Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1910-06-03

/
marriages, but the strangest Of all was
! that which served to unite me and my
wife. If l hadn't opened a certain
/ book on certain day l should either
/ have remained a bachelor or married
/ some one else. Had I opened that
same book day earlier there would
/ have been no such effect / could not
have opened it a day later, for have
never since been in the room where it
was kept
/ was at the time curate Of a church
/ in a small but aristocratic town. My
salary was 5000 a year. had heard
stories Of girls setting their caps for
unmarried clergymen, but 1 saw no
evidence of the trptn Of these stories
] in my own case. Most of the girls OF
/ the congregation were daughters Of
| well to 10. some Of them rich, parents.
| Whether the girls did not encourage
me because they were aware that
/ had nothing but my salary or because
was not especially attractive to
/ them don't know. The fact remains
/ that / was not encouraged.
I thought at the time that my ser
mons were a trife too heavy for their
| intellects. l was given to philosophic
/ thought. and my thoughts found
vent i'm my homilies. I could see
from the want Of attention Of these
girls when l was preaching that they
were thinking Of the set OF their gar
ments. the appearance OF their hats
and such matters rather than of the
IDEAS 1 was cndeavoring TO convey to
/ them
But there was one young lady whom
I noticed fixed her attention upon me
from the time I began to speak until I
had finished. / would have been at
loss to know whether her interest was
I'm my remarks or me had she not the
moment I had concluded my sermon
turned to her hymn book or her pocket
book for the collection. seeming to for
get all about me. As she was the only
young lady in the church with a for
tune in her own right 1 never dreamed
Of marrying her, though she was rath-
er good looking and very estimable
person.
OF course I had the entree TO her
home and many a pleasant evening or
afternoon I spent with her chatting
upon subjects that were agreeable TO
me and seemed to be agreeable to her.
She appeared to be pleased to start me
talking and sat with some fancy work
in her hands listening At that time
supposed man entertaining to women
to be one who could talk well. l have
since learned that a good listener
would be his most dangerous rival
But the lady did not seem to care to
talk herself. leaving me to do it all.
This kind of chat about ideas is a
, very poor conductor for any warming
Of the heart. Love is not intellectual
A rhinoceros may love. but a rhinoc-
eros is not a thinker. Birds love. but
they don't reason as to where they will
build their nest. Instinct tells them
how and where to do that. 1 never
made a start on saying anything ten
der. To do so did not occur to me. A
curate with nothing but petty salary
, to make love to girl with a fortune in
her own right. I should expect to be
turned out of the house and probably
my pastorate at such presumption.
1 received a call that would give me
no more salary, but considered the
+ field a better one than the one 1 occu-
pied I wished to be a worker as well
as a preacher In the parish where
was there were few poor people and
Z among those who most need, to my
c thinking, clergyman I accepted the
call and the evening before my de
parture for my new field called upor
i the young lady who had shown SC
much appreciation of my intellectual
endowments. / had some new and
rs 1 thought, original points to bring
up by which ! hoped to leave a ina
! impression.
In the midst Of my presentation Of
my views my friend rose and asked t
be excused for n few moments. wal
It a trihe put out, for I had reached al
II important turn in what 1 was saying
u Since she did not return at once cas-
~ about for something to look over whill
. waiting. / sat beside a table, and OF
m this table was a single book Takini
it up, I opened it, It was a trash!
r novel. Turning over the leaves, CAM
- upon a piece Of paper on which wa
v written an unfinished note. 1 wa
1t about to put it aside when my eye
70 caught my own name.
Before my ideas OF right had time I,
. crystalline had seen enough TO com
l. pei me to see more. This is what
Ia read:
= George Durham goes away tomor
row, and my heart goes with him.
would be happy If he had said on
word from the heart rather than mil
lions from the brain. This waste o
words
n When the writer of this fragment re
> turned had risen and was looking on
ID of the window. She resumed her sea
g as though she expected me to -resum
d my intellectual discussion. Instead
IT fired at her a whole blunderbuss loa,
'e of the worst love twaddle man eve
(, spoke to woman.
e. Before sending this story to th
IS printer as "an incident from real life
h I showed it to my wife. She read /
through carefully, 1 watching her (
note its effect upon her. 1 expecte
10 see indications OF surprise. wa