Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 July 1877 — WHY HE DIDN’T. [ARTICLE]

WHY HE DIDN’T.

f‘But, Judge, you never told me why you did not marry Mihh Van Horn. We all thought that matter was settled, but suddenly we were surprised by the news that you had married a stranger in the city, and Helen Van Horn was loft disconsolate. I wonder what lias become of her ? She must have married well, however; she had a lino chance to choose, for there was scarcely a good match in the city that was not at her command at one time.” “Yes, yes,” answered the gentleman addressed—Judge Hume, a distinguished, handsome, intelligent-looking man of about 45 years of age; a successful lawyer, who had some years before been raised to the judicial bench almost by acclamation— “ no woman could have married better than Helen Van Horn. Why I did not marry her is a short, simple story, not without a moral; and I will tell it if you care to hear it.. I have never told it before, even to my wife, ludicrous as some of its phases are. So take a cigar—you will find it a good one —and hear how, possibly, Helen Van Horn is not Mrs. Hume to-day. “ You’ knew her father,” began the Judge, “and will remembor that lie was reputed to be very rich. However, it turned out, upon his death, and after his debts were paid, that there was left a mere pittance for Helen, obliging her, the petted child of fortune, to live with extreme economy ever since.” “Do you mean to say that she has never married ?” asked his guest. “Married !” repeated Hume ; “no indeed ! and in that may lie seen the moral of my story to which I referred. But do not let us anticipate ; let us begin at the beginning. “ One evening, going to fulfil l an engagement with Miss Van Horn, as the servant ushered me unannounced into the parlor, I found her engaged in an animated conversation with a singularly handsome young man, who, I saw at a glance, might readily become a formidable rival, and I felt for the instant a sharp pang of that uuamiablo, disconcerting passion, jealousy. But as my entrance had been unobserved, l was able to recover myself before saying, in my blandest manner, ‘Good-evening.’ 'The gentleman started,'and stiffly returned my bow. As for Helen, with BulVuscd cheeks she saiu, ‘ Why, Mr. Hume, I did not hear you at all; you are absolutely as gentle as a lamb. ’ “ Somewhat angry id. her satirical tone, I observed that she was engaged in conversation and probably did not hear me enter, and added that I had called to attend her to the gallery to see the picture she was anxious about,. “‘But really, Mr. Hume,’ slit' said, somewhat confusedly, looking from the stranger to me, ‘ 1 had entirely forgotten all about it, and so promised Mr. Churchill here to accompany him to see ‘ Richelieu ’ to-night.’ “ I glanced toward the stranger and lie returned the glance with a slight frown on his face. Miss Van Horn continued, ‘ But oh ! I beg your pardon, gentlemen, I had forgot ton you were not acquainted with each other. Mr. Hume, this is my friend, Mr. Churchill, of Richmond,’ and she carelessly fell back into the chair, from which she had half risen for the moment. “ ‘ I am sorry Miss Van Horn has so treacherous a memory ; but I hope, Mr. Churchill—with your approval—can be prevailed upon to defer his engagement, for I assure you the picture is a rare gem, and well worth seeing. ’ I persisted in this because 1 had become slightly roused by the indolent way of receiving the homage paid her, and tnere seemed to boa, gleam of triumph in the face of my rival. ‘ ‘ The young man looked at me gravely, then silently turned to Miss Van Horn for some expression of her wishes. He was evidently very much displeased at my interruption of their tete-a-tete, and was sufficiently interested in the lady to be seriously ruffled by my seeming rivalry ; lie was not altogether pleased witn the fact that she seemed so careless with respect to her engagements, which diel not accord with his standard of women. He was a well-educated, comely young man of good fortune, accustomed to be well received by women, and yet as he afterwards told me—ho could not help for the moment some apprehension that the lady s choice lor the evening might go against him, for you knew 1 was called quite a lady’s man in those i lays.

