Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-04-04
Selettta Storp.
FROM Harper's BszE
THE NICK OF TIME.

Il
Oh all srran, hirts. Alice Truesdell bore
the palm and OF al. desperate lovers,
DR.. Fow.e. OF course there were other
lovers at the Young lady's command,
or she could not have firied; but all her
Irritation seemed 10 be directed solely to
The end Of vexing the single lover. whose
grave, quiet. depressed demeanor never
let her exactly know whether be were
her lover or no.. and drove her first TO
some action that almost betrayed her
own feelings. and then 10 one ihat
should give the lie to iha, betrayal and
set everything at loose ends again.
You could hardly say why Miss Trues-
dell bad so many suiiors. She was no,
50 very good-ihat is, she was SIS good
as most people. but not iot better; she
WAS not preuy-S. least not till she
laughed and showed her white teeth. and
dimple as deep as love ever nestled 10,
or til she lifted her great gray eyes and
let YOU see how lustrous they were under
that trick OF dropping lids No. it could
not have been her beauty that WAS the
charm il was the voice. face. figure. all
together; her personality. gay spirits,
teasing moods. sweet ways; her Infinite
variety, thai attracted everybody coming
within It's sphere. She sang little, she
danced little; whatever she did she did
we'll and so. of course. she hiried 20
perfection. and played off one lover
against another as pret,ily. ,he lockers
on might think, as a juggler tosses bis
golden balls. But what did the lovers
think OF iI'
One Of them though. very poorly OF it.
and Was determined to bring Miss Alice
10 close quarters in small time. not in The
least aware that al the others had made
the same determination, and had found
that 10 determine was one thing and to
do was another. Nan might propose,
bot Miss Alice must dispose; and Miss
Alice-as. indeed. they each aud all
iondly hoped-was a match Tor any oil
them. II she danced with Gregory. just
As Gregory fel. encouraged and began
10 whisper the burning words. she
dropped her fan with glance st Nal
lory. who dar.ed to restore il, and was
detained with thanks and gay words and
replies Just long enough TO make 1t inl'
possible Tor Gregory TO take up The
thread where she had broken 1t. II she
walked with DR.. Fowle. II was only
after she had allowed Mr.. Bolles to know
tba, she would be strolling in that
direction, where she was always pleased
20 see him " hen he came up GREATNESS
". and found the doctor mut,ering
anaibemas between his teeth-invocS
,iops 10 .Esculapius. she called them.
But DR.. Fowle was not man you
could put of forever when he once made
ND his mind TO thing. and so Miss AIlce
began to learn. And when. one night
as be bade her good-by. Mallory ana the
rest being there, he told her. IN grave
but suthorilive undertone, quite unlike
that of the usual lover, that he wished TO
see her mex; morning st IL o'clock'i she
had wanted 10 deny him. she could not
Rp, 10 tell the truth. she did not exactly
want 10. The young men had seemed
40 inconseouent and so stupid. that
aveping; Ne,tie Armitage had seemed
40 frivolous; they had, Leach in turn come
in and interrupted the doctor when ne
vss telling her such isiry-like tales Oh
recent discoveries in science she nad
shrugged her shoulders at them TIL tne
.;,,a,;on struck her ridiculoasly, ana
,hsn she had laughed with the merriest
of them, and pouted at the doctor but
80 ss he was going. she slipped her
hand in his arm and sauntered down 'ne
,.n xi,b him. The night was nlgnt
:, lime wben. ii ever. nights are perfect
The air was laden with the orea'n u
honeysuckl le and MOCK orange Inc "inos
,hs, cufled round them seemeo 10 coino
from distan, lands OF everlasting Olo"m'
osuse, they were; and the stars hung
their lamps through the DARK close Aoo'e
the thick tree tops. She fancieo' 'nA'
n;ah, that life was TOO delicious thing
70 Se iudulged in freely. and she m0r-
narsd something Of the fancy Win nA,,
,.Thsra are times when we all