The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1913-08-28
Initiating the
Ostrich
By ELLIOTT SMITH

One crisp October day a young man
alighted from a train 10 a quiet vii
hge. During the summer lie had met
at a country resort n Miss Mathews,
with whom he had dawfled about
boating. fishing. swimming, dancing
In short, doing those things which,
when done In company with o pretty
girl, generate love almost as surely as
a dynamo will generate electricity.
During the period that they were to-
gether another young man named OAR
gan had come from the city. evidently
for the purpose OF being with the girl.
for he Immediately proceeded TO mo
nOpo,ize her. Since he showed plainly
that he was sutton the young man OF
the first part. Emery, VINO had no more
idea OF marrying a wife than he had Of
establishing "A bank. dropped out In his
favor, leaving the young lady free TO
accept his attentions, After seyera!
days passed In company with her Mr..
Dargan left the resort, and Miss Math-
ews was again unabsOrbed Mr.. En-
I tAy ~ hh AAANh bdNh ~ AA' Az AANA
status.
There Is no position more capable Of
exciting a mans self contempt than
to occupy the time and attention Of
young lady whom he has no thought OF
marrying. But let him once realize
that be doesn't wish any one else to
marry her and be cannot but consider
I In, hn
Such was the position occupied by Mr..
Emery when he recommended spend
ing his time in Miss Mathews COM
pany.
AS he afterward said. he was like
the ostrich that hides its head in the
sand to avoid being observed. Yet he
was observed not only by others, but
by himself.
When Mr. Emery left the resort and
Miss Mathews society be had made
step in advance. lie knew that he
would rather he hanged for Mr.. Oar
gan's murder than that the said OAR
gan should marry Miss Mathews. But
why? Did be want her himsef2 Sure
ly he had not gone on his outing with
was not feasible that be should become
engaged. He had but $1,000 a year,
and that was not sufficient to meet his
own personal requirements. He did
not know what Miss Mathews had and
didn't care. Matrimony was with him
out of the question anyway.
Some five or six weeks after the part
ba MO. uaaIy apnnuh m on m tha
place where Miss Mathews lived He
went there to see her. but why he did
not know. He had no more intention
of entering the lists with Dargan-or
any one else, for that matter-than he
had gone away in the summer to mar
~ wife. He had written her that he
would be In the vicinity Of her home
and would make a stop for the purpose
of renewing an acquaintance so pleas
antly formed during the summer" He
would call on a certain afternoon.
Why will persons say things they
don't mean. knowing that those to
whom they say them know they mean
something else?
In what occurred during that visit I
| Cudl &c MISS 1hdLhC"o VIII
ing purposely brought 1t about Never
theless II she did she had a perfect
right to do so. When Emery called on
her that afternoon he was ushered by
a maid into a coy library, where
stood a lady's writing desk on which
Miss Mathews wrote her letters, and
be had no sooner entered than be saw
| do 10 WING w harQ
1t had been written He could not well
help seeing the superscription-
The epistle was addressed to Dargan-
Was 1t one of a correspondence
Was II an acceptancef Was II a re-
lection? That was for him to find out
When Miss Mathews came in
tastefully arrayed. Of course-she ex-
pressed herself much pleased to meet
again a summer acquaintance"
A summer acquaintance-that was
true, but Ii was CALLING. He had said
that he was pleased Ito renew an &C.
quaintance" etc. That he knew.
was all folderol. but the same thing
coming from Miss Mathews was very
different 1t was depressing, sadden-
| luuStO, IL was WOioC IMAM NOU
en- funeral bells all tolling at once.
Miss Mathews eyes fell on the letter
on the desk. She started. Emery
didn't start, but there was a sudden
whirlwind of feeling within him which
coagulated with a purpose. He plung-
ed into the Rubicon.
Nevertheless he plunged so quietly
that the net was not perceptible. He
asked Miss Mathews whether she
would go back to the same resort
next year, and she said she didn't
know; she hadn't thought much about
It Then he remarked that he thought
he should spend his vacation next sea-
son In the autumn since be proposed
to hunt Both were talking about one
thing and thinking about another-the
letter on the desk. There was a pause
In the conversation. Both looked up
from the letter at the same moment,
and their eyes met Emery reached
for it and tore II into little bits.
"You had no right to do that" said
the girl
"I1l write another"
Taking up pen and paper, he wrote
on Ii: 81 have to announce to you my