Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1921-02-12
r,.v, am not hesltatinG l hope I do not III,

soon, =. Nc. hu- | Nh"N-I >G-Vact-
That your decision Is sudden"
~I-ohrl~ .r.rion for us is --.r.-
,r.u r.r a..a.d for .....t ....
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7 ..... ,.- FOB c""~et. .. ... ..
,............, -.. vii. jH.. .. ... ..
- r..,.. ....A
.., -... ed ad u. ...-. ...
,l..- w.r. reasonable. ~N.n ....
,.., m.e. ..y use Of ,.. ... ....
H. said. She thanked r. ..a -...
good nt-nt.
T..t.l.~ view If our engagement Was
nur,Iv comic. she may hay, had
second If spiritual revolt. Au. comedy
o.,J consideration for her mother as-
serted themselves. Mrs. Sidney. when
sba told I>ohcI Of the engagement. had
me pre,cnt. The mother was really
embarrassed. almost fluS,crcd. but she
was determined. Isobcl was greatly
amused.
II may be imagined that was not
heroic might better have been a
wax figure taken from display win
dow. | felt like one, a thing with
WAX smile and no animation.
1T is merely precautionary" said
Mrs. Sidney uneasily. At is quite i'm
nosSibIe to explain. You will have 10
accent my Judgment, ISohel Or John"
nm odd halfway house toward init
macy she reached md stopped at
.Dr. john has bee kind enough to
do as l asked him.y | need and want
the support of my children in what l
am doing"
| felt touch OF emotion AZ that.
TncouSciously intent upoa her main
Doint. she had included me ar the fire
side and had spoken Of her "chiIdrcn."
Anything you do or have done is
All right mother" said ISubol. rccov-
cring from her sense Of humur. Or
loiln-wiH not be unhappy am sure
will YOU. doctor? And I-mother-
I'll get an advantage of YOU in this
see if | don't"
You mustn't try to, ISohel," said
Mrs. Sidney anxiOusly Il am doing
the best ! can
Later in the evening | saw ISobel.
finding her alone in the library. where
she was reading. l went in to get n
book before going to bed She was
by a lamp near the fireplace, aad she
looked very beautiful.
II want to talk to you" she said
when she saw me. do you know the
explanation of thisF
mo" | said.
you are not quite honest" she said.
"a man engaged to a girl he never
asked to marry him might suspect that
something was out of the ordinary"
"Of course, something is eXtraOrdi-
nary" | said. do you know what
IL Isl"
mo, l don't" she said. "Why don't
you sit down."
With a soft witchery of feminility
she pervaded and glorified the room,
but she was peremptory. l was not
Sullen, but L felt defiant.
Because | don't want to sit down."
/ said.
Is0bel smiled hdulgeHtly at me.
"Oh, sit down DR.. John" she said,
II want to talk to you. We are en-
gagged, you know, and engaged people
ought to have q talk after the event,
if not before"
"You uesissssssyahow -this hap
pened," l suggested.
81 do" she said MY mother is
frightened. Jed has been trying to
marry me-"
what can give him the privilege of
such insolence!" exclaimed.
81 imagine he Is enamOred.'" she said
serenely. 1T may seem impossible to
you"
HAS this man approached you d.
rectly?" l asked.
"He has been gallant, amorOus, sug-
gestive, tender. soulful, aggressive,
pleading. Threatening. subservient and
i think that is all-but only in man
ner"
81 don't understand It," said help
lessly.
Neither do l." she said. And
know just enough to know that | shall
not understand il. do not like to find
a Romeo among the servants. but
have learned to accept some strange
conditions here-amOng them you"
Don't disturb yourself about me-"
said.
A good deal of my hurt pride must
have found expression in that remark
Il am unjust" she said. Il know
that you are doing what my mother
wants done and that you are not con
sidering yourself. | shall be reason
able. | want to make my mothers life
as pleasant as it can be made. | can
not understand everything that she
needs of me, but know that you have
done everything that you could do f0i
her. | do not want to seem inconSid
crate"
I'D like to protect you and youl
mother" | said.
ave are indebted" said IsObel, with
a chill and unkind restraint. Then she
smiled and said:
Good night, doctor. If / am incon
siderate at any time, put it down to
naturally bad temper.
Jed had taken a small shotgun ant
said that he was going after rabbits
which were unusually numerous anC
threatened to be damaging to tn,
young brush about the place. 1t was
an October afternoon with a warn
sun. An hour or two after Jed haC
gone, went out for a walk. goins
down BY The pool.