Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-08-13

dinner. luouSnI Sne would end by
getting me shot in the back, but Jed
had rated me finally as unimportant,
which did my egotism no good. For
such rascal to discard me, formally
betrothed as I was to Isobel, in his
scandalous pursuits of that beautiful
girl, was preposterOus.
If Mrs. Sidney had known that was
idiotically in love with Isobel, she
would not have sought relief from her
distress by the arrangement which
made me her daughters protective
fance. The only thing 1 could take
credit for in this absurd situation was
that Mrs. Sidney was not allowed to
know the state of my feelings.
l was as sensible as a corrupting ro-
manticism would permit me to be. I
knew that any affection 1 might place
in this fashion was a real and serious
emotional vice, which if not controlled
might lead to unhappi1ess. That con-
sciousness had steadied me, but it had
not delivered me.
Isobel walked brightly through the
old house of tragedy-as surely it was,
however hidden the tragedy. She was
the CLINT of sunshine in the aisles of
the dark woods, the odor of roses
against the wall. She had the charm
of the hollyhocks, the freshness of the
hepatica in the spring, the beauty Of
the wild rose in June.
If I showed my feeling more than
a liver sausage shows a soul, hope l
may be punished. What l thought of
Isobel was my own affair, so long as
kept it strictly my own affair.
took myself il hand with as much
energy and promptness as could, fol-
lowing the announcement Of our en-
gagement. 1 did not want to confess
myself fool. I did not intend to do
so if 1 could help it.
overdid it. 1 became disagreeable.
1 kept as much out of IsobePs presence
as possible. 1 never willingly was
alDne with her. I did my best to avoid
meeting her or speaking to her. Isobel
met the situation with her natural
fmnkness after 1 had been giving this
demonstration of myself for some time.
Doctor" she said, "this household
necessarily imposes friendships upon
the people in it. wonder if we could
not be a little more agreeable to each
otler."
did not know what to say. I hoped
net t. be a hypocrite, and I did not
want to be absurd.
II shall be glad to be as agreeable
| ga FOL
suffering. 81 want to be, but I am
so awkward"
~ want to be, too," said Isobel; "and
if we both want to be, we shall not
have to glover at each other every
} time we meet. Even mother does not
require it and father would detest It,
Without saying anything more, she
>. made me see that I had used a cheap
device to escape the consequences OF
a foolish affection. The girl in a very
: friendly fashion had shown me thai
|. my avoidance of her was marked, coo
} and unreasonable. 1t was wholly rea
sonable from my poor standpoint, bu
, from no other.
saw that was meeting my Difficult
ty by running away from it, and no
only did not like the timidity of escap,
in this fashion, but Furthermore, dit
not like the opinion Isobel formed o
me because of it. I had to face tn
music, and after that I did 1t ough
5 not to have astonished me that 1 fel
better instantly. 1 knew that a COW
ard only increased his troubles.
I imagine If I had not seemed sue
a professional stick, such a thing aloo
2 from human emotions, Isobel woul
have been merely friendly and kint
E AS it was. she was tantalizing. Sh
liked me well enough, but that mean
very little. II she did not drive, ridt
walk or play tennis with me, she ha
L a choice of the servants. 1t was I Q
nothing.
u I was with Mr.. Sidney a number G
f hours every day. They varied, some
= times seven or eight day in differer
= periods, sometimes three or four. Yer
Y little of this time was occupied in pre-
fessional duty. Life at Hartley hous
IS would have been intolerably loneSom
< if had been there merely as prat
81 titioner. And therefore I welcomed
a routine that was outside my profe:
eI sion Mr.. Sidney had a delicacy {
I perception which told him when a
III tention upon even so amiable an il
-oI valid might be drawing upon the ply
~ icaI reserve of the people waiting upo
u him or being with him. He alway
ar managed that they never should fe'
lp the fatigue of it.
" We saw no company at Hartle
ut house. We made no calls and receive
7e none. We extended no invitations an
received none. The estate was barol
d. ial, and it had baronial habits, but
O. brought no friends to the doors.
x 1t was nearly always with regard
IN Isobel that the condition seemed I'll
If natural. For an invalid like Mr.. Si'
as ney it was natural enough. Mrs. Si'
n, ney was wholly devoted to him; we
er engaged in professional duties; an
for Jed and the servants in the hous
u it was natural to be content with wht
they had of life or with the perform
an ance of duties for which they wei
or paid and which they might abandc
ut at will. But this was Isobels lif
s. She was young, vibrant, beautiful, b1
e vistas opening into human prospec
J. were closed to her And she was e
@ gagged to a piece Of professional def
n wood who happened to be the on
masculine thing available when b
t. mother was in great distress.
II Later Isobel said that as won;
she knew Of course that loved he
y but this is evident fiction. She d
no such thing, and it would be an u
kindness to her to think so. VIII
ID was only comedy if I were, as s
thought I was, an Indifferent, unfe
he ing man, would have been cruelty
A.. it had been known that the positi
M was mockery of denied hopes.
e. Isobel used me tn gain her Dberf
% to the group known as Cantharidt
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France SDain Sicily and Russia a