Frostburg mining journal., 1883-12-22
AN UNEASY CHRISTMAS.
by FANNY FOSTER CLARK.

NV name is Gerard Van Boosen. 1 am tall,
slender, not Unlocking, secently educated, and
as vet out of jail but in the eye of the law lam
a thief I've not been arrested, tried and sem
fenced. simply because the only person WI, who can
prosecute me is Well, never mind, I'm COM
ing to that.
christmas, a season of joy to all honest peo-
ple. has been to me for years only the dreaded
anniversary that reminds me of shameful and
long-concealed crime.
came to New York at the age of twenty, and
was placed by Mr.. Black, my guardian, in
commercial house on salary of eight hundred
dollars year. Left without parents, and hay-
ing no relations who cared to claim me except
an old great-aunt, Mr.. Black had kept me at an
inexpensive college ESQ called) in a rural place
TO make ready for profession. Suddenly he
seemed to change his mind about the profess
sional career. and ordered me into business, al
though there was still three thousand dollars of
nv small patrimony in his hands. This amount
would be due, of course, on my majority early
in the next January.
lived very modestly, but being a talkatiye
sort of boy, able to tell story, and generally of
rather mannish pretensions, some older and
richer fellows quite took me up. They showed
me the city, and, what was more memorable,
fool, me to Long Branch, where, having bor
rowed some money of Joe Cliff, one of our set,
l made up my mind to spend whole week.
The temptation to this extravaganza was q
bright black-eyed, high-spirited girl OF eight
een-Bessie Clapp. l felt that Bessie was up to
INV standard, vet felt too that Bessie was lucky
in satisfying such fastidious taste as mine.
Though marriage was something OF a sacrifice
for a fellow, meant in year or so (having, OF
course. meanwhile put that small fortune into
Wall street and realized enormously to take
Bessie for my wife. 1t was Sunday, remem-
ber. and before breakfast Twas to leave the
next day. but there was the shady afternoon
before me, and the beach, and an umbrella, and
Bessie. too-all favorable to a formal decara-
tion of my love. AS we walked the piazza |
said, 'Take my arm" She blushed but
obeyed. She was a dear, frank girl was Bes-
sic. Then said, with much emotion, though
in bad taste rhetorically, 'Bessie, think you're
just splendid"
sNonsense ~ she answered, but chung to me
the closer. And then Bessies mother called
her to breakfast, and l went to eat my eggs in
bachelor solitude in the big dining-room. The
meal was nearly over when, chancng TO look
up. saw, floating down the length of polished
floor, vision. She (the visions of young men
are always 'she'') was dressed in pale hello
trope. she had q mass of golden hair; she was
not very tall, but slender and stately. The head
waiter, an ebony statue OF dignity, forgot his
high position, and came down the room after
her with the alacrity of a menial. There was
an unused space at my table. Would he pounce
upon it? He did. He first seated stout old
lady. with fabby face, and very short of
breath, who had come ambling in alongside the
vision and then, opposite to me, there looked
ND out of pair Of eyes, blue, like Alpine gem
tians-thert looked at me, say, my fate.
''Mamma, she said to the stout old person,
s'what shall we orderP'
Her voice was delicious, and by the time she
had put the last lump OF sugar in her coffee
was madly in love.
Before long man-an old man considered
him (about forty, and getting bald )-came and
spoke to her. 1 knew the fellow by sight-one
Reynolds, heavy importer, and very rich.
was jealous, and left the table in disgust; but
slipping two dollars into the head walters
hand, / asked, quite casually:
''Who is the lady that just came in 2"
'sThat, sab? Oh, that's Miss Darcy-Mis:
Constance Darcy and her ma. She come here
almost ebery season-yeth, sah."
Constance Darcy The name was chivalry
Constance Darcy 1 ran to look up some Of
my set of fellows on the chance that they NIGH
know her.
'Joe,' said I, finding Joe and Ted and Smith
and all the boys together, 'do you know Mis-
Darcy?"
'Niiss Darcy? Constance Darcy?" was thu
grand chorus "Of course. Where is she
Come along and be introduced"
We waited good while on the piazza, but a
last somebody pronounced, ''AIiss Darcy-Mr
Van Boosen."
She smiled on me divinely, and Joe punched
me in the back and whispered, "Lucky dog !!
stood by for an hour, and then came m.
chance; and talked with her, actually talket
out in a pitiful way that I'm afraid wa
boyish
8Oh, don't go!" J.,
ssNeyer mind. I'll see you again." she said
tI'm 10 be here several weeks Are youP"