Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-10-12
WY HE DIDN'T.

WIZ HE DADN'E'
sBut Judge you never told me
why you didn't marry Miss Van
Horn. We all thought that mat
ter was settled, but suddenly we
were surprised by the news that you
had married a stranger in the city,
and Helen Van Horn was left dis
consulate. / wonder what has be-
come of her? She must have mar.
ried well, however; she had a fine
chance to choose, for there was
scarcely a good match in the city
that was not at her command at enc
time" -
eyes, yes" answered the gentle
man addressed-Judge Hume, a dis
tinguished, handsome, intelligent
looking man of about forty-five
years of age; a successful lawyer,
who had some years before been
raised to the judicial bench, almost
by sclamation-''no woman could
have married better than Helen Van
Horn. Why l did not marry her is
short, simple story, not without a
moral; and l will tell it to you if
you care to hear it. I have never
told it before, even to my wife, ludi-
crous as some of its phases are. So
take a cigsr-you will find it a good
one-snd hear how, possibly, Helen
Van Horn is not Mrs. Hume to-day.
you knew her father" began the
Judge, sand will remember that he
was reputed to be very rich. How
ever, it turned out, upon his death,
and after his debts were paid, that
there was left a mere pittance for
Helen, obliging, her, petted child of
fortune, to live with extreme econo-
my ever SINCE"
''Do you mean to say that she new
er married?" asked his guest.
"Marriedl', repeated Hume, ''no
indeed, and in that may be seen the
moral of my story to which l refer
red. But do not let us anticipate;
let us begin at the beginning.
zone evening, going to fulfill an
engagement with Miss Van Horn, as
the servant ushered me unannounced
into the parlor, l found her
engaged in an animated conversation
with singulsrly handsome young
man, who, | saw at a glance, might
readily become a formidable rival,
and | felt for the instant a sharp
pang of that unaimable, diseoncert-
ing passion, jealousy. But as my
entrance had been unobserved, I
was able to recover myself before
saying, in my blandest manner,
Good evening" The gentleman
started and stiiy returned the bow.
As for Helen, with suffused cheeks
she said, why Mr.. Hume, l did not
hear you at all; you are absolutely
as gentle as lamb
Somewhat angry at her satarical
tone, ! observed that she was engag-
ed in conversation and probably did
not hear me enter, and added that |
called to attend her to the gallery to
see the picture she was anxious
about.
"sBut really Mr.. Hume she said,
somewhat confusedly, looking from
the stranger to me, 4 had entirely
forgotten all about it, and so prom
ised Mr.. Churchill to accompany
him to see sRichelieu' to night
81 glanced toward the stranger and
he returned the glance with slight
frown on his face. Miss Van Horn
continued, But oh, beg your par
don, gentlemen, | had forgotten you
were not acquainted with each 9TH
er. Mr.. Hume, this is my friend
Mr.. Churchill, of Richmond and
she carelessly fell back into the
chair from which she had half risen
for the moment.
az am sorry Miss Van Horn has so
treacherous memory, but l hope
Mr.. Churchill-with your approval
can be prevailed upon to defer his
engagement, for l assure you the
picture ID a rare gem, and well
worth seeing / persisted in this
because | had become slightly reused
by the indolent way of receiving the
homage paid her, and there seemed
to be CLEAN of triumph in the face
of my rival.
''The young man looked at me
grsvely, then silently, turned TO
Miss Van Horn for some expression
of her wishes. He was evidently
very much displeased at my in
terruption of the tete-a-tete,
and was sufficiently interested in the
lady to be seriously ruffied by my
seeming rivalry; he was not alto
gether pleased with the fact that
she seemed SO carless with respect
to her engagements, which did not
accord with his standard of women.
He was a well educated, comely
young man of good fortune, accus-
toned to be well received by wo-
men, and yet, as he afterwards told
me, he could not help for moment
some apprehension that the lsdy's
choice for the, evening might go
against him, for you know l was
quite lsdy's man in those days.
Gas for Miss Van Horn, she sat,
meanwhile, demurely toying with a
large tassel suspended from the arm
of her easy chair for a moment, as II
in deliberation, then exclaimed
'Really, am sure that it must De
very wrong for me to be thoughtlesss,
ia it notP' Here a captivating smile
illuminated her beautiful features
and parted the bewitching lips, just