The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-02-02
! Strong on Common
!. Sense
By II. IRVING KING
G~3.S.CS"SS"C.- i -sGs<ts<}s3'<S'-c
(Copyright.)

0bE MAY succeed in accumulat-
IL ing a fortune; but he has not
| done it yet" said Mr.. Marshall Wei
| den. He was speaking of Edwin Por-
| ter who was in love with his young
est daughter, Cynthia; and he was
| speaking to his eldest daughter, Ma
ria, spinster, aged forty, who presided
| over his household Maria was the
child of his early marriage as Cynthia
had been the child of his later days.
"Of course, father" replied Maria,
you are quite right marriage now
between Porter and Cynthia would be
most imprudent. And yet it's pity,
to0-isn't it? They do seem to be so
much in love with each other. If they
| had any common sense-which they
| haven't, being in lOve-they would see
| the matter in the same light that we
| do"
81 will have a talk with Cynthia"
said Mr. Weldon.
Mr. Weldon had a talk with Gym
thia. 1t was a long talk and it left
her in tears. He had not spoken
harshly to her-had not been dicta-
torial-but he had appealed to the
girls sense of duty and aroused her
tilial emotions. He had no other OBJ
ject than his daughters welfare-as
he saw it. He had watched the grow
ing affection between Cynthia and
Edwin with growing uneaSinesS. He
felt that the time mad now come to
act. After his consultation with Ma
ria he was sure of it. Maria had said
that common sense forbade the mar
riage. Maria was strong on common
sense-the phrase was continually on
her lips, and her father was accus-
toned to receive it as an oracular ut
terance not to be denied.
And that was Edwin's evening for
calling. Cynthia received him sadly,
pensively and sweetly.
Edwin" said she, in reply to his
protestations of love and pleadings
for an immediate marriage, edwin,
| feel for you what l have never felt
for another-or ever shall. But our
love is not all; there are other loves !;
such as the love Of q father for his
child, of a child for her father, a sis
ter for q sister,"
"Your father has been talking to
you," cried Edwin, "and has forbid
den our marriage. I see"
"He has pointed out to me my
duty" replied Cynthia.
"Oh he has?" said Edwin rather
petulantly. 1.-THE whole Of the matter
is he doesn't think l have money
enough. If l had a few millions he
would point out to you just as clearly
that it was your bounden duty to
marry me-whether you wanted to or
not. Come, nOw-if you really love
me as you say you do let US go right
off on our own hook and get mar
ried. You are of age and so am l..
Your first duty Is to the man you love
and who loves you. What do you
say?"
Edwin, you perceive, was a bold
w0oer who believed III taking cita-
dels by storm. In the bosom of Gym
thia there was fierce struggle going
on between her love for Edwin and
her affection for and her sense of
duty to, her father. When a few more
Of his pleadings had been met by Gym
thia with highly edifying discourse
upon the relations between parent and
child he grabbed his hat and went
away in something very like a huff
When he got home and had cooled
down he thought the whole matter
over calmly-and before going to bed
wrote Cynthia a letter.
Now Miss Maria Weldon had more
than her share of curiosity-and was
not above resorting to dubious means
to crafty it. While outwardly scorn-
ing romance as opposed to her ia
vorite maxim she had in her heart a
great laundering after it-there had
been so little of 1t in her life! She
was desperately anxious to know
what Edwin and Cynthia would say
to each other when Cynthia told him
Of her fathers decision and, against
all ethical considerations, hid in the
back parlor to hear.
The next morning she told her IA
Their: 81 accidentally happened to
hear a part of the interview between
Cynthia and Mr.. Porter last night
and I must say Cynthia showed a lot
of common sense"
81 thought she would" said We'll
den.
And Maria gave him an outline of
the lovers conversation. Shortly af-
ter Cynthia came rushing in to her
sister with letter in her hand. "Oh,
Maria" she sobbed, Edwin can't love
me or he would not give up like this"
In the letter Edwin had said that he
had come to realize that he had been
selfish in asking Cynthia to give up
the luxury and affection which sur
rounded her in her present home to
share his struggles and poverty. He
would always love her, and some time,
perhaps, if her heart remained the
same-and that sort of thing.
Maria took the letter and marched
straight to her father, who was at
work in his study. "Cynthia showed
a lot of common sense last night"
said she. land here Is letter from
Edwin Porter which is also common
| sense"
every much So" said Weldon, after
reading the letter.