The Wife of his Youth | Page 2

true that very few of the members would have been unable to meet it if
there had been. If there were one or two of the older members who had
come up from the South and from slavery, their history presented
enough romantic circumstances to rob their servile origin of its grosser
aspects.

While there were no such tests of eligibility, it is true that the Blue
Veins had their notions on these subjects, and that not all of them were
equally liberal in regard to the things they collectively disclaimed. Mr.
Ryder was one of the most conservative. Though he had not been
among the founders of the society, but had come in some years later,
his genius for social leadership was such that he had speedily become
its recognized adviser and head, the custodian of its standards, and the
preserver of its traditions. He shaped its social policy, was active in
providing for its entertainment, and when the interest fell off, as it
sometimes did, he fanned the embers until they burst again into a
cheerful flame.
There were still other reasons for his popularity. While he was not as
white as some of the Blue Veins, his appearance was such as to confer
distinction upon them. His features were of a refined type, his hair was
almost straight; he was always neatly dressed; his manners were
irreproachable, and his morals above suspicion. He had come to
Groveland a young man, and obtaining employment in the office of a
railroad company as messenger had in time worked himself up to the
position of stationery clerk, having charge of the distribution of the
office supplies for the whole company. Although the lack of early
training had hindered the orderly development of a naturally fine mind,
it had not prevented him from doing a great deal of reading or from
forming decidedly literary tastes. Poetry was his passion. He could
repeat whole pages of the great English poets; and if his pronunciation
was sometimes faulty, his eye, his voice, his gestures, would respond to
the changing sentiment with a precision that revealed a poetic soul and
disarmed criticism. He was economical, and had saved money; he
owned and occupied a very comfortable house on a respectable street.
His residence was handsomely furnished, containing among other
things a good library, especially rich in poetry, a piano, and some
choice engravings. He generally shared his house with some young
couple, who looked after his wants and were company for him; for Mr.
Ryder was a single man. In the early days of his connection with the
Blue Veins he had been regarded as quite a catch, and young ladies and
their mothers had manoeuvred with much ingenuity to capture him. Not,
however, until Mrs. Molly Dixon visited Groveland had any woman

ever made him wish to change his condition to that of a married man.
Mrs. Dixon had come to Groveland from Washington in the spring, and
before the summer was over she had won Mr. Ryder's heart. She
possessed many attractive qualities. She was much younger than he; in
fact, he was old enough to have been her father, though no one knew
exactly how old he was. She was whiter than he, and better educated.
She had moved in the best colored society of the country, at
Washington, and had taught in the schools of that city. Such a superior
person had been eagerly welcomed to the Blue Vein Society, and had
taken a leading part in its activities. Mr. Ryder had at first been
attracted by her charms of person, for she was very good looking and
not over twenty-five; then by her refined manners and the vivacity of
her wit. Her husband had been a government clerk, and at his death had
left a considerable life insurance. She was visiting friends in Groveland,
and, finding the town and the people to her liking, had prolonged her
stay indefinitely. She had not seemed displeased at Mr. Ryder's
attentions, but on the contrary had given him every proper
encouragement; indeed, a younger and less cautious man would long
since have spoken. But he had made up his mind, and had only to
determine the time when he would ask her to be his wife. He decided to
give a ball in her honor, and at some time during the evening of the ball
to offer her his heart and hand. He had no special fears about the
outcome, but, with a little touch of romance, he wanted the
surroundings to be in harmony with his own feelings when he should
have received the answer he expected.
Mr. Ryder resolved that this ball should mark an epoch in the social
history of Groveland. He knew, of course,--no one could know
better,--the entertainments that