Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-01-01

tween Inc bWO DeIOIe Dd1Sy explalneQ:
have come for the winter, and
have been wanting olook you up, but
i only arrived yesterday. am SO glad
to have met you here.
After thatI heard no more, for the
two friends joined hands and skated off
together. hung about them. q little
way off, pretending to be talking to
some men who were lounging about.
and when ] thought my presence would
not prove an unpleasant interruption /
skated toward Clara and greeted her cor
daily, asking her where she had been
this long time. She saw through me in
a moment and showed me that she did
by disregarding my question entirely
and presenting me at once to her friend,
Miss Lyle. had seen q good many
masculine eyes regarding Miss Lyle
with interest during the evening, and l
now perceived the owner of one pair of
these approaching Miss Alden with
what OWNED the same intention that
had brought me fither moment be-
fore; so while he was stoppingt to shake
hands with Clara ! offered my hands to
Miss Lyle and we glided off together. A
few adroit questions on my part elected
the fact that Miss Lyle and Miss Alden
had beenscloolmates, who had not met
for some years. and l furthermore dis
covered that Miss Lyle was stopping in
town with relatives who happened to
be old acquaintances of mine. So after
we parted that night Miss Lyle and /
let often, and were together so much
at the rinklthat people had begun to re-
mark it.
And this brings me to the period of
the quandary with which started out.
Here was j, supposed by everybody to
be the favored adorer of one lovely girl,
while in reality / was head over heels
in love, with another. For / had no
doubt about my feelings in this matter;
it was unmistakable I smiled grimly
now when | remembered the days in
which had boasted of not possessing a
Jealous temperament. Why, / was jeal-
GUS of every one who went near Daisy.
was infuriated if she danced and
skated with any one but me, and when
saw some awkward, clumsy man run
against her once at the rink felt like
choking him when she smiled at his
apology. To tell the truth l was posi-
lively wretched. If Daisy had never
come could have got along very well
with Clara, told myself. There had
been a tacit. if not an expressed, under
standing on thescore of our relationship
among all our friends, and | would
have been very cheerful and attentive
spouse to Clara if / had never seen
Daisy and, on the other hand, if | had
never seen Clara, might now perhaps
succeed in winning Daisy's hand, and
with l. everlasting happiness. 1t was
Just a case OF =
How happy would be with either
Were t'other dear charmer away.
| sometimes wondered whether Clara
did not partly see through me. She had
such an odd way of looking at me sorne-
times with such a shrewd smile; but
she treated me better than ever. She
was really p splendid creature and,
lnder imaginable circumstances,
might have learned to love her very
much, in a certain way. One night
there was to be a grand fancy dress ball
It the rink. Daisy was going and so was
Clara, and it goes without saying that ]
was on hand. My perplexities were at
heir height. was more in love with
Daisy than ever, but fully alive to the
natter of my duty in another quarter
1t was beginning to wear on me terribly
md | concluded to call in the advice Of
ny friend Porter, prudent and saga
,ious fellow, in whose judgmentI had
Unlimited confidence. How fondly ]
hoped he might decide that was under
10 obligation to Miss Alden. And how
he did decide? He was per-
ectly astounded at my confession. Miss
Alden, he said, was one woman picked
,ut of ten thousand, much handsomer.
much richer. much more distinguished
han Miss Lyle; I must be out of my
ense. In short he wound UP by saying
hat / was in honor bound to address
Hiss Alden, though, for his part, he be-
IAN to doubt whether that splendid crea-
ure could consent to marry man who
vas so preposterously blind as not to see
hat she was second to no woman in ex-
This was on the day of the
'arty. had been to Porter's room to !
lave a Talk with him, knowing he would
'e at leisure, and the result was that he
ntirely convinced me of what | ought
0 de. Still it was very hard to make
Ip my mind to it.
| had been invited to dine with the
Aldens that day-quite en- f amille. as
sYal. 1t give me sneaky feeling of
ate whenever ! got one of these kind
but / had seen no way
ut of the matter but to accept, and |
o | had accepted. When I left Porter's |
DOM turned my face in the direction
i the Aldens with very heavy /
leart. Before dinner | had no oppor- |
unity to see Clara alone, if | had de- I
ired it, but had ample opportunity for I
her, and had to acknowledge
hat l had never seen her look better. !
he played, too, and sang more bril- |
iantly than any woman had ever seen.
could have been very proud of such a
wife, / reelected, if ~
The other guests left early, but | lin
cred. knew perfectly well what to do, /
nd had been slowly making up my
mind to do it if the opportunity oc-
urred, and the opportunity did occur.
,oward nightfall every one else had |
and Clara and I'were left |
lone. | took a seat very near her and 1
old her l had something of very con- I
Idential nature TO say to her To my /
urprise she rose and walked across the |
DOM, touched the bell, waited until the |
ervant came and then ordered lights.
his was little disconcerting but when
he servant had lighted the room and
eparted she came back to the sofa, and !
n the coolest and most matter-of-fact !
manner asked me to go on
Clara, began, rather timidlY ''you
will be perfectly prepared for what | |
m going to say. You have so much |
isccrnment that you must have seen |
hat this moment would come. l have |
lways had the greatest admiration and |