The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-11-08

niece, although l had no idea OF |
expressing anything but regret at Miss
Illness"
soul s'crcuse, s'dccuse, so no more COM
pliments to me at my aunt's expense, if
you please. How did the picnic go off? l
was prevented from going, unfortunately.n
at was delightful Heaven forgive me
forthe falsehoodD "Indeed, 1 mindebted
to your aunt for all the pleasure I extracted
from it. Without her it would have been
dull enough"
"Ah, my Aunt Barbara has been adding
vet another victim to her train of admirers,
/ seeI"
"What do you mean2 Surely"
Aunt Barbara is a confirmed fiirt. Papa
used to say that his sister Barbara would
firt with a pair of tongs for lack of my
thing better, and she has gone on practising
her amiable weakness all through life. In
deed l always tell her that my time is
spent in following her about like a sheep
dog, to play propriety. Do not be alarmed,
she means nothing serious. 1t is her only
foible. We are very much attached to one
another, and she is always in all things
very dear Aunt Barbara"
The charm of the speakers manner en-
tirely carried off any sense of brusquerie
that this unconventiona declaration might
nave otherwise impressed me with.
The ice onc being broken, 1 sat on, talk
ing with my vision, quite oblivious to the
throes of impotence that Ralph might be
feeling outside in his hanson.
At last it was time to go. 81 may call
again, may I not?"
81 hope so, or Aunt Barbara will feel
greatly disappointed at your lack of fealty
to her."
: left the house over head and ears in
love. l nae been in ove many times be-
fore, in fact 1 had always been falling in
love ever since l was fifteen, but this time
there was no doubt about it.
"No need to ask what luck, Charlie,'' ex-
claimed Ralph, as / bounded into the han
som, "for Accepted is written in huge cap
itals all over your face"
"Ralph, she is an angel"
Sab! the most of them are, 1 notice, I'M
til they are married." l deigned no reply
to this insulting remark, but drove back in
silent ecstasy, leaving Ralph to his own
meditations.
But every sweet has its accompanying
bitter, and the reaction of my miserable
position upon the last blissful hour was
harder to bear than before. Why, it was
ever so much worse. Here was l pledged
perhaps to the aunt, while l was desper-
ately in love with the niece. Irecalled the
words that my vision mad uttered regard.
ing her aunt's foible, as she termed it, but
even this could not offer any strong solace
to me. How could she know to what ex.
tent matters had gone? There was no help
for it, l must go to the governor like the
Il 1OIuIhcup tOulsdls dluu OnlCoo IL III
sven at the risk of being called every
epithet expressive of the plain, n ugly
word ''fool" in his extensive vocabulary.
He was sitting in the library. I felt ar
intolerably sneaky sensation creeping ovel
me, and an inexpressible desire to get be
hind myself as I opened the door and
walked, or rather edged, myself into the
room. ALI my courage was oozing out al
my finger tips like Bob Acres. The sooner
the matter was over the better for me
however, so l broke headlong into my con
fession.
At first, of course, the old man was
furious. 81 always had been a fool, ant
now 1 was going to commit the greatest
folly of all, and tie myself up to some
woman old enough to be my mother, Of
whom nobody knew anything, and who
for all we could guess, might not even b.
respectable" and SO forth, in the usua
manner of irate fathers, when they havs
got the whip-hand of their erring sons.
l bore it all meekly enough, and at las
claimed the explosion by throwing mysel
upon his mercy and asking him to help mi
out of the fix. The ruse was successful.
"We must see my elderly harnier to
gether; we had better call tomorrow. No
Well, then, the next day, and he would SCI
what there was to be done.'
And so ended h interview between tn,
governor and myself. l felt relieved, bu
1 could not feel at rest until this dreade,
call was over.
The governor was very good all that day
He generally did u up trumps at tn
real crisis.
The next day after lunch he proposed
stroll IN the Row, as he said, to distract m,
attention from the painful and absorbing
topic that engrossed it.
We had been walking up and down, stop
ping o and again to greet some passing
friend, when I suddenly saw my visiol
before me. 1t could be no otheri thef
was not a face among all the beauties pres
emit that could have compared with or b
mistaken for hers. She was sitting unde
the shade of one o f.the great elms, daintil,
dressed in some diaphanous, creamy whit
material, and looking more bewitchin
than ever. And that lady sitting besid
l believed myself engaged, my elderl,
charmer.
In my se~lf-accusing hour of remorse
had done her an injustice. There was Ii
"make up" there. She was dressed i
good taste and as became her age. An,
~nounced her a decidedly elegant woman
well preserved for forty, If, indeed, sh
were so much, and with no small prefer
sion to good looks.
1 started involuntarily, and the COVE
nor observed it.
swell, Charlie, what's amiss now?u
"Why,nI answered, growing suddenl
scarlet all over, there she is! !"
"Where!"
"Over there, sitting under that tree an
talking to that lovely girl ia white"
"Now for IL, my boy; introduce me-"
I walked forward and raised may ha
miss Damian-"
sab, so we have met sooner than we e,
pected, Mr.. Carew; accept my apologize
for having a cold yesterday when yo
called; yet l can hardly blame the cold, fl
it was caught at the picnic and is no
| onnn and hoI ~ naf honn for tho tatanlh =,
should not AVE met and yoG would n,
have called ct all. l dare say my niet
| did the honors for me better han 1 shoul
: have done them MYSELF
+ All answer that l could make to this w,
t to look rapturously at Ethel and muir
BILE inarticulately to Miss namian.
There was certainly a touch of coquetI
| In Aunt Barbara's speech, but it was I'll
9 permissible coquetry of a lady who kne
l her position and could maintain &c.
. 1 introduced the soternor by way of hi
ing my idiotic confusion, and the conve
T sation became general, or rather broke I
1 into twos, for I seized the vacant chair ne.
to Ethel and left the governor to Miss
milan altogether.
You may net believe me, but it is ne
fectly true that 1 forgot all about my q
A iemma from the moment l plunged in
that heavenly tete-a-tete with Ethel al
( was oblivious of all surroundings,
5 At last my. trance Vas broken. Mi
Damiar leaned forward and pointedly a
3 dressed me.
t 81 am telling your father, Mr.. Care,
3 that he must change places with you ar
give me a chance of renewing OUR plea
ant acquaintance of the day before We
| terday."
The governor did not Seem to have e
, erted himself much in my cause. He W,
3 beamfhg all over with an expression
D gratified vanity, evidently not the resu
of a battle fought in my favor.
. l tore myself away from Ethel's side a1
changed seats.
I "Do not think that 1 am going to let n
l preuS cheedlier of the picnic imagine he
: going to shelve me in that easy fashion t
day. Had you a very bad Headache We
r terday morning, Mr.. Carew? 1 know W
attacked that champagne a great deal t.
t severely, nasty as it was. But no matte
!, compliments aside, confess that you we
Unfortunately bored at the feast, and til
you only fell back upon me as d last reso
to pass awsy the time. Engaged coupl
are the most selfish creatures in the worl
certainly. No, you won't-well, then,
shall keep you to every word that you ,
a tered to me on that eccasten," too
heavens, now It was e%othihg, then L h