Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-01-23
AS 1T HAPPENED

On the third day Of the honeymoon
he observed Some said It was GER
tainly Sarties, and some said It was
Sir Herbert, but nobody said 1t was
me. Yet / was chosen and they were
rejected. whyf"
You don't want to know, and |
don't want to tell you"
but I do want to know. You didn't
care for me In the least | have no
Illusions about myself am not near.
ly so good looking as Sarties, who GER
tainly proposed to you at the Garstin-
venn's dance. Neither am nearly 80
wealthy as that amiable and elderly
knight. Sir Herbert. who unquestion-
ably spoke to your father on the sub
ject."
THAT was just the reason why |
married you
What! Because was palmer than
Sarties and poorer than Sir HerbertT
The same thing, but put rather diff
ferentiy. You were much better look
ing than Sir Herbert and much richer
than Sarties. You're quite right about
the Garstin- venn's dance. Mr.. Sarties
did propose then, and did not refuse
him-not Mt the moment"
DO not know It? Was not his face
transfgured
He was terrifically handsome" She
shrugged her shoulders. What idiots
rfrlS I'M 4nt.Jty ~ Int
Greek god business now. think a
man who is as handsome as all TINT
always looks a little vulgar or even
effeminate. which is worse. Mr.. Sar-
ties looked both; but, being a girl, I
was also an idiot, and did not refuse
him. But l did not accept him either.
] postponedI spoke to papa"
And your father said that Sarties
was pauper?"
"A pauper and buffoon and a grin
, ming ape and a liar. You know, dear
papa never did like men who played
the violin. He had an interview with
papa, and papa was very rude, and
Mr.. Sartles wrote me a perfectly hor-
rible letter which was meant TO be
sarcastic. So that finished It,"
"And them.
Then Sir Herbert came along, and
papa said that here was an honorable,
upright gentleman who could well af-
ford to maintain me in a proper posi-
tion in life. Papa said he did not
dream of coercing me in any way and
that was to make an absolutely free
choice. and he would not let me re-
fuse him finally On the other hand,
| would not accept him. How could
I? Why, he was old--forty IL he was
n day. ooh. Edward. dearest, do let
US never not be youngD. And then he
was hideous.'
"And then came in. was the
eompromise-not too ugly for you and
not too poor for your father And you
did not care for me in the least
at was only that | did not know
YOU well enough then. And papa al
ways liked you"
TRUE. But was not marrying
your father
Girls are idiots Oh, to think that
| might have insisted on marrying that
insufferable Mr.. Sarties. Why did you
make me tell you? 1t makes me feel
SO horridl | can't think how even a
girl could have been the idiot | was.
The only sensible thing that did was
that did accept you. You don't mind.
do you? Not now?"
at has always been my opinion"
said her husband. that the man who
wins race need not grumble very
much that he did not get good start"
"And you have won-most complete
~" She paused and then said pen
sively: do you know, did not think
you were really very fond of me either
Just at first. You asked me just now
why accepted you. Now, tell me,
why did you ask me to marry youT
He smiled. paced the room once or
twice and replied in her own words:
"You don't want to know, and don't
want to tell you"
"Then you didn't-not just at first.
was right Then why ON earth did you
ask me to marry you? No; stop. Don't
tell me. You made me tell you, but 1
don't want you to tell me. A woman's
wiser than a man there. and yet some
men say that women are curious. As
a rule, they don't want to know half
the things that men insist on telling
them. So you didn't love me at firstf
I understand, of course. l can't help
understanding. Was she as pretty as
l am-that other girl who refused you
just before you proposed 70 me? What
an idiot she must have been! But OF
course. girls always are 'sots. I've
said that before 1t does matter a
bit when You come to think it over.
We got encaged without being bit
In love with each other but 1t turned
out all right as II happened
Eyes" he said. lit turned out very
particularly all right as 1t happened.
One doesn't deserve ones luck" he
added solemnly.
She gave a sigN Of relief. I'm rather
a. 49, ~