Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-10-02

"Just the thing for yon. | have
written the young man that ! have
exactly what he rants But I'm
afraid you'll have to take a leap in the
dark. He can't afford to come across
the continent to court a girl and go
back again. possibly. without her"
"Oh. dear!,'' exclaimed Mary. catch
ing her breath.
II would rather select a husband for
my daughter than have her select one
for herself. | mean by that that the
average girl would have a better
chance for happiness In her parents
selection than in her own-that is. IL
the intrinsic worth Of the man Is made
the chief consideration"
do you really think SOP"
II do"
1.-THE only romance l see in this mat
ter" said the poor girl thoughtfully.
lis the flowers"
Mrs. Ashurst, who could not repress
a smile at this rueful remark, gave
Mary a kiss.
II have known this young man from
boyhood and have always had great
faith in him. l can heartily econ
mend you to him." 8
IF l go out to him of course | must
marry him. But suppose he doesn't
like me?"
"Oh. you can't tell about that till
after you have been married for some
time. If you find out after awhile that
you don't like each other you can easily
get a divorce. Divorces are as COM
mon as marriages nowadays, and since
the chief consideration in life is keep
ing up a show of responsibility it is a
wonder there are not more of them"
The lady spoke this contemptuously.
Cant l see a photograph Of himg
mo, my dear. There is a reason
why you cannot, which will appear
later. Besides, 1t would do no good
If you find his appearance repulsive to
you-which you will not-and conclude
not to. marry him you'll be no worse
off than you are now. Indeed. you'll
be better off. In a country where your
antecedents are not known you will
not be ashamed to do anything for a
living that is necessary. You can be
a chambermaid in a hotel, a waitress
in a restaurant, a shopgirl. a nurse
'Ill be none of these; I'll marry your
friend If he is an ogre"
Spoken like a brave girl. Then,
too" with a smile. think of the flow
ers."
II shall have the flowers. That will
be delicious, anyway"
Yes; you will have the flowers. And
remember that while a romance will
fade forever the flowers continue in
endless succession"
And the good lady kissed her again.
It was the last day of Mary Black
more's journey to San Francisco.
During the morning a young man sit
ting lea her offered her a book to
read. and later the two fell into con-
v~ersation. Mary's meager account or
the reasons for her having come to
California apparently excited the
young mans curiosity so far that he
took pains to get the story. Indeed.
she longed for some one to tell 1t to in
order that she might get sympathy.
singular" he remarked: my moth
er has the same views concerning me
that this lady has for you"
"And are you willingY' asked Mary.
Il am tempted in the matter on ac
count of my situation. am a stran-
ger In a strange land. l lived in the
east, graduated at an eastern college
and came to California to seek my
fortune. live by myself without the
city, have no can of making social
acquaintance such as | have been ac-
customed to mingle with and am
lonely"
would you, If your mother should
find a mate for you, marry her with
out a courtship?"
81 think | would prefer at least to
meet her before marriage, but those
more experienced than | tell me that
a courtship Is a continued effort on the
part Of two persons each to make the
other believe he or she Is perfection,
with the advantage or the side of the
woman. who is more adept than the
man in appearing at her best"
Mary remained thoughtful after this.
She felt that If her proposed mate was
not repulsive TO her at their first meet
ing she would suffer herself to be
guided by Mrs. Ashurst's views. marry
him and hope for the best
1--WE have" said the young man
when the train was but a few miles
from the terminal. "but a short time
for an explanation that l have to make
to you. Read that
He handed her a letter addressed to
her In the well known writing of Mrs.
Ashurst. 1t read:
This win be handed you by my son.
Henry. whom you are going to meet
What is for your good is also for his
May you be happy together.
Mary looked up from the letter to
the face of Harry Ashurst. WHICH
beamed with satisfaction. Neither
spoke for a few moments. Harry bent