The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1870-01-12
5tury fur tbs Taai,B.
THE GREEN LANTERN.

AtninR am Safe In saying that
Paul Stanford hated me from the
time we were little boys at school
together, up to the period TO Which
l am going to tell you. Unfortn.
nately we had always been in
some sense rivals. We were near
ly of the same age-our tastes were
somewhat similar-our= circnm.
stances in life much alike, and VIC
were in the same classes aud stud.
led the same books. Probably it
was more because l applied my
self closer to my studies than he
did that out stripped Paul, and
under all circumstances, where
scholarship was concerned, bore
off the palm. Naturally, he was
quite as clever as ! was--a little
m ore brilliant indecd--b ut h o
lacked application, and we all
know that to become scholar re-
quires time and patience and hard
study, even if one is a genius in
the beginning. Paul had one de.
cided advantage over me. He
was handsome and graceful, all
the girls in the vicinity made him
aware of it. He was selfconceit.
ed naturally, and the adulation he
received made him vain. Nothing
makes a fool Of man any more
speedily than to have the women
folks make too much Of him. GAY,
and gallant, and courteous he was
to all of them-but he coveted the
love of only one. Florence Wayne
was a sweet little brunette of two
or three ahd twenty, and all tho
young men in town were in love
with her. She had only. lived in
Marley two years. Her native
i'lace was Philadelphia, but her
fathers health requiring O change
OF air they had come to Marley and
established themselves in a pretty
cottage on the PownaI road. Flor.
encc was accomplished in no Or
binary degree, and she had travel
ed great deal, which is after all
the best way of educating oneself.
In Philadelphia she had moved in
the first society, but she did not
hold herself above taking part in
our rustic mcrry-inakinge, and at
the husking and apple bees, and
dances, she was tho life of the com,
pany. To do Florence justice, she
encouraged none of her snitors /
was kind and courtcous--nothing
more. AS for me had been q
beauty worslipper always, a n d
when.I saw Florence Wayne, I
met for the first time my ideal
woman. My heart went from me
and never cam back. In my
widest dreams l had never imag-
ined ever so family that such a
glorious vision would ever come
upon me in dull, prosy old Marley,
where nothing ever did happen,
year in and year ont. I had seen
very little OF the world, and was
shy and awkward, and the passion
| felt for the beautiful Florence
did not tend to make me less en-.
barrassed in her presence. The
fact OF it was, the sight of her con
fused me to such degree that I
was always making myself ridicu-
lous before her, aid If she had not
been the kindest hearted girl in
existence, she would have indule,
cd in many a hearty laugh at my
expense. Once ! summoned ND
courage enough to invite her to
ride with me. I had as fine a
horse as there was in the country,
and good buggy, and might have
enjoyed myself If / had not been
SO awkward. AS it was, T troG on
Florence's dress, struck her bon,
net with my elbow in getting into
the carriage, switched the whip
into her face, and did a score of
other things which I would have
died to prevent. She made me 80
terribly conscious that / possessed
hands and feet that must be dis
posed of some way, and how this
disposition was to be accomplished
was tho question.
Paul Stanford loved Florence,
also, but his love did not make a
fool of him, as mine did of me
He was always just so polished
and brilliant, and could say his
wittiest things with the dark eyes
OF Florence full upon him--just as
well as IL she had been a thousand
miles off. Oh, how / enyied him
his easy, quiet nonchaiance---
and how chafed and irritated was
by tho patrenizing air he assumed
towards me. But at last, fate gave
me a chance to do Florence ser.
vice--to prove to her that I was
no, coward, though l might be
a., ,,,k ,.a.I ,ln1 l,n,.o.