The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-07-05
am engaged to go to the opera with him

am engaged to go to the opera with him
to-night?
"That quickly settled the question in
dispute between Mr.. Churchill and N.Y.
self and with common impulse we
both rose to our feet smiled at each
other pleasantly, and, with amere hurried
good evening" to Miss Van Horn, I
stopped for my hat, which had fallen
from my hand in my surprise, and struck
my head against the corner of the piano.
Mr., Churchill rushed into the hall,
almost upsetting the diminutive De Stul-
tus, whom he met, the very picture of
efeminancy and ultra-foppishness.
Descending to the sidewalk, where
the brilliant equipage of De Stultus met
our view, we both simultaneously burst
into laugh that seemed to break the ice
between us, for we walked off together
for several squares AS complained of
a severe pain in my eyes from the blow
[ had received, my companion said, L
hope Mr.. Hume will pardon my recent
rude persistence in my fancied engage
ment with our fair acquaintance, and let
us be good friends out Of sympathy for
the denouement AS we are here at my
hotel, let us enter and drink to the good
fortune of Mr.. De Stultus.
4 gladly accepted the invitation, and
we were engaged in pleasant CONVEX
sation, when loud noise was heard in
the street, mingled with the cry of a
woman in distress.
Suddenly starting to our feet we
rushed forward to render assistance. The
first object that met our sight was Helen
Van Horn, covered with mud, but hap
PLY more frightened than hurt. De
Stultus was also in a wretched plight,
but too much engrossed, as might be
expected from such creature, with his
own mishap, to give the least attention
to his associate in misfortune, whom he
left to struggle to her feet unaided, and
to make her way to the sidewalk, where
she Historically explained how truck,
against which De Stultus' carriage had
been carelessly driven, had LETT them
stranded in the muddy street. fortunately
and marvelously, however, without
broken bones.
"Churchill called a carriage and we
escorted the wretched demoiselle back
to her residence, at the door of which
we congratulated her upon her lucky
escape. and bid her good night
"My new friend then proposed that
we should at once drive to the opera,
where he hoped we might meet party
of his friends, to whom he would be
pleased to introduce me, and in whose
society we would find s1rcease for our
disappointment in regard to Miss Van
Horn. I assented. Churchill's friends
were met as he had promised, and among
them were two beautiful sisters, so at
tractive that they speedily drove all
thoughts of mere handsome girl. SUI
perfcial and spoiled, like Helen Van
Horn, out of the head of Churchill as
well as my own. A charming evening
at the opera ripened into a serious at
tachment on the part of Churchill and
myself for these sisters, which ended in
our marriage, and no me ever had
juster reason for saying,
There is divinity that shapes our ends,
| Rough hew them how we will,
than I have And now you know why
I did not marry Miss Van Horn, and
also how two men, for moment about
to be made enemies through the reck-
less, unscrupulous coquetry of an in
ferior, heartless woman, by a happy
stroke of fortune became friends and
brothers.
GAS for Helen Van Horn, she still
lives in single blessedness, and upon the
memory Of her many conquests, finding
her chief qualification for some years
past in recounting the various eligible
offers she had refused, including always
Churchill and myself among her rejected
suitors. A heavy speculation, into which
De Stultus had been beguiled about the
time of Miss Van Horns triple engage
ments for the same evening, resulted
SO disastrously for him that her doors
were at once rigidly closed upon that
admirer, who disappeared like a
quenched meteor from society. Mean
while occurred the death of old Mr.. Van
Horn, which, as I have said, left the
daughter no other attraction than mere
physical beauty, that had now become
SO used that it ceased to please marriage
able men, and she was no longer able
to make three engagements for one even
ing.
"Hers, indeed, has been a life of lost
opportunities