, 1875-03-06

| lWlnhllh8 Oldth y Is anu sCd&tF bldCk
! hair, which she nearly covered with false
| braids and curls. cannot recall the
memory of that spinster without a feel
/ ing of aversion for the whole class. 1t
seemed as though she heard and saw
| everything that was said and done. She
| did not refrain from commenting on il
either, generally with the remark: ]
overheard sO-and-sO.' / soon discovered
she had interested herself in my affairs.
Il must be allowed the vanity of say
| ing that from the first Of our acquaint-
! ance Miss Mason showed a marked pref
| erence for me. | was young, baShlul and
unused 90 society; consequently it did
not take her long to have me madly in
loye-xitb her This Miss Hunt seemed
! 20 take as a personal insult TO herself.
| Whether she considered her own personal
| attractions superior TO Miss MaSOn's |
cannot say. | nov believe that Miss
| Mason WAS really attached to me once.
| | never reCOlleCt her showing me the
! least indifference until an unfortunate
| affair occurred which, with Miss Hunts
! assistance, began 10 highly color my own
actions. ! heard Miss Mason say one
| day she was very partial to tube-roses,
| and, although ! could ill afford to make
presents, purchased small bouquet Of
: 1Seel0 t0y her and carried tbeDQ triumph
5 AMY home IN 1he has mel Mifiy
Wilsop, a,e iaValtd utece at t21e 2anaIaay,
( I piued her for the 6reary Rife she led,
and when saw her look wistfully at my
| flowers ! stopped 10 show them to her.
"'How lovely They are my favOrites
too. Their odor revives me like draught
| of rich wine
"She bent herpale, sorrowful face over
them, when, yielding to a sudden im-
pulse of pity, told her they were hers.
Really, Mr.. Wentworth; but'-hesi-
tatingly-'w were they not purchased for
some one else:'
"'I purchased them for a fair and
lovely lady said gallantlyi and am
sure fair lady has them
! "She thanked me with such a look of
| pleasure ON her face felt repaid for the
sacrifice | did not then know what Il
terrible sacrifice ! had really made. As
| turned to go upstairs | cast my eye up
ward and perceived the fragile form of
Miss Hunt GccideRtaiLy leaning over the
baluster. | remarked to myself, You
old catr and went on-up TO my room. |
! did not see Miss Mason until evening,
when, entering the parlor, | found her
patiently listening to old GIiggs, the
| widOwer. She deigned me a freezing
nod. After sauntering round the room
for some time without attracting her fur
ther notice, | retreated to the sitting
room, where Milly Wilson was winding
zephyrs. | began to assist her, and we
were thus sociably employed when Miss
.,tt
Miss Mason did the same.
After that could scarcely get civil
word out of the latter. | maneuvered
many times Ia get 4 chance 10 ask the
reason for her coolness and explain 1t
away if it was jealousy OF poor Mllly,
bat Miss Hunt was always in the way
She seemed To he on the lookout for me
as soon as entered the house, and never
relaxed her surveillance until the street
T, door hanged after me- Often then if
would glance back ! could see her head
: protruding from some window. 50 |
hired buggy one day, determined 10
- force an opportunity But Miss Mason
: was not at home. | was going TO drive
i off alone when Milly Wilson's pale, Wist-
= full face looked out from the sitting
= room. | could not resist the temptation
: 10 bestOw pleasure where knew it would
: be appreciated, 50 | invited her to ride.
= The next day had the urspeakable an
Il guish to see Miss Mason drive awayWith
{ old Griggs
THAT was but the beginning of a Sc
: rics OF events that drove me into a fever
I, Of jealousy She tiirtcd with this one
- AMI that one Where she had been all
y aiiahility and sweetness once, she was
}, freezing haughtinesS or iuSulrnt diSdain.
-, | sat OE the jagged edges Of jealousy and
:, suspense, not knowing what moment
q she might take il into her head TO marry
-, one ot the fools she was flirting with.
u In this unhappy state of mind St Valen-
tines Day drew near. \ happy thought
struck me. | could end my misery and
take my revenge at the same time.
mad poetic talent of which | was am
bitiouSly proud. | would write Miss Ma
son a declaration of my real feelings for
her, and hint at miscOnstrUCtiOn and mis-
+ representations In such a way she could
not help knowing whom it was from. If
she scornfully rejected it, it would pass
as a valentine. If she accepted it, |
would be in glory. | satisfied myself
with the etfusion for Miss Mason and
proceeded to write a very disSimilar one
20 Miss Hunt. ! am fortunate enough to
possess the latter"
Tom went to hls book case and, un-
locking IA small drawer, dFew out q letter
which he passed to me. On the cover
was written Miss Della Mason" on
the inside were the following lines:
Delia-spinster. hapless maid
Spying. tattling, ancient Jade,
Mi>chief-making. sharpnOscd shTeW,
NaGght's too mean for you 10 90.
False oflceth and false Of hSir,
Parody Of all that's fair;
Pryiug. peaking nosiHS round,
Listening al the slightest sound
Envy. hate FOR youth you feel.
Seek it, harm with frantic zeal;
Forlune-hOuted, crook-DoSed laCe'
Men despise you, poor old mad!
BY some egregious blunder," con-
tinued Tom, when l had finished its
perusal, q got that poetry into Miss
Mason's envelope, and it came back 10
me that same day with ner comp-l-
. mentS"
Protestations, explanations, and yer
I bal declarations were all o. no avail; the
fair ones temper was up and she would
listen to nothing. To add TO my misery
! Miss Hunt showed my soft ettuSion OF
love. which she had received, 10 the
boarders, and they all pretended to be-
lieve had made no mistake One line
of il | shall never forget. 1t was
YOU could read this heart of mine'-old
Griggs was the first one l heard quote II,
He placed his Pudgy old fist under his
thorax and, rolling his eyes upward, re-
pea'ed il in bur!esque-tragic style that
I made me feel murierouS
AFTER that l never entered the house
nor sat down to a meal that some one
did not have il over. Still | was plucky
enough not to give up the fight, and
- IL H., q lotrnr In rrhich [