The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-04-12

"YOu need give yourself no uneasi-
ness on that score, Harry! / did not
love him." "And yet dOV know
the danger of q daily intimacy with a
man who, believe, loves you, and
whom you by no means despise."
"But L love you My heart isn't
large enough TO hold two at once"
SIT won't be two at once | shall
be out of sight, and also 'out OF mind
You have told me that be once had
good deal of influence over you. 1
am afraid be will regain it."
"HOw faithless you are, Harry :"
said Bertha Dunbar, tWining her
arms around his neck, and looking
into his eyes fOndly.
81 am Jealous of every one who
wins a smile from you. How can
! help it? You have been called a flirt,
you know. How do you expect me to
feel easy in your absence, especially
under the present circumstances ?p
"You seem to be sadly lacking in
conceit for IOrd of creation.'" said
Bertha, mischisvously. 81 have
heard, time and again, that you were
lady-killer, but this state of mind
argues q lack of those qualities that
win and hold a WOman's heart. Ac-
cOrding to your own showing, your
personal magnetism can not be very
powerful if you cannot keep a heart
from playing truanC during n few
weeks absence from you"
"It is hard TO bold such 8 girl as
| you, even if present. One moment I
think you love me, and the next you
are driving me to distraction by some
unhccountable action that don't be-
lieve you could explain yourself This
absence will make the matter worse.
1t won't make the heart grow fonder'
on your side, particularly when there
is coUnter-infuenee drawing you
from me-"
81 suppose you have proved it in
some Of your numerous fiiTtstions,"
said Bertha, saucily. "As to unac-
countsble actions, if you think you
can ever thoroughly understand
wOman'5 actions, you viii find your
mistake soma time before you shuttle
off this mortal COLL"
"I've found that out already-dOn't
need to wait for the event you men,
toned. But the idea of your talking
OF my numerous hirtatiOns . Can
the fourth part of yours be num-
bered ? Whatever my past expe-
rience hSs been, l can flirt no more
since | met you. Pm caught now
etfectuslly, too! I wish l felt sure
that you are as safely I'm the net as I
sm-as safely as hold you now 7"
And he caught her close in his arms
and kissed her again and again.
"Well, l can not make you any
surer now" said Bertha, with mock
resignation. 81 don't think / shall
change, However, one can not
always trust ones self; and, if 1 do,
don't worry about mel shall not be
worth having"
"DoIPt speak 50 lightly, Bertha.
You know cannot drop you so easily.
Why can not Carrie Lsverett come
to see you this summer, instead of
your going up there to be company
for her bachelor brother ?"
i'NOnsense, Harry :" said Bertha
impatiently. because she visited me
last, Pm going, and shall try to have
the very best time can-Im not in
love with Gordon Leverett, as said
at first. IL marry any one don't
love, he must be able TO give me Jew
els and gold to atone fOT the sacrifiee.p
A shade OF pain passed over Hsr-
ry's face. E -
''rm not wealthy, you know, Ber.
thar
'I said if 1 married any one didn't
love. Your dear, foolish, jealous boy,
it don't apply to you at all, because 1
love you. Won't yOa trust me? L
DON'T want TO go away and leave you
unhappy, but must tease you little
sometiIhss; just for fun, dear. You
know you'll have q chance to pay me
back some time" And she held up
her face for kiss, with look in her
eyes which caused Harry Chester's
heart TO. rebound to the other extreme
of blissful certainty that she really
loved him. EE..'
The next morning, Bertha babe him
good-by' at the depot, and kissed her
hand to him as be stood on the plat
form, and the train glided out.
She bad pleasant ride Of two hours.
Then the cars stopped at the station
in the town OF Weslfield, and she wss
greeted warmly by her friend Carrie,
while her brother stood ready for his
turn of FecORnition.-
"I am glad to welcome you to West
field, Miss Dunbar" he said, accom-
paDying the words with a look that
caused her to drop her eyes for q mo-
mentor it told her that the inti-
macy Of a year ago had taken
stronger hold upon him than she be-
lieved it would. j
She had associated with him as the
brother OF her friend, and a genial
companion, but had never felt her
pulse quicken under his touch. She
mad believed that be only had q pas
sing fancy for her. She was a thor
Ough believer in the fickleness Of men.
! Since her entrance in society, she had
made what others called cOnquests-
though she made them unconsciously
of st least half q score Of masculine
hearts. As each and all failed TO find
her heart, she refused them. She had
seen them disconsolate over their re-
fusal, and, in few weeks after, ap-
parently happy husbands of other
women.
Two months before the opening dia-
! logue, she had met Harry Chester,
and after a few weeks acquaintance
she was forced to admit to herself that
at last she had found her king. He
loved her truly, devotedly, as a man,
or woman loves but once. But she
carried her tenderness far beneath the
surface, and her usual manner never
betrayed the depth of intensity Of the
love that was springing up In her
heart. 1t was not coquetry, as might
appear to some, but natural phase of
/ her character.
Harry was a noble fellow, and
worthy Of a true woman's love but
he was not without some Of the un-
reasonable exsctions Of bis sex which
ask for an idolatrous devotion, and
then, when 1t is given, repsys It by
cool indifference, thus proving that
WhRt Is won easily is never priZed, be