“ As for Miss Van Horn, slio sat, meanwhile, demurely toying with a large tassel suspended from the arm of her easy chair for a moment, as if in deliberation, then exclaimed : ‘ Really, I.am sure it must be very wrong in me to be so thoughtless, is it not?’ Hero a captivating smile illuminated her beautiful features and parted her bewitching lips,, just discovering the pearly teeth between them, and she added, ‘ Will you not settle the question, gentlemen, between yourselves ?’ “ The matter must be arranged in some way, and, as I was the most intimate friend of the family, and my rival a. comparative stranger, I was about to magnanimously withdraw my pretensions and leave the held, when suddenly there was a loud ring at the front door, and Miss Van Horn startled to her feet with the exclamation : ‘Ah, that must be Mr. DeStulfus ! what an unfortunate, thoughtless girl I am, for I do believe I am engaged to go to the opera with him to-night ?’ ' “ That quickly settled the question in dispute between Mr. Churchill and myself ; and with a common impulse we both rose to our feet, smiled at each other pleasantly, and, with a mere hurried ‘ good evening’ to Miss Van Horn, I stooped for my hat, which had fallen from my hand in my surprise, and struck my head against the corner of the piano. IVH-. Churchill rushed into the hall almost upsetting the diminutive De Stultus, whom he met, the very picture of effemmancy and ultra-foppishness

“Descending to the sic}ewalk, where the brilliant equipage of De Stulffcs met bur view, avc both simultaneously burst into a laugh that seemed to break the ice betAveen us, for Ave walked off together for several squares. As I complained of a severe pain in my eyes from the bloAv I had received, my companion said, ‘ I hope Mr. Hume will pardon my recent rude persistence in my fancied engagement with our fair acquaintance, and let us be good friends out of sympathy for the denouement. As we are here at my hotel, let us enter and drink to the good fortune of Mr. De Stultus. ’ “ I gladly accepted the invitation, and we were engaged in a pleasant conversation, when a loud noise was heard in the street, mingled with the cry of a woman in distress.

“Suddenly starting to our feet we rushed forward to render assistance. The first object that met onr sight was Helen Van Horn, covered with mud, but hapgily more frightened than hurt.. De tnltus was also in a wretched plight, but too much engrossed, as might be expected from such a creature, with his own mishap, to give the least attention to his associate in misfortune, whom he left to struggle to her feet unaided, and to make her way to the sidewalk, where she hysterically explained how a truck, against which De Stultus’ carriage had been carelessly driven, had left them stranded in the muddy street, fortunately and marvelously, however, without broken bones. “Churchill called a carriage and we escorted the wretched demoiselle back to her residence, at the door of which we congratulated her upon her lucky escape, and bid her ‘good night.’ “Mynew friend then proposed that we should at once drive to the opera, where he hoped we might meet a party of his friends, to whom he would be pleased to introduce me, and in whose society we-would find surcease for our disappointments in regard to Miss Van Horn. I assented. Churchill's friends were met as he had promised, and among them were two beautiful sisters, so attractive that they speedily drove all thoughts of a mere handsome girl, superficial and spoiled, like Helen Van Horn, out of the head of Churchill as well as my own. A charming evening at the opera ripened into a serious attachment on the part of Churchill and myself for these sisters, w'bioli ended in our marriage, and no > ue ever had juster reason for saying, ‘ There i» a divinity that shapes ->nr ende, Hough hew them how we will,’ than I have ! And now you know why I did not marry Miss Van Horn, and also how two men, for a moment about to be made enemies through the reckless, . unscrupulous coquetry of an inferior, heartless woman, by a happy stroke of fortune became friends and brothers. “As for Helen Van Horn, she still lives in single blessedness, and upon the memory of her many conquests, finding her chief gratification for some years past in recounting the various eligible offers she had refused, including always Churchill and myself among her rejected suitors. A heavy speculation, into which De Stultus had been beguiled about the time of Miss Van Horn’s triple engagements for the same evening, resulted so disastrously for him that her doors were at once rigidly closed Upon that admirer, who disappeared like a quenched meteor from society. Meanwhile occurred the death of old Mr. Vau Horn, which, ns I have said, left the daughter no othor attraction than mere physical beauty, that had now become so used that it ceased to please marriageable men, and she was no linger able to make three engagements for one evening. “ Hers, indeed, has been a life of lost opportunities. ”