The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-09-18


for l am settled and disposed of, and en-
gagged to Fanny Elroy. There she is,
Just within the folding doors, talking to
young Grimshaw."
Pansy looks eagerly at the tall, finely
developed woman, with a face most
statuesque and beautiful-one of these
pure pink-and- white, unthinking faces,
with a brow as clear as a child's-a wo-
in whom it is almost impossible to do
wrong, as there is no element of wrong
in them a milk-and-water charcter
that could inspire no deep attachment in
any one, and yet you could not help
saying, "How sweet - when you looked
at this harmless, gracious lovable Fanny;
a rich, stay-at-home woman. who knew
no more about the world than fly that
has only crawled on one pane of glass
all it's life. Pansy, with her big eyes
and slip of a figure has had fight with
the world for so many weary years,
that she has grown to read people at a
glance.
Chow beautiful she !" she says to
st. Clare; "but you and she are the
same complexion-eyes and features.
You cannot be counterparts-l mean two
persons that differ in order to agree
Are you sure you are suited to each
other?"
"However that may be, she is my fate"
he says, sadly.
"And there" says Pansy, springing up
suddenly, "is mine -
"It is Ben, hunting for Pansy, in all
conceivable places, elbowing about, and
poking his nose into the shadowy cor
ners. Ben always toes in when he
walks, and, being so very much in love
and in such fervent haste, it makes him
more awkward than he naturally would
be, which is entirely unnecessary.
Pansy takes his arm dutifully, and
walks off with him, and she shudders
when she thinks she must spend all her
life with this man, for thirty, for forty,
for tifty-for the dear Lord only knows
how many-years, and st. Clare will be
far away!
The band clashes out once more, the
dancers feet are busy again.
Pansy dances every set; her heart is
breaking, but she smiles on; she was
never so gay in all her life before; she
dances three times with st. Care. He
is another's, but what matter, for is she
not flying along in his arms, held a little
closer than is necessary?
Still, it is for the last time, and, when
the music ceases. and the guests begin
to wearily disperse in the gray morning,
he takes her little hand and whispers
"Good-by, Pansy," feeling her little fin
gers close over his in a clinging, de-
spairing clasp.
; They take the morning train for home,
those two couples-St. Clare and Fanny,
Ben and Pansy. Pansy is plain-look-
/ ing little thing enough by daylight, in
her gray travelling dress, and with her
weary eyes all the flush and sparkle
gone out of her face. Few would have
| recognized in her the sparkling Pansy of
r last night, with the amethyst silk and
bushes.
: She bushes up Ben when he essays tc
make some love-like remarks to her, and
is very ungracious when he commiser
ates her on looking so tired. He wisely
takes himself off, at length, to thai
paradise of men, the smoking car, and
| Pansy leans back in her seat with an ali
, of relief, carelessly watching party Of
four others, who are also returning from
, last nights ball, and are chatting noisi
8 ly; they have tu ned the car seats about
Just In front of her, and to pass tn
p time away, have euchre-deck between
n them.
+ Pansy starts at one of them, a short
fat, overblown, overjeweled woman, in
velvet polonaise, and louder voice tha
the rest, pipes up:
"What allied st. Clare last night;
= never got chance to dance with hir
, once, and he looked as if he was goin
n to his own funeral?"
v "Spoony on some girl who does nc
h favor his suit" answers her UiS-a-uiS,
tiashy man in seal-skin cap and oyel
. coat. "Both engaged to somebody els'
\ believe, and both have got some new
g tangled notion in their heads that th
~ ones they have promised to marry al
y not their counterparts. Bah /! onall tn
-, bosh about affinities -
< "Why, would give all my old shoe
y and one of my eyes, to see girl /
:. would fancy he is so charming and ia
~ tidious. Is she pretty?"
- - "Not particularly, they say-fine ey
q q and a pretty figure, and poor as
- church mouse"
. why he must be an idiot! p