The Southern herald., 1910-12-02

u
dainty bit Of sewing and listened un-
heedingly through her dream Of Jerry,
a dream that would soon be reality.
He would be home any day, surprising
her as on all bis college vacations. He
was through the law school and they
would be married. They had been plan
ming it for FIVE years-sinee she was
eighteen.
It had been a long wait. and she
had felt, uncomfortably. that his sis
ter Anne, his housekeeper since their
mothers death, did not approve Jer-
rvs choice. Now at the little neigh
borhoOd sewing" that represented
society to some extent, where much
opinion went forth. but where gossip
was theoretically tabooed. Anne was
holding forth to the rest. The talk
had been largely Of college and col
lege people. and Anne was saying in
her sententious manner:
We'll, college does change a man!
And | believe a mans wife should be
his equal if she's to take any comfort
herself or be anything but a drag on
him. There's Mary Stevens. for a
shining example Of misery. Don
Martin got engaged to her before he
went away to school merely because
he was idle and she was pretty and
always about Then, while he studied
four years she sat at home and read
his letters and embroidered doilies.
She simply lived from one vacation
to another. and never had an inde-
pendent thought of her own, or read
a book that she was not forced to
read! She waited for him to marry
her, and that was ALL You know, as
well as |, that finally everybody but
her saw that he had outgrown her.
1t was evident that he gave her both
chance and an excuse to break the
engagement But she wouldn't though
Mark Towne, who had remained right
here and adored her and was on
her own level. was wild to get
her. She would marry Don, and she
did Now-he's Indifferent and she
Is Jealous and It's bad mess. He
has known women who think and
need mental companionship, a thing
she can't give him. She had nothing
but mere youth and selfish devotion;
now, the youth is slipping away and
10 nRNaLnd
back and forth through the garment
she was making
But surely" defended the min
ister's wife, gently, and remembering
Elaine and her tender young sensi-
bilities, surely love does not depend
on mere mental companionship.
Mary's case was but one instance.
Many men want the simple sweet.
hearts of their boyhood, the girls who
have always known and understood
them. They can get intellectual slim
ulus from men friends and other
women. From a man they want love,
which the intellectual woman cannot
always give"
Anne still pursued her theme. "Of
course, exceptions occur. But main.
tain that most men find small inter.
est in the girls they leave behind
them. They may marry them, If they
have promised to, but it will be, gen
orally, because the girl has not the
sense to see that his interest has
wandered and that he would be glad
Of his freedom If he knew how to gel
it without seeming like a scoundrel
to himself and the home town
I'm sure could tell whether q
man really wanted to marry me
or not, and would at least give him
a chance"
Just then new arrival and g
silencing gesture of the ministers
wife toward Elaine, whose cheek haC
gone white, put an end to the talk
But it had been wantonly cruel, and
the others firmly believed that Anne
had done 1t purposely. They knew
her ambitions for Jerry, her brilliant
brother, and the interest Alma Terris
a young artist friend of his hat
taken in him. The town had
thought he would jilt Elaine ant
marry Alma Terris, and the town haC
said so.
Now Elaine folded her work ant
slipped into the June sweetness o.
the late afternoon, a new though
tearing at her heart. Would Jerry
like to have his freedom? Had hc
cared for Alma Terris? She had no
been jealous of the young artist whC
had visited the Terhunes the summer
before. The air was full of bird sons
and rose bloom, but the ache at heI
heart hid these things. And he nigh
be home any time, tonight, even.
She had waited with a sort of rap
ture for him, for the final arrange
ments for the wedding. But now
well, she could not go home. Hal
unconsciously she went over the hill
taking the little path that led to tn,
wood where they had told their sim
pie boy and girl love. She must thinl
1t out. A sort of agony folded il
upon her as she remembered that o
late his letters had been brief, full O
the homely, simple past, with yer,
little of life now, his thoughts now
Had he tired of her? If she tried t,
break the engagement would he lie