The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-10-14
The Opal Set.

neln
With which candid confession, he turned
mddenly around toward the mantle-piece,
md pretended to find great difficulty in re-
lighting his pipe, which by the way had not
gone out. A small segment of his right
.heek, however, that remained visible from
where / sat betrayed the bashful blush that
bis subterfuge was meant to conceal.
9TH more pity" 1 replied; ''but you can't
,elp it. La Rochefoucauld says: One may
ove like a madman; but not like a fool
md 1 don't think, old fellow, tina you were a
sool in your life. You're too philosophical"
Sobersides bit his lips.
Eyes; philosophy holds very good-till you
need it. My theories on the subject are
sound enough, but they don't prevent me
rom feeling. Frank Harley, poor devili
was one of the most philosophical men 1 ever
knew. Well, when he got into a tight place,
one fine day, he blew his brains outl'
And my friend laughed a very melancholy
augh-
/ tried to him of something consolatory
that / might say, but nothing suggested it
oh. The fact was, that the case presented
40 very fiattering indications of any kind.
In all love affairs. according to some
writer's, there is one who loves and one who is
beloved. l will not go so far as to indorse this
somewhat sweeping statement; but will say
that, in nine out of ten cases of real, genuine
passion, there is one victim. In the present
Instance, it was the man whom / designated
lnder his common nickname of "Sobersides.n
Poor fellow, he had had a hard time of 1t.
Knocked about the world from early youth;
ouffeted by all the storms of poverty, family
l~uarrels, failure of business, and unsuccess-
'ul ambition, he had only settled down at IS,
with q comfortable income, to exist in peace
md quiet for the rest of his life, when-i
heels over head in love he went, beyond hope
If recovery, and without possibility of sue
sess.
OF course, the woman who captivated him
was the last one he should ave thought of.
Fannie Lowell was hardly the girl to appre-
,iate such an affection as Sobersides felt for
her. She had a good deal of the coquettish
clement that made her sister Maggie such a
error to unsophisticated young men, but
without Maggie's experience in guiding it.
The most inconsiderate creature in tho world
8 a young girl. Under 10 or 20, many girls
gnore their future, their comfort, their inter
st, their friends feelings, and everything else
hat ought to be considered A series of ca
o%ricos, mere freaks, oftentimes brilliant,
oftener stupid, but always bizarre, seem to
De their only motives, and a series of extra
ordinary and whimsical fancies seem to be
their only principles.
Imagine Sobersides-the profound, sedate,
orusque-mannered, tender-hearted, honest
md earnest Observation-Disclosures by an alb
Iorbing passion for such a giddy, contra
iictory girl as Fannie Lowell, just from
boarding school and hardly past her 18th
feari
On being shot forth from tho bosom OF the
.amily into the whirl and glare and glitter of
Iociety, the first desire of Miss Fannie was,
naturally enough, a grand conquest. Too
young in years and too incomplete in expert
,nce to comprehend love, she thought only of
bringing some one to her feet, and, conquer
ng her homage, the batteries, the idolatry,
n a word, that appeared so sweet to her
iashing and brilliant sister, already the belle
II four successive seasons.
Miss Fannie's ambition was high. Novels
II the ultra-sentimental type, and anecdotes
current at school, of splendid Cubans who
lad eloped with young ladies :" just out" and
ed them, covered with diamonds aud affec-
ion, to the sunny island whence the oranges
md cigars come, and whittier the opera com.
2anies go, had given her some lofty ideas of
he manly beauty and wealth that should be
offered at her shrine several times every
season.
At first, then, she cast her eyes upon Astor
Courtlandt, who was handsome, rich and cul-
ivated, but, curiously enough, he did not
bow before her at all, so she turned from him
70 Harry Tandem, another of the same stripe,
out a little more fast After trying in vain
to mesmerize his heart with her great blue
syes, she learned that he had been engaged to
Jenny May, the Wall street brokers laugh
Ter. ever since she was Is. and old NAV was
rich enough to buy and sell a peneration Of
Loyells. Then. giving nm wealth and family
Miss Fannie flew to eenius for consolation
She danced twice with Cecil Dasba and bnd
4 long talk with him in Madame Pavonis CON
eryatory one evening. hut the next tima sbo
net him and his sister Nina-ybo also had
genius, and had published a book of poems
he little aid could not help fancying. or
at least susl,ecting. that thew were making
Fun of her.
Then. as a last trial of the artistic world
The had a dash at Grahame Allen He caIled
her "my little dear and brought her n nocE-
,tful Of bon-bons, and she was done with
genius.
Time passed. Bnlls and parties Illuminated
shionable drawinp-rooms and died aw.v
Seasons came and went. Newport flung It's
,ool foam-capped breakers around tho Iittle
maiden. and for her tho pleasant snartIing
waters arose from Saratoga Springs sill
40 grand conquest. She began TO qrow
,harp-a triae witty. perbaps. and other
naidens COMPLAINED to their momm,s that
The sometimes said rather iIl-natured things
,bout their own private and narticuIar
oeau1-for the most part. inernerienced
young gentlemen from the provinces downv-
.hinned West Point cadets. and the Ike
Suddenly. while sitting in a friend,s ho, n.
he Academy of Music. there came to ber 4
tout, plain-looking gentleman, with clear
blue ewes. serious and kindly of paza
This individual was the Unfortunate sobsr-
ides, her first victim 10 be.
He came to have ten minutes, chat Wit,
Miss Fannie,s friend-a lady Of considerahla
Importance in the great world ~ soc;atyN