Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1878-11-07

~ Wu1 ofs tnS " US yOoF Cousk kany
tomorrow 20
"Yes."
"well. that's strange; that's what I
call second fiddle"
"why, what do you meani I'm not
second fiddle"
"Oh nothing; only he was going to
take Elsie Gray too. went to see her
this afternoon and found her sick, and
while / was there she sent word to Mr..
Forsythe that she would not be able to
go tomorrow. ] thought IT very queer
that she was 10 60 with him, Tor sup
posed Of course he would be devoted to
you as usual"
81 think myself that that is exceed
ingly strange, exceedingly" said !.
growing more emphatic. "When the
picnic was first talked Of was afraid |
couldn't 60, because It was so near the
close OF school, and he insisted upon
my going, and even offered to take me
back TO school that evening after our re-
turn from the woods, If IT was necessa-
.ry. But III not go with him; OF that
/ am very certain, IL that is the way he
means to do" and I shook my head
rather more defantly than was neces-
sary to loosen the hair that was un-
braiding before brushed il for the
night.
Twas attending boarding-school in the
city, and had gone out TO stay all night
with my friend Anna Murray, at Elm
wood, expecting to go picnicing the next
day. 1t was almost dark when reached
Anna's, and Immediately after dinner
callers came in, so il was not until we
had gone TO our room for the night that
we were alone, and she had an oppor-
tunity to tell me that my escort had in
tended escoTting some one else to the
picnic along with me. Not a very well
come piece of news, every one must ad-
init; for what girl likes to share her es-
cort on such an occasion with some one
else Not that had any claim 10 will
Forsythe-oh, no, indeedi shouldn't
have acknowledged that 10 any one, al
though / knew even better than Anna
that he had been, as she had said, s'de-
voted" to me, dong and saying so many
little things that cannot be told, you
know, but may mean q great deal, loo.
Those things that Mrs. Browning must
have meant when she sand, "Such things
have their weight with girls"
How provoked / was at myself for
having allowed such things 10 have
''their weight" with me We were moi
confessed lovers at all, but we had ar
rived at that point IN our acquaintance
where it required but one step TO make
us such, and in thinking of that picnic
had thought that msybe-oh, we'll, never
mind what ] had thought. What are
girls apt to think under like circum-
stancess My air-castles were now as
shapeless and devoid Of color as so MANY
pricked soap-bubbles. Here was my
devoted cavalier. who had urged me "a
attend this picnic as though all his hap
plness for the day depended on my
presence, with ali hss arrangem ents
made for escorting some other girl. Nc
special harm IN that, to be sure. As we
were all going in one omnibus, he could
very conveniently attend to two: bal
why had be said nothing about il TO me :
Why had he acted as ifmy going was all
that was necessary to his happiness,
while all the time he was intending 10
take some one else
What a singing satire could have
written, just then, on the falseness oI
meal How ! vowed that would never
mo, never in this world believe one ol
them again. And, 70 spite the whole
race, ! made . solemn VOW 10 myselI
that would be On old maid all NV life,
and went 10 sleep with the picture IN
my mind Of dignifed unmarried lady
of uncertain age-why are there are no
married ladies Of uncertain age, Won
der s--living entirely alone, and spend.
Ing her time and money 10 charity, kind
and slfable TO ell. but surrounded with
an unpenetrable air ofreserve. This. n
Is needless 20 say. was myself 81 flsay.
just before we left. the next morning
Ars- Murray gave us each a50ufonniere
to gire 10 our escorts, she said. But /
decided in my own mind that while Anna
could make such disposition OF hers a
she chose. mine should never ornament
the lapel Of VIII FoFsyshe' ! coat. Ac.
cordlngiy. when he asked for II, as soon
6 We started . ! had expected him e