The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-02-17
BETWlxT TWO STOOLS.

IL WIS Il cU1Qs QlSd8IecdDlG ulSut. LII
stinctively / turned back to the cheerful
CRATE and comfortable armchair. If a
fhend would only drop in, I thought; if
anything would happen to relieve the
tedium. But there was no prospect of
it, so feeling that l never could get
through the evening alone, I buttoned
up my great-coat and started out. had
no definite idea where / was going, but
the secret of all my discomfort was that
Twas in love with two women. Perhaps
/ wasn't at that moment in love with
two women, but / certainly was over
head and ears in love with one, and head
and ears engaged to another. Now that
certainly was enough to make peaceful,
law-abfding citizen uncomfortable, to
make him afraid of his own thoughts,
and still moro of his own actions.
1t came about IN this way. | had two
years before met Julia Leeds. She was
a beautiful girl, and had fortune in
her own right. l met her at parties,
and, after time, / had the extreme sat
isfaction of learning that was preferred
to all the crowd of fortune hunters who
worshiped at her shrine. And then it
was, in an evil hour, that | proposed
and was accepted. Her heart, she as
sured me, was in my keeping, and had
been for long time. l think / believed
myself in love with her, though ] do not
know that l ever paused to speculate
upon the peculiar state of my feelings
l was a young man, good-looking-so
to speak-had, ! fully believed, a fair
share of intelligence, and Julia was a
beautiful and angelic girl. l had won
the prize for which so many were striv-
ing, and was satisfied and proud of the
achievement. But it fell out one day,
or rather I fell in one day, the company
of Kitty Blanchard. / did not know
who Kitty Blanchard was. But there
was something in the glance of Kitty's
eye and in the words she spoke-though
/ have no recollection of anything she
said-that told me very decidedly that
she was far beyond many. went home
that night, and thought about her until
bedtime, and dreamed about her until
morning.
For week l saw nothing, night OF
day, but black, roguish eyes and dancing
curls. / went to parties, theaters, and
concerts by myself, in hopes of meeting
her. No use. She wasn't there.
At last, despairing of ever proceeding
any farther independently, / was forced
to inquire Of the friend who introduced
me-a proceeding very distasteful to me
as did not wish to advertise my bust
ness, or in other words give him reason
to suspect ] was at all interested. But
1 did ask him who Kitty Blanchard was
and / was sorry for it the minute after
for the reply was:
"She's widow"
Now, if there was any one thing tina
1 secretly despised, that had an unmit
igated contempt for, it was widow
l had seen them often-old widows anC
young widows, good-looking and other
wise-but they all had that melodra
matte air about them, and had the SAM
way of talking about the virtues of tn
dead Mr.. Pendegrass, or whatever tn
name might be, and insisting that ther
never was so kind and good a man.
don't know why they do this; neve
heard any one say. 1t certainly is no
the bait that would hook me-
But Kitty Blanchard had not ono
alluded to the defunct Adolphus, and
had certainly talked with her five mir
utes. / wondered how long since tn
sods were neatly fitted over his restin
place-how long the little birds had sun
his requiem in the dropping branches {
the, etc. ] didn't get any farther tha
that before recollected that Kitty wor
no weeds, but that she was very bewitcf
ing in an-I hadn't the ghost of an ide
whether her dress was blue, green, &
gray. 1 could not have told that sh
wore any dress, only that I remembers
t was short, and that she had foot tbs
| had been nearly crazy about ever sine
/ had heard everywhere that lad
was best dressed when you could not r
member a single thing she had on; s.
while ] had my doubts about the appl
: cation of that rule to all cases, WI
willing to concede that Kitty Blanchal