The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-10-10
HIS OVERTHROW.

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to him personally, came up.
He declined to censure his friends
when one by one they bowed their
heads to the yoke, for he said that If
a man with a sane mind wanted to
make an idiot of himself it was his
own business and he had a perfect
right to do so.
He was always getting himself dis
liked for thoughtless promulgation of
his theory when among friends.
Fluffy young creatures with trusting
eyes and marvellous pompadours, who
previously had cast speculative and
approving glances at his blonde fea-
lures, lusu lily tilted their noses
haughtlly and abandoned him to his
fate after he had launched forth his
opiniop.of the CALLING bonds Of mat
rimony.
Possibly this was because each one
wanted To- inscribe her calling cards
with the name of Mrs. Earnest Dean !;
still, it rather takes away from the
favor of the game to smile upon a
man who one knows never, by any
possibility, will gaze on one, save in
an impersonal and disinterested man.
ner. Older and more experienced
young women, who suspected that he
might be talking just for the sake of
talking, finally concluded also, that
he really believed what he said, and
so sought other fields to conquer.
So accustomed had Dean become to
being eyed reproachfully, surprisedly,
indignant, that he experienced dis
tinct shock the evening that he met
Serena Hubert the second time.
As he lazily watched the cigar
smoke curling upward-it was after
an informal dinner-he said apropos
of some remark, "It served him right
for getting married, anyhow |"
Serena merely continued to lean
back among the cushions Of the divan
and to smile agreeab1y. "It does,
indeed" she murmured calmly. "I
never can understand this idea that
matrimony means happiness People
situated like you and like myself, for
instance, are the only wise ones !"
Dean let his cigar slip from his par
a1yzed fingers, as he stared at her
/. vivid face. "D-do you, really think
that?" he half stammered.
Serana laughed. "Of course do"
she said. tits all foolishness p
Dean stopped over and recovered
his cigar. eyes, of course" he MUIR
injured. that's always been my the
ory."
"And you are quite right" Serena
assured him. IT am glad to meet
man with enough sense and brains to
recognize the fact and not be afraid
to stand by his colors.
She smiled at him sweetly and
Dean forgot what she said in observ-
ing the delicate contour of her face
@ fe roased a dpHfEx xse RsF e9;os vas Tnea
course, he agreed with her and he so
enjoyed meeting a sensible girl who
could be talked to without demanding
sense of the personal in the conver-
sation. He said it was unusual.
''But then," Serena replied, ''you
are an unusual man, Mr.. Dean"
"Not in the least % cried Dean,
grati6ed but not protesting.
He sat talking with Serena till his
hostess came and forcibly dragged
him away. He lost his good temper
till he got hold of man who could
take him to call on Serena, because
he had totally forgotten, in his absorp-
ton the evening of the dinner, to ask
her If he might come. He took her
to the theatre and then he was asked
to chafng-dish supper.
Through it all Serena insisted on
complimenting him on his we'll known
views against wife and home. She
elaborated on the subject. She agreed
with his remarks before he made
them, and if he did not make them
she cleverly put them into his mouth
and he spoke them hopelessly. He
began to have strange reluctance to
hear them, for of sudden he was
tired of their iteration.
An awful fit of the blues descended
on him and held him subject for
week. Each time he called on Sere-
ma in the hope of being cheercd up in
the society of person so thoroughly
in accord with his own views he came
away feeling worse. 1t was an awful
thing to hear a fair young girl sit up
and declare that she never should
marry but should devote her life to
being free and happy.
Gas if she could not be equally
free and lots happier if she married !'
Dean found himself muttering one
evening as he left her.
Serena was eminently fitted to make
some home happy, he had to admit.
Finally one evening when he was
particularly down-hearted he could
restrain himself no longer.
"Stop it," he told Serena. II
don't like to hear you say such things
Of course you'll marry somebody. /
wish-I wish there was show for
me Couldn't you-would you think
Of marrying me, Serena ?"
"Well," murmered Serena, may
be I am foolish to have such views.
EI'll think about it Ernest, though,
of course, I am SO surprised and star
tied"
Nobody but the mirror across the
room saw the finishing little smile she
gave herself as Dean sighed in an i'm
mence relief that .dissipated the cloud
of blues that had lowered over him
for days.
LITTLE Marion, having few real
playmates, has supplied herself with
several imaginary ones, with whom
she has many surprising experiences.
Her mother recently overheard her
playing with her large family of dolls
and entertaining a visionary caller.