Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-09-17

"a " a WIN ~ oAoRO6C4A
you are to do as much or as little
counting as you like"
"It seems to me that this is putting
the cart before the horse"
mot at all. 1t is simply applying q
stimulant to obviate the indifference of
middle life. If you cut a cash In your
arm what do you do to draw the parts
together?"
apply an adhesive plaster"
"That is the intention of this plan of
mine. 1t is an adhesive plaster to
draw you and the oma together.
Married you cannot fly apart. You are
bound by matrimony."
"Edith," I exclaimed, what a head
you have on your shouldersl You
should have been a scientist"
81 am giving you nothing but COM
mon sense, nothing but what has been
practiced in all parts of the world from
time immemorial."
do you mean to tell me that you
have succeeded In inducing a woman
to consent to your planT'
"She would consent to no other.
-AOAO 4Ao0S OS u RAO06Og kAOAA AAAA0 ~
recover from its effects"
l sat thinking over this remarkable
proposition for some time without
speaking.
Edith" 1 said at last, this is GER
tainly a desperate remedy you pro-
pose, but 1t Is as desperate for the wo-
man you have in mind as for me. You
WNuld nor I Epnuy O0nnAok cTYoh a
scheme for me with any one except a
lady and one In whom you repose great
confidence. l only question whether
In recommending me to her you are
not influenced to wrong her on account
Of your friendship for me. The lady
has doubtless had time to think the
matter over. Give me the same. When
I have decided 1 will advise you"
/ went to my room and did the hard
est job of thinking l have ever done
in my life. l had already come to
hate the loneliness of my abode, and
my picture as a white headed old man
came up before me-tottering out alone
to dinner and tottering back to get rid
of the hours remaining before bed
time. These and other pictures of the
future l called up, contrasting them
with the sweets of home, wife, chill
dren. On the other hand, l thought
of being tied up with a woman who
might turn out to be a virago. l re-
membered that my friend, Edith Al
lison, had said that the loneliness Of
old age Is a certainty, matrimonial un-
happiness a chance. AS for waiting
for a love affair, l had been doing that
for twenty years, and there was less
hope now than ever. True, under the
influence of Il sudden passion l had
wished to marry one of several differ
ent women at different times. Fortu-
nately they had all refused me. Later
l found that my judgment of them
had been execrable. In Mrs. Allison's
judgment l had every confdence-that
is, her judgment of women.
One morning l was driven to the
house of the iancee l had never seen
and who had never seen me, to be mar
ried, arriving at a few minutes before
oon l was prepared stoically to
meet either a beauty or a Gorgon. At
- OClONh tAG OIAoA1 puAIJ ChICACu LAO
room where 1 waited. My wife to be
was not beautiful, but l saw charac-
ter In her face. l was relieved.
Her mother led the way and, advanc-
ing to me, grasped my hand, pressed
it warmly and showed also a warm
sympathy In her face. The bride,
whose color seemed to have deserted
har ala nok raise how auao 10 lob af
me. From thinking Of the frightful
plunge l was taking-so 1 considered
it, was turned to sympathy for her.
We stood together before the clergy
man while members of the brides
family gathered on the sides. l made
the responses in a firm tone; the brides
were barely audible.
When we had been pronounced man
and wife my wife turned and for the
first time fixed her eyes on my face.
This first look at her husband was
met by a sympathetic, assuring smile
from me. At the same time I took her
hand and pressed it. Then l turned to
carry out the terms of this singular
plan by leaving the house.
MY VIE u1u uOL my Aohu'
Her mother, who was watching US,
asked me to step into another room,
where a breakfast had been prepared.
1t occurred to me that if my bride had
been disappointed in me l would have
been permitted to depart. Doubtless
the mother saw in her daughter what
decided her to detain me.
We passed into a breakfast room and
seated ourselves about a round table.
There was a stiffness among US for a
time, but presently we were chatting
as if we had known onO another for
years. All talked except the bride,
who sat with her eyes fixed on her
plate. But roses had come Into her
cheeks, and there was always on her
lips that which resembled an incipient