Omaha daily bee., 1874-07-11

on a very important subject, che
spoke to him.
"Jack, l don't believe you care
anything more for me since I be-
came the rich Miss Houghson. You
loved poor Eta, you used to say"
she said, with the same smile OF
other days.
"You know 1 love you more than
ever, Eta; but / mpst be frank.
lou are going away to the city and
into society, and with your money
and beauty it will be the old, old
story. Some fellow will come
along-handsome, gifted, perhaps
rich, toO-and then how often will
YOU think of awkward, stupid Jack
Dilwyn ?"
She patted him lightly on the
cheek and laughed.
"That is the old story, I grant,
Jack; but we'll improve on it; for 1
90 love you, Jack; and If you really
wish it, I mean to become your wife;
and so trust me, and write me very
often, and very soon In send for
you"
After she was gone Jack went
about his work as usual, q little mel
ancholly at first; but this gradually
wore of, and in six weeks he was,
to all outward seeming, the same
old Jack as ever-always singing, or
whistling, and blithe. Eta wrote
twicea week, telling hiTa Of the peo-
pie she had met-Oh .Ich wonder
full people, and yet she hated them
all-and what society was like, and
what pleasure money could buy,
and much else, and always at the
end that she was still his true Eta;
and he always answered the same
day, telling her what he thought
would interest her, about the farm,
and so forth, and dutifully adding
that he was still her true Jack;
which correspondence at length be-
came lrregular-frst on Etta's part,
and then on Jacks.
Eta, after q delay, wrote de-
scribing some friends of her late
aunt's, with whom she was now
growing agreeably intimate-a Mrs.
Ella Hare, and q Mr.. Mark Hare,
her son-and when Jack read this,
he felt q presentimeLt of evil. He
replied rather briefly, and from that
point the correspondent elanguished,
until in the end deceased altogether.
You may be sure that the poor
fellow grew sad enough then. He
became utterly wretched-then of
face and even bowed of form, al
most like an old man-and very
silent. No more whistling like the
blackhird, and no more singing like
the lark! And one day he goes to
the old rlan and says, "Father, Pm
going to the city and don't know
when I shall be back. Don't ask
me any questions, but give me what
money you think I shall need COR
my stay, should it be long,"
He went to the city for the first
time in his life; but he easily found
Etta's house and sent up his name.
The servant haughtily showed him
into the parlor, and left him there
a. us SdSlucSS, AAokiiih.
cence and general grandeur. Then
from his dream he aw0ke at the
sound of a light foot In the corridor,
and his heart jumped and the door
opened. He saw a lady who was
not Eta entirely or she had changed
indeed.
A small lady in blue, with wicked
steel-gray eyes and not a pleasant
face. She announced herself as
Mrs. Hare. Jack at once replied,
rather firmly, that he had called to
see Miss HoughsOn.
"She is engaged" answered the
lady, coolly.
Jack cOlOred.
"To me, madam, AS"
"To you, certainly. lou under
stand the customs of society l hope"
continued the lady, with a slight ac-
cent of irony, as her eyes travelled
over his homely dress. "When a
lady announces she Is engaged, she
receives nobody under any circum-
stances"
ITO be C0ntinued.)