And soon after the Illness of a mar
| ried sister called her away. The weeks
| came and went and her stay prolonged
| itself dismalIy, it seemed TO Went
| worth. though under Mrs. Manicc's d.
rection things went on as smoothly ~
usual. Apparently everything was the
same. and yet lie smarted under an in
tolerahle sense of difference. All the
crcature comforts were there and pleas
ant companionship, yet the soul OF
things had fed And then suddenly be
understood. and the knowledge made
bin strong and humble
Ii was ON the evening Of Etbel's re-
turn Tint he found himself alone with
her for a few moments
Dear little girl" he said brokenly,
I'm not asking you 10 marry me I'm
not mad enough to do that again. But
| want TO tell you tllis-that | love You
with my whole heart; that ] shall AZ
ways love you; thDt | would rather
have loved you in vain than
Two slender arms we're about bis
neck. and a soft voice was saying
AT last, you darling | really believe
! that you want a wife