The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-01-21

Z another
and still another. the Larton party begi
10 talk; but all look on it as n fIirtatio
IN which Eta is amusing herself at thi
country boys expense; and Mrs. Larton
an easy-goiug woman, not especially re
luctant to see Etta-who is only a step
daughter - get herself into scrapes
makes no attempt to interfere.
George Larton alone gains n littl
clearer sight from his intense jealousy
the natural result of his long and painful
suit. Rather dissipated when yer,
young, the fathers consent has only beer
won after a most earnest siege and re
newed proofs of reform; and when a
last obtained, has by no means brouCh
with it Ettas love. At thirty he is no
even on trial, and has a morbid hatred
for any man who seems to be receiving
the least favor.
Hurrying across the room to claim the
next dance. which is due linn, and lac
is doubly infuriated at Etta's quiet re
fusal
80 Georgel am very sorry. but I for
got You, and have promised this to Mr.
/ Gordon
Il am sorry too. " was the angry reply,
''to deprive Mr. Gordon of your society,
rs this Will be his last chance of seeing
You; but l wish particularly to speak tc
| you at once"
A little scared at his manner, she takes
his arm pettishly, and turns away with
! him. saying:
".The next shall be yours, then, Mr..
/ Gordon.
| Eta" exclaimed George. ''you posi-
/ lively must not dance with that fellow
I again. l am acting in place of your
I father now, and cannot see you flirting
| publicly with man not fit associate
for you, and becoming the talk of the
entire room.
''Very well; I consider this fellow n
INT associate for me or for You, and rs I
never was kept from doing what pleased
by peoples talking, You won't frighten
me in that way"
And SO he has killed his own hopes.
housing all her feminine and individual
perversity, the only result of his protest
IS to see her spend the most of the even
ing with Jimmie; to see him brought up
to Mrs Larton, and capturing her as ef-
tectually as her daughter with his sunny
blue eyes and sturdy, handsome face, 10
hear him invited TO Cleveland
In the midst of it all Jimmie's heart is
beating very fast, and his head swim
ming little; but he comes through II
triumphantly, and leaves for home that
night with strange, new hopes of secur-
ing the wished-for wealth by an easier
and n quicker route than he had even
dreamed of before. That he Is purely
mercenary it would be hardly fair to say;
for most men can be fiattered into n
liking, if not into love, and Jimmie cer-
tainly can hardly help being fiattered.
Very few Young men exist but are a lit
tie inflated by the evident liking and
even admiration of pretty and Gttrac
tive girl; but when there Is SO great diff
ference in social position, in wealth and
every thing else rs in these two we must
look for more age and experience than
Jimmie had to keep his head from being
turned Being turned, il Is easy TO see
why il should fancy IL was the heart,
and almost TO think itself in love as easily
as Eta has been.
And now we will drop the curtain for
a few weeks, 10 raise it again during the
early fall in Cleveland In the cab that
is driving up Euclid Avenue we find our
hero, the same boy whom we met on the
lake at Brownfelds, still intent on his
object. though no longer with a dream
ing indefiniteness. The time since Eta
left Montrose for home has by no means
been spent idly. She, for the first time
in her life, has found a whim to which
she is constant; and in the correspond
ence which she grants him has, instead
of dulling her interest in this latest no
ton, added fresh fuel 10 the flame.
Jimmie. seeing now inst how things
stand. has been vigorously making pre-
parationssfor appearing before Mr.. Lar
ton creditably. His first step Is to hor-
row n little money his father has laid hy,
and the next to hire desk-room and m
office-boy in New York where he puts
up a sign as Broker in Iron. this being
TO give color to the character he intends
to assume of being an agent for Mr..
Peters. And now, with all his arrange
ments completed, he is driving mp to
Etta's home. not vet cured of all his
palpitations, but with considerably more
self-possession.
He feels very tremulous again as he
enters the door, and rs the fOOtman with
a gentle persistence, takes him to his
room rather reluctant, since he cannot
see what "fixing" he needs, and almost
gives way when he finds himself in the
most elegant room he has ever seen.
Dressing and suddenly discovering that
he is utterly at n loss as to where to go
and what to do, his usual good luck
brings Eta to his rescue on her way
down stairs. Helped by the same good
angel he struggles through his dinner:
escapes n danger in not knowing what
wine to drink by suddenly becoming
totally abstinent; is fortunate enough to
be drawn into a conversation on iron,
and by adroitly using the little know
ledge picked mp at the forges and in his
reading, to gain credit for knowing n
great deal.
A. ,fofp l,,,1
favoring him steadily until he has won
Etta's pledge of her love. her step
mothers good will, her fathers esteem.
Her Cousin George had gone TO Califor-
MIA, disgusted, as soon as he got home
from the Catskills, and Mr.. Ellis. who is
the only person besides Eta that knows
anything of Jimmie's real position, is
South on long trip.
On a lovely September morning tho
lovers are standing at the lakeside. watch.
ing the bright sunlight that sparkles in
innumerable diamonds on each little
~ave crest, while great, numbering
schooner creeps lazily along with an oc-
casional clank of its boom against the
mast, and the cool swish of the water,
that seems to grow deeper and darker
and colder rs the shadow of the hull falls
across il. All around is the dazzling
sunshine, that here and there flashes
white from sail trying to coax motion
from an air too hot and tired to stir into
q wind.
Dear" said Eta, suddenly, edo you
know that papa goes to Europe tO-mor-
row for six weeks?"
''NO l hadn't heard a word of it. 1t
must be very sudden move.
''Very. He only made up his mind
last night"
You are not going too, as you thought
,-o,, xvoulJ nm biS raxt trim ~