The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-12-12


about Mount Vernon together Helen fell
into romancing vein. Suppose this is
my country seat" said she, "and I have
furnished 1t in the Queen Annie style,
and Pm entertaining the creme de la
creme, just as they do in novels
GA sort of Lady Geraldine-and am
the poor poet, eh?"
"All but the poetry" Knocked Helen
snow suppose this is my manor house,
suggested Theodore, furnished in the
renaissance, let us say-I'm making great
demand on your imagination-and I'm
entertaining all the swells. I've lured
you here on the pretext of looking for a
four-leafed clover, but really to ask if you
will share my magni6cence with me
what should you say?"
should put my lessons in gymnastics
into use and jump at the chance"
Sand if should ask instead,
"Come to my cottage, gentle maid"
"Don't % cried Helen.
He looked at her little blankly.
"You don't mean that you care so little
for me?'
81 don't mean anything. Don't let us
talk about marrying and giving in mar
riage; we are happy enough as we are."
''But if l don't marry you some other
fellow will"
"Nonsense a penniless girl is drug
on the market. I've seen misery enough
from marrying on small salary; I've
seen people living in two rooms, on water
and crust so to speak, dong their own
wit NIL nd
and no hope of amendment; people who
thought love would tide them over all
quicksands- presently the hallucina-
tion wore off but the quicksand remained
reproaches set in; she grew bitter and
unlovely, and he morose and neglect
ful y
"Then you think love an hallucina-
tion ?"
81 think marriage is a mistake on
twelve hundred year. If / became
dowdy and hadn't time TO cultivate a
taste for esthetics or whatever was the
fashionable craze, and grew jaded and
spiritless with the uncongenial task of
washing pots and kettles and stewing
over a range, and if nobody turned to
look at me as l passed, one day you
would find yourself disenchanted. Then,
supposing the new administration should
push you ont of office, even for a month,
or you should fail ill No, we are hap
py enough just as We are; don't let us
discuss marriage; let us wait, like Mr..
'iicawber, till something turns up"
And 80 Van Week waited Perhaps
he was disappointed in Helen's views,
h,f ha - -,
self; all women felt so, he supposed,
cared more for shadow than substance.
or mistook the one for the other it was
their poetic temperament that made pow
erty hateful to them and splendor their
natural atmosphere, and be applied him.
self more diligently than ever to his idea,
working far into the night at times.
"You were not at the Presidents last
evening"" one of his fellow-clerks said to
him, later.
"I? No; should think not"
"But Miss Hildreth was there; she
and Mr.. Sterling, M. c., were hand in
glove. / heard him ask her to go and
hear Lohengrin tomorrow night"
"Mr. Sterling is in LUCK" was all Van
Week ventured to say he did not choose
to carry his heart on his sleeve for every
clerk to peck at. If Mr.. Sterling was
fascinated by Helen, it surely was no
fault Of hers many man had been be-
witched by her before this elderly Con-
gressman, only Theodore forgot that they
had all been needy suitors-and as for
Helen, he felt as sure of her as of seed
time and harvest.
Irf ho 1nG
early and hastened to see her; cloud of
ugly rumors had assailed him and inter-
fered with his tasks; she should brush
all the cobwebs out of his heaven. He
met her coming down the staircase in q
white evening dress, with flowers in her
hand-costlY exotics, such as wealthy Low.
ers send their sweethearts, such as he
had never dared to buy.
+" Where did they come from p he
demanded.
They grew, I'spects-like Topsy,"
answered Helen, laughing uneasily.
"Wbere did You get them, Helen?"
You are inquisitive, Mr.. Van Vleck.
They were sent me-"
By Mr.. Sterling P'
"You do credit to your nationality !;
you're q capital Yankee. Yes, by Mr..
Sterling, of course"
Helen" he cried beneath his breath
Helen. are you going to marry Mr.. Ster-
lingf"
her eyes. 8
Theodore never knew exactly how be
found his way out Of the house; he Was
~f Il -