Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18

again, and the girl, seeing it, drew back
little as if wounded.
"Don't do that, Dearest" he said quick
ly, putting his arm about her and drawing
her closer. 81 never was more serious in
my life. You and | love each other. You
have no doubt of that, have you? But it
doesn't reassure you in the least as to our
future happiness, does it?"
She shook her head sadly "My father
and mother were just as much in love as
we are"
Exactly. But they refused the neces-
sary compromise, the reciprocal allow
ance for differences of opinion or preju-
dice, of training, heredity, environment,
etc; or, rather, they did not refuse it:
they simply had no idea of it. And it has
to be mutual, you know, if it's to insure
happiness. One must concede just as
much as the other, and the happiness is in
increasing ratio to the concessions
more concessions, the greater the COM
fort. But your mother belongs to the era
when woman was supposed to maintain
her attitude of being forever on a pedes-
tai, with man kneeling before her asking
as his only reward for lifelong mainte-
nance, and unimpaired faithfulness, that
she be his. But these be other times,
other manners. Nora has pulled her
dolls house about her head forever. Dora
Copperfeld, still bewitching at twenty, is
regarded as bore at thirty and frankly
neglected.
OH, poor, tired, little Page!" he broke off
laughing and then catching her up in
his arms covered her face with kisses. 81
didn't mean to preach you sermon; but
now I've begun might as well go on and
get it out of my system. Why, just look
at this matter of marriage! Two people
feel an overwhelming attraction for each
other, and they are perfectly willing to
start their lives together with the axiom,
Love is enough But the experience of
the ages is that love is never enough. They
must also be willing to undertake the
well, what one might call the drudgery of
adjustment, the struggle at all times to
maintain that reciprocal understanding
and tolerance which is a safer basis for
happy marriage than all the love that was
ever sung by the poets. You realize that,
you understand it, and feel it, don't
your"
Her head was thrown back; she was
looking up at him with parted lips.
"Yes," she said slowly, al believe it, and
| am wondering if it is possible for me to
practise these things
at is possible, he assured her, "be-
cause you are sincere, because you try to
get down to the basis of things. But"
again the laughter showed in his eyes,
at may not be SO difficult as you think. |
Really, | am not person of unfortunate
disposition:''
Mother says that | am
ooh, your mother! But Dearest, |
Dearest, don't you see the absurdity of
bargains and terms between u.s."
EYES," she said, al see" She leaned |
her head against his shoulder, and they
stood looking down upon the little park.
where in the growing light the flowers and
fountains We're beginning to shine through |
the dissolving mists of last nights fog. inn
palpable, fairy webs now. woven from the |
looms of the air and shot with the gold of |
the rising sun.
Page nestled nearer. 81 love the |
thought that by compromise and conces-
sion and all those things you talked about
we can make our marriage a happy one,