The enquirer southerner., 1874-05-01
TIE
enquirer -SSontbtrner s
A SLIGHT ACQUAINTANCE.

AAS" ~ '''''N fiS'N f. "
country village, where she was
passing IA few weeks Of the intolera>
Bile hot summer, and he we'll he
was reading law for the present
with Esquire Morgan, the village
oracle, and working about the
squire's farm to pay his board.
John Martin was. handsome young
man, and as good as he was hand
some. So said MIS-. Morgan and
all the ladies of the village, as also
did the children, who loved him
dearly for his kind acts and the
cheerful words which he had for
every one.
The young ladies all seemed to
have great deal of regard for him,
for they each and all foresaw that
such good young man must make
an excellent husband; and besides,
they felt assured that he would be-
come very rich, as we'll as influential;
for was he not reading law with
Squire Morgan, who had gained
riches, and influence in the practice
of his profession :?
But, somehow, John had failed
to appreciate the regard of any
young lady until he met Cressy
Mitchell, and from that time he
felt that his heart was no longer
his own.
Cressy was beauty, and she
knew it. She dotted on it. 1t was
passing strange that she should
feel willing to deprive herself of
the homage of her many suitors and
Danish herself to country village,
even for limited period. But she
had planned on making her appear
ance at the summer resort Of her
fashionable friends, when the season
was half over. coming fresh and
hearty from her country retreat,
while the bellies of fashion would
have become already worn and
weary with fashionable dissipation.
This was the reason of her seclu>
sion, and with a swift comprehen>
siye glance, she scanned the face
and features of John Martin, in~
wardly rejoicing that such hand
some and agreeable young man was
to be her companion during her stay
in the village.
She did not have one thought
that he would fail to present him~
self as a candidate for her favor.
She knew her power, and felt sure
that John Martins love would soon
be hers.
1t was even as she had anticipa-
ted. At every picnic, pleasure
excursion or party gotten up in the
village, John Martin was her escort
and companion, and ere the time
which she had allotted herself to
stay had passed, she was sure that
she possessed all the love of John
Martins generous, noble heart.
She had learned to love him also.
His superiority over all other men
with whom she had associated,
forced her to yield to him the res
pect which was due him, and RESI-
pect soon ripened into a warmer
feeling, which Cressy Mitchell
would not acknowledge even to her
own heart.
The time drew near for her to
take her departure from the village,
and John Martin had called to say
good bye. Without preliminaries,
and with no words of cringing
flattery such as her former suitors
had invariably made use of, he told
her in a straight forward, manly
way, of his love for her, and asked
her to give him her hand in mar
riage.
For time there was severe
struggle in the breast of this beauti-
full creature of fashion. She loved
John Martin. She knew it, and he
knew it, and her better nature
cried loudly for hearing in this
case.
But pride and ambition whisper
ed in her ear, "You must not thus
fling away all your bright hopes and
prospects for the future; you may
form splendid alliance; become the
wife of a millionaire; wear laces
and diamonds and revel in wealth
and luxury; do not listen to the
promptings of your heart, but let
reason guide you."
Thus importuned by the voice of
selfish ambition, she put the one
love of her heart away from her,
and, turning to the man who stood
with folded arms waiting her de-
cision, she said:
"Mr. Martin, ] cannot afford to
indulge in romantic dreams; that |
love you 1 will not deny, but you
are poor and I am not rich; con~
sequently each must fern a more
prudent alliance.
He stood for a moment, as if
transfxed, while the cold, worldly
ideas expressed by Cressy were
floating through his brain. Was
this to be the end of the bright
dream of happiness which he had
so tenderly cherished ? Alas, he
felt that all the world must be false
and cold, now that his idol had
fallen, and his beautiful Cressy,
whom he had invested with all the
charms and vlrtures Of an angel,
had changed into a cold, scheming
corlJlxr opaof fr1po