Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-07-28

were not many questions about tennis that
| could answer truthfully. Eyes, I've heard q
good deal about you Bob Frayser told me all
| about the tournament, and how splendidly you
beat Mr.. Martin" This was becoming awful 1
| had seen that tournament. and I had seen the
real Lancey q was all sham) defeat Martin. q
feat that ! was hopelessly incapable of. The
error must be cleared up now, at once. should
seize the opportunity; that conservatory should
De the scene of my confession. But aias as l
began, my cursed nervousness came upon me
like flood. Miss Tossy, Miss DELAYED. should
iike-I mean, must say something about that
| tennis. I'm not-that is-you mistake what"
had stammered thus far when / was inter-
| rupted by the sudden appearance Of Miss Delavel
ana Fitzjames The former looked exceedingly
rosy. while the latter walked csuiiy up to Tossy.
kissed her. an. said. Wei, sister Tossy, NAV
| take brothers privilege?" For an instant the
girls looked at each other, and then Tossy
rushed at her sister, crying. ''Oh, Minnie, I'm SO
glad" There wasn't time for any domestic
| Fluctuations, however. for .the I,ancers', had
| come to an end. and the dancers began to make
their way into the conservatory.
| was as glad as any one at the news of Fitz-
James engagement to Miss Delavel but could
not help wishing that he had chosen another
time for declaring himself. AS it was. after
desperately screwing up my courage I had been
interrupted In dishurdening my conscience; and
who could tell when should have another OPP
portunity OF speaking to Miss Tossy alone? For
the next few days was in utter agony. Fortu-
| nately. none of the people in the house had ever
! seen the real Lancey and they accepted me
as the genuine article. They put intricate
slant strain upon me to avoid committing N.Y.
SELF to anything. l haven't the least doubt
however, that many of my opinions have since
| then raised serious dissensions in various local
ciuos; put, after all these connections could be
nothing compared to the troubles with nv own
bosom. l used to steal away from the merry
groups whenever the talk threatened to ap-
proach lawn-tennis. and when escape was i'm
possible was impelled by the grim dread of ex-
posture to force aside my shyness and nervous
ness. and try to lead the conversation into other
channels. Fftzjames was struck with the
change. Il say, old fellow" he said to me-
you are coming it strong. 1 never heard you
talk so much In my life before: and where. in the
name OF Joe Miller. do you get these extraordi-
nary stories of yOurs?' But didn't tell him
that under the driving pressure, when men,
ory failed. invention had to provide the
banecdote that was to stave off lawn-tennis.
When the pressure was removed. / was more
nervous than ever, and had several brief tete-a-
tete with Miss Tossy without venturng to ap-
| prOach the subject. For some reason Miss Della
vels engagement was not generally published;
and the fact that l had been admitted to
| family secret only made my cOncealment the
more henOus, while it gave ME sometimes an
| opportunity for conversation with Miss Tossy
for Fitziames used to exert his ingenuity to
| bring about circumstances in which he and
might accidentally be told off to look after the
| J.
nents of our square party were stereotyped. On
one of these occasions we had been skating and
were returning from the pond by the path
through the woods. Miss Tossy, apropos of a
letter she had received, asked me some ques-
lions about tennis, and then without waiting
| for the reply. went on. ''Oh, by the way Mr.
| Lancey, you were going to tell me something
about lawn-tennis the other night, in the con-
| servatOry. you remember!'
To have pretty young lady remember for
J three days what he has said to her is a compli-
ment fitted to turn any average young mans
head. And seeing that the pretty young lady
in this case was looking specially bewitching in
| some sort of fur arrangement that there was
| no one else in sight. and that had to return to
| London in couple of days. what wonder that
forgot all about my good resolutions; and
neglecting this magnificent opening for my con-
fession, stammered out:
| 81 remember, Miss Deavel; but before that
mean l have something else. Miss Lillian
wouldn't you like to be like your sister-that is
oh. TOssy, have loved you ever since / saw
you at Strathblane! VIII you be my wife,"
II any one wish to see beautiful girl look
her very best, let him get her to consent to be
his wife in the frosty light of winter sunset :;
| for VOW never saw Tossy looking more lovely
than when she shyly promised to share my life.
am not going to attempt to reduce to the
painful distinctness Of grammatical sentences
the conversation that ensued. and that made us
both miss afternoon tea. For some all too brief
moments was the happiest of men. But there
was still the lurking adder to sting ME in my
Joy. Nesting her SOFT cheek against my coat,
| Tossy murmured: "And I'm so proud of yorr
lawn tennis, too; really think it was that that
made me like you first.'
"What. Tossy, He?"
." Yes. said Tossy. mutinously; cit was
but don't believe l should erer have cared for
you If you hadn't been such good player.'
A cold shudder passed over me as listened.
GOOD Heavens. what had | brought upon my
self! quailed before the revelation that must
ensue. Had a ight to clasp that form in nv
arms in such deceit? Yet, how could mar the
sweetness of ''Our'' first moments with any hOr-
rbe confession. How cursed nv weakness.
my folly, my deceit! And yet had l not won
a wife?
man who has Just been accepted is generally
bold enough to face raging lion much less
gentlemanly papa" And before the glory of
my afternoons walk died away in me, had an
interview with the Colonel. He guessed my
seemed as relieved and as satisfied as was
when the Interview was over, l only wish all
men found 1.-THE papas" as agreeable iarranged,
of course. to stay few days longer than had
originally intended; and though my conscience
often interrupted my peace, Tossy and had a
variety of other subjects than tennis to talk
about. The Colonel was to return to India I'm
April, and after much persuasion and argument
1t was agreed he should see both daughters pro-
vided with special protector before he sailed
We were to be married on April 16.
The interval passed, suppose, at the rate of
one day every twenty-four hours; and as had
naturally good deal to do, including the bring
ing out of my book on Comparative Mytho-
logy," it passed with tolerable rapidity. The
Colonel came up to London to look after his
affairs, but his town-house had no tennis-lawn:
and by continued good luck escaped having to
reveal my duplicty. For had doggedy argued
myself into the determination to keep silent on
the point for the present: 1t would be exceed
ngly bad taste to Obtrude such disagreeable
matter on the few weeks yet left before our
marriage. Besides it would be so much easier
after we were married; there should be no diff
Guilty In confessing to the wife of ones bosom.
| Time passed on. The 10th of April arrived
and we were married, just a week ago to-day.
| We have to content ourselves with a very short
honeymoon. for We must return to see the
Colonel before he sails for India Tossy wished
to visit Edinburgh again, and here is Edinburgh;
We arrived two days ago. What misery it
would have spared me If only the last visit to
Edinburgh had seen me in my true colors; it
| was reserved for this occasion to unmask me!
This evening, after dinner at six, went out to
post note from Tossy to her father while she
stayed behind to look at the London papers
which had Just arrived. When returned she
greeted me with a curious little laugh. and ex-
olo IL. Tcvs< IT.