It was an odd match: Floretta, pale, polite, impractical and
intensely romantic; Thad, florid, rough and to the point. Yet the
married pair seemed to be happy together. Winslow went to sea on
several voyages and, four years after the marriage, remained at
home for what, for him, was a long time. During that time a child,
a boy, was born.
The story of the christening of that child is one of Orham's pet
yarns even to this day. It seems that there was a marked
disagreement concerning the name to be given him. Captain Thad had
had an Uncle Edgar, who had been very kind to him when a boy. The
captain wished to name his own youngster after this uncle. But
Floretta's heart was set upon "Wilfred," her favorite hero of
romance being Wilfred of Ivanhoe. The story is that the parents
being no nearer an agreement on the great question, Floretta made a
proposal of compromise. She proposed that her husband take up his
stand by the bedroom window and the first male person he saw
passing on the sidewalk below, the name of that person should be
given to their offspring; a sporting proposition certainly. But
the story goes on to detract a bit from the sporting element by
explaining that Mrs. Winslow was expecting a call at that hour from
the Baptist minister, and the Baptist minister's Christian name was
"Clarence," which, if not quite as romantic as Wilfred, is by no
means common and prosaic.
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