Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-09-13
WHAT WAS
HER MOTIVE.2
IOriginal !

which / wish some one would explain.
When Lincoln Page, without cent
in the world, engaged himself to Lou
Strong, in the same impecunious condi-
ton, gave him a piece Of my mind
on the folly OF such IA proceeding.
"You wouldn't talk that way II you
were in love" he said.
II am in love" replied, with a girl
as poor as Lou. II | married her |
would expect to support her. and not
being able to do so have sense enough
TO keep my secret from her. Sliding It
in my own BOSOM"
Lincoln said nothing further at the
time. but in n few days returned with
the unspcakable gail to ask me to loan
him money to buy an engagement ring.
/ looked at him with az much aston
ishment as IL he had asked me for my
head, but the real surprising feature
in the matter Is that half an hour later
| should have gone TO box on my
bureau where | had $50, saved money,
opened the box and turned the con.
tents over to the lover. Why / did
this is psychological problem that /
consider nsouble.
Lincoln insisted that | should go to
the jewelers. with him. where we Sc
lected small solitaire, and since Lin
coin wished 10 keep the matter Sc
cret for awhile the ring was ordered
in my name, and after n flaw In the
setting had been repaired was to be
sent to me. told Lincoln that ! had
no objection to the transaction unless
It got out that | was spending money
for jewelry. OF course, | did not ex-
pect him TO tell his fiancee that he was
giving her an engagement ring on bor-
rowed money. but l cautioned him all
the same.
Forty-eight hours after the purchase
of the ring | met Margaret Woodwork.
the girl loved on the street and re-
cclved Il dead cut. | was too much AZ
tonlshed to at once determine what
should do in the matter but after
walking half n block turned and hur-
ried back to overtake her and ask for
an explanation. Unfortunately she had
meanwhile been joined by friend,
and since | did not care to discuss her
treatment OF me IN the presence of a
third party | desisted,
During the next twenty four hours
ran the gamut of human masculine
feeling. l first determined that, con-
sIdering my inability to marry, 1t would
be best not to seek to heal the breach
Beginning by harping on this bass note
| gradually ran up to the highest one
attainable--a fear that If l could not
dissolve the arrangement l should go
mad.
Another twenty -four hours and l had
come to no decision. In the first place, l
did not dare go to see the girl who con
sidered me beneath her notice, fearing
that a furthet expression OF her scoru
would crush me. In the second place.
knew that | hadn't strength to con
ccal the fact that l loved her; indeed
so had suddenly discovered-that !!
loved her to the point of insanity.
Another twcntyfour hours and l
passed into collapse. | was ready to
cry for mercy for any offensc | had
committed or had not committed, 10
crawl on my knees TO grove in the
dust IL could only be restored. To
what--the status before the cut?
didn't know; | didn't care. | only
knew that this horrible something
which stood between us must vanish
or | would lose my mind. At 1 o'clock
In the afternoon ! came into this lam
entable condition. and the interval
from 4 to 4, the earliest hour proper for
n call, seemed to me n succession OF
days, not hours.
AT Il quarter before 3 | rang the bell
ut Miss Woodworth's. | could hear it
ring. and ii sounded loud as n fire bell.
When the maid opened the door l
chung TO a rail for support. | could
only articulate, Miss Woodworth?"
The maid nodded atlirmativcly, and
entered. In f. Y minutes Miss Wood
worth came down, received me coolly.
asked me to be seated and was about
to make remark about the weather
when my long pent suspense burst
forth, and In an ugouiZcd tone | asked
how | had offended her
You have not offended me; YOU
have sighted me Considering the
friendly relations existing between us,
| considered that an announcement of
Your eng cement should come to me
from YOU instead of being repeated to
me ~ common gossip by girl for
whom | have no fancy"
Il engaged"
You must certainly be engaged
since you have purchased a wedding
ring"
"a wedding ring"
| repeated the words mechanically
while ! was getting it through my
stupid uoddlr that some one had con.
sidercd the ring had purchased for,
lincolg Page rs a token of my engage.
mcnt ana published the fact to the
world.
Well Miss Woodwork 10y cutting
ne for such a cause had shown plainly
that she regarded me as her especial
property ana had learned that il she
were not my especial property my life
would hc a wreck The consequence
was that TN exactly three minutes after