The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-07-10
HER TWO PARTNERS,
ax sPENcER TRoMaRIpeE.


ciation.l
Several married women were dis
russing over their afternoon tea the
matter Of choosing husband. Mrs
Brown advocated giving way to love
no matter how unpromising mattel
might be otherwise. Mrs. Tinker con
sidered common sense the most desir
able trait to look for in q life partner
Mrs. Evans declared that. after all thai
lad been said against marriages fol
money. without It there could be nc
comfort and without comfort love i.
hort lived. Mrs. Twitchell declared
hat no man could ever have won hel
rho was not fascinating converse
onalist.
"Your remark, Mrs. Twitchell," said
Brs. Anderson, reminds me Of story
"a story In which ! was the principal
1ctor. When l was eighteen went e
visit a schoolmate whose father was
pery intimate with the superintendent
4 an insane asylum During my visit
dance was given for the patients
and we were all invited None Of US
relished going, but my host was mHcl
interested in the sufferers and insisted
on our doing our part.
my first partner was SO queer look
ing and had such a restless, anxious
look in his eye that ] was afraid Of
him. Every now and again he would
pause or stop short in the dance tC
look at some other mental wreck, and
once / was dreadfully frightened fol
fear he was going to attack a demurc
little woman who Of all those present
looked the most tractable Ny partner
said very little to me, and when l adj
dressed a remark to him he barely an
swered me. He seemed preoccupled
/ fancied tlNt be considered every ont
present his natural enemy and If / es
capped being strangled by him before
the dance was finished would be for
tunate. was much relieved when the
music stopped.
my second partner was very differ
ent. He was about thirty-five years
old ana handsome as picture. I shall
never forget the quiet, we'll poised lool
IN his eyes. The matron introduced
him to me and as she did so whispered
something to me which understood
to be that he was an invited guest
But IL she had not SO Informed me
should have been sure that he was Of
perfectly sound mind, He made sew
eral remarks to me IA the intermissioni
Of the dance that caught my attention
at once, and longed to listen to bis
conversation. Such a man at such al
age is just the person TO impress 9
young girl who Is naturally BATTERED
by any notice be deigns to bestoW
upon her. As soon as the dance was
finished / put my arm through his that
I should not lose him.
"He talked delightfully."-. He was q
graduate Of an American, German
and an English university. lie had
Travelled everywhere and bad the fac.
ulty Of imparting not only information
on abstruse topics, but Of making one
seem to visit the places he had visited
His fayorite topic was biology, re-
member bis telling me that scientists
were getting every day nearer to a
knowledge Of the source Of life, and
he surprised me BY telling me that the
day would come when they would by
chemical substances and forces pro
iuce protoplasm, the fundamental llv-
Ing substance.
while we were chatting my first
partner passed us and gave my com
panion a look which l battered myself
was due to jealousy. ] had no mind
to be interrupted in my tete-a-tete and
showed by apparent rapt attention
that / was absorbed IN what was be
ing said to me
MY partner after this, continuing
his remarks on the source Of life, grew
animated. He made me feel that he
was a superior being sent down from
heaven to demonstrate that our mortal
part is nothing more than chemical
combination to hold the soul during its
preparation for another existence
My enthusiasm waxed with his. But
though / was rapt In what he said
there was dual current OF thought
In my mind. a feeling Of how happy ]
could be with, how proud Of, such a
husband
again my first partner came near
rs. and again / noticed that he was
wrought upon by Jealousy. True be
vas a lunatic, but / was at an age to
be pleased even at the jealousy Of an
unbalanced mind. His insanity need
not necessarily interfere with his
taste. At that moment my companion
gave my arm clutch that caused me
70 shrek with pain, shouting, ] will
force your soul from your body and
put it back againP And from the look
III his eye / knew that were be free
10 do SO he would murder me.
81 heard a sharp whistle. In a mo-
ment my first partner was holding my
second, and In q few seconds more
was Joined and assisted by several
keepers. The man ] admired was hus
lied of like a felon, and the man did
not admire superintendent his removal
well, to end the story, it turned
out that my first partner was brill
liant young doctor who as medical di-
rector Of the asylum was studying
mental diseases. NY second was q
lunatic Of no special education who
had picked up a sinattering Of various
sciences. Such was the judgment Of
q girl Of manageable age between
two men as to which she would marry.
I have two daughters, and I am deter
e.trnd thaf neither Of them shall mar.