Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-07-22
TOO SUSCEPTIBLE.

am German by birth, but was left
an orphan at an early age and sent 10
St. Petersburg to be raised" by two
old maiden aunts, who regarded me
with curiosity and dislike, as if "a
bounding human boy "were an odd and
rather disagreeable animal; but they
tolerated me after q while, and did their
best for me.
/ felt that / was intended for some
thing better than to be clerk in a jew
elry store; [ used to feel the stir of
young ambition in my heart whenever
/ passed the s'Ecole des Pages in the
Sadovoie- that great gilt structure, SO
imposing, yet of the color OF half-baked
gingerbread.
But determined to rise, and, even in
the ignoble sphere in which found my
self, | soon made my way, and was at
last confidential clerk in Carnreis &
Shoveloff, the greatest house in their
line in ST. Petersburg.
Old Carnreis had been diamond
dealer in Frankfort, and had experience
Shoveloff was Russian. and had put in
a large capital; but we have nothing to
do with them.
/ found myself at twenty. three in the
above mentioned prosperous situation,
and. moreover, engaged to very pretty
girl-an heiress. l had therefore some
reason to congratulate myself on GER
tain December night when, after taking
leave of Lisa, was walking rapidly
home under the sparkling deep blue
sky, well wrapped in furs, and quite
warmed by my own thoughts.
We were so near the wedding now
there was scarcely chance of failure
To be sure old Schroeder, fat, tallowy.
looking man in the candle trade, had
never regarded me with favor.
His Lisa, he thought, should have
done much better than to throw herself
away on fellow who had nothing ex-
cept a salary. But the young girl was
his only child, and had at last won her
way with him. So it came to pass 1
had the prospect before me of being a
rich man; and thought OF that perhaps
lcore than L did of the young girl who
was giving me her hearts purest and
best affections. So you will saw
deserve all that followed; and perhaps
/ do, but that is poor comfort.
Lisa was pretty little thing, with
hair and eyes like brown robin, and a
winning trusting look that made man
feel like gathering her up in his arms
and taking care other. At the same time
she had never stirred the depths of nv
being, and she was not the least like my
ideal. Still was quite serenely happy
the next day as l went about my work,
thinking of the future.
Tomorrow, Conrad. my boy"
said to myself. "you will set your foot
on another round of the ladder of for
tune-you will have one of the best and
truest OF girls for your bride, and good
round sum with her. She is not a dia-
mond of the first water, to be sure. but
more like a peari-soft, moonbeamy,
and
At that moment a swish of silken
drapery startled me, and the tap of
French heels on the floor. / looked up
aud beheld such vision of beauty that
/ felt like closing my eyes as it too much
light had dazzled me. A lady, young,
yet with the ripeness and bloom of
ummer, instead of the blush and pro-
mise OF spring, stood before me.
She was dressed in costly combina-
ton of silk and velvet. She wore a sa-
BILE cloak, and diamond pendants at her
ears. But scarcely saw the Jewels,
although in that line, for looking into a
pair of golden fringed violet eyes that
rested upon Newell, light say
plunged their glances into me-in a
strange and heart-futtering style.
For the rest, the lady had waving
golden hair, ripping very low down on
her white forehead, straight Grecian
nose, pale, high bred complexion, with
a faint aristocratic bloom in it, and a
mouth-ah, well, so rare and sweet no
words could do it justice!
l would like,n she said, in a voice
that seemed to melt into the air and
make it all resonant with music, to
look at some of your very finest dia-
monds.n
There was no one in the store that day
but Alexis, young relative of Shove
lofts who was learning the business.
Alexis was youth with fawn-col-
ored hair, white eyelashes and q suety
complexion; very abseny-minded, and
given to writing sonnets to some young
Alexandrine that he had met at the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Kasar.
He was rolling up pair of faded
eyes, that looked like boiled gooseber-
riee, in frenzy Of poetical composition
het very moment, and seemed quite