The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1874-10-02
TIE LOHER.S oKLARREL

TIE LO OHERS' QUARTET.
We had a quarrel, Millicent and 1,
and it was no slight lovers quarrel TO
be easily forgotten. We had each said
things that could not be unsaid and
done things that could not be undone,
and she had given me back the letters /
had sent her, and the ring that she had
worn, and all these little presents that
every man lavishes on the woman he
loves. 1t was all over and we were free
again and I tried to believe it was
better 50, but could not.
Poor little Millicent, her face was
sad, and her eyes very heavy when I
CHANGED to meet her; but she had told
me that she hated me as much as she
once loved me, and so I tried to look
merry and unconcerned as passed her.
and got up a Irritation with red-h haired
Lucy Martin, and was seen about with
her good deal.
Her father had made great deal OF
money by certain shoddy transactions
during the war, and she was an heirasz
and very much sought after, and all
that sort OF thing. If had been the
kind OF man who marries for money
L might have tried to win the nriza
perhaps, for, after real, honest love
affair has come to an untimeIy end
either man or woman is Just ripe for
something wrong in that line: and of
all the wrongs that are, though n1anv
have worse names, there isn't one that
is really worse than loyelesss or p1er-
cenary marriage.
L wasn't bad enough for that. but T
was bad enough to hirt aboninab1v
with decent young woman, who fan
cled that 1 meant everything, and was
pleasantly frank with me in conse.
quence, and report even arose that 1
was engaged to her. L liked it; for I
knew that Millicent must hear it.
Of course, when I heard that she was
engaged to Tom Brown. / was NOT
pleased. You never can be sufficiently
off with the old love to hear such good
news without pang. I had not sworn
myself to celibacy, but it seemed to me
IN a measure, Millicent's duty to do SO.
At least it would be better taste. I
thought, remembering how fond she
had once seemed to me. Going into a
convent, or something of that sort-at
least no more loTe-making-I had sup
posed would be her course. And here
she was at the opera with fan. onera.
glass, bouquet and attendant adorer as
Ii nothing had happened.
sat IN the next row with Miss Mar
tin, and I looked into her ewes. and
whispered compliments in a terrible
way, considering that I had no inten-
1lons whatever. All, well she was a
very practical girl, not romantic. I
knew she had budding fancy for me-
out don think she would ever let
Fesa Fe9n91aIne9t, o1 tbs Like worm the bud
am sure that she married the re-
Sred grocer. who proved to be her fate.
Wlth>&~1ght heart and I knew her an
petite didSQot fail her, for 1 sat opposite
her at the table one day not long since.
and she took kindly to roast beef and
gravy, and must have weighed at least
160 pounds; but if she had been the
most splrltuelle creature, whoever broke
her heart, 1 doubt if I should have re-
memoered anything but my own selfish
self that night; and all the while was
thinking, iustas we remembereds snatches
OF some familiar song while we were
busy with something very different
from music, of the pleasant hour nv
Little black eyed love and I had had
together-of the softness of the velvet
palm that lay INCREASINGLY in mine 8
we walked in the moonlight by the
river bank, the summer before. yher
twenty of us stopped at the gay hote
at -; of the kisses she used to lei
me take, and the bushes they brought
to her cheeks-and / wanted to Kill
Brown. He was harmless young man
with lisp and an eyegIaes, but longed
to assassinate him.
This sort of thing happened more
than once during the season, and I fell
glad when it was gone and summer SEN
society" flying to the woods and glenl
and waterfalls. I did not seek tht
usual resort. went to wild out-of
the-way place and fshed persistently
1 did some shooting, too, and I formed
friendship with certain Mr.. Briggs
who was fond Of sport, go he said