The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-09-13
MY LOVERS
by MARY N. PRESCOTT.

We were only shop girls, you know
and, Tor the matter Of that, we are shop,
girls still. But one day we had n littIe
money left us--just trilc-and as we
Swero tired to death with pleasing othc,
people, we decided to please ourselves
and take vacation Mt the beach.
'for once" said LEFTY, ''let us be
Grnndees. Let us go in good style, if il
iakcs every cent. Let us go as we migLt
have gone if you hadn't been sentimcntn,
and had married Mr.. Dunn"
Mr. Dunn was n bachelor, immcnarly
nch, bald and stout, and no lonnry
Young; not tho lover L had dreamed of.
NOT the rcalization of the "dim, swcci
VISION which had haunted my Thoughts;
--1or even shop-girl has dreams ana
fancies. I had been greatly surnr;snI
when he asked me to marry him. and
live OH Beacon street. and drive in INV
coupe. Of course he didn't mcniio;,
these things, but Lefty did: and T hoI
said, "No, thank you," Mt once. What
poetry could there be in marryinr Mr.
Dunn? living in luxury OH Beacon
street would be pleasant enough, but il
would put love ard romance and happi-
ness forever cut of the question
thought. Lefty diSapprovcd, L know,
and so did Mr. Dunn.
"Why don't you love mop" he asked
"Oshcr women havo;" and he smiled and
blushcd at the confession.
'Oh, like you very much as friend
Mr.. Dunn, L said, to soften the blow,
Friendship il easy enough to win,
But one isn't loved every day"
he quoted.
1t was pretty show Mt the beach
alter the t1rst excitement Of arriyino onI
unpacking had worn off; after we had
gotten used to bathing, and sitting idly
on the piazza with the sea rolling Mt orr
feet, or reading novels in the hammock
or Watching the hirtations and the
scheming We ditln t know ANYBODY
you see, and there was nobody to intro.
oucc u.s. We talked with somo of thc
ladies, but they seemed to have known
each other before; and while they dis.
c''sScd this or that acqrmintancc. tLc
opera of the season past, the soirccs
where they had met, we naturally
dropped out of the conversation. Then
Whcn There was dancing, we had no
partners, and it was not exactly pleasant
10 play the wall-flowcr while others
were IN the swing of everything. LEFTY
! hNd SAID, III think we had bettcr 20
nome and use the balance of our cash in
Joining the Harvard Annex, and improv.
ing our minds" when one evening, as
we sat 1orlorn on the piazza, who should
come TO meet us but Mr.. Dunn
nSVer never was SO glad TO see anybody in my
life before. He didn't seem to bear me-
any grudge for having refused him,
lie introduced us to all the young swc)l>
and nabnbs and their sisters as his por.
tIcular friends; in fact, / believe he toLi
one of the dowagcrs that ] had declined
to become Mrs. Dunn. He didn't stu,
great while; he was due somewhere els,
-at somebody's country place and
was rather glad when he went, for al
though l had refused him, I couldn't
Eetp teelmg sort OF ownership in him,
md when he firted with the other wom-
en- \ didn't like it. Ono doesn't like
b oNe'S discarded lover to recover too
SooN, Y at all. We were no longer wall
foWorsS we danced and sang and rowcd
ana boSled with the best. We were
NIL OnWs friends. L think perpaps
somS o. t6e women were even grateful to
inc pscstse had not married him.
iioWeNrr, it seemed to me that pres.
ently L Rr9ot Mr.. Dunn. Clarence
Outhpert begm to fill the emQnsuro OF my
tllon9hts completely. L hardly knew #
anybody else existed. "All men beside
were 10 me llkN shadows" We sat TO.
8etner secludednn the piazza, or walked
on the sands by Moonlight, or strollcd
IN the pine woodN md read poetry. or
sang together on thcSocks with the s,wf
neating at our feet. Ne seemed the en-
bodlment OF all poehAand lofty senti-
ment and romance. HoNad n voice like
the wind in the pines, or an Rolion
. harp, tull OF tender meaNine and decp
sunfathomnble feelings / Aclieyed: he
was like the princess whose kps dropped
pearls and rubies OF speech. Ho read
Byron 30 beautifully that ole felt he
would have written it ali if Byron hadn't,
and he had composed airs to some Of
Shelly's divine verses, which he taupht
,rneto sing. Oh, it seemed to nv lust
.tlIen as if [ were real live hcsoinc
breathing romance. About this tine I
Iappened to have severe neuralyi.
headache, which confined me- in my
room several days, and one evening when
Lefty came up to bed she said.
"I don't know, il L were going to mar
~ one or the other, but should prefer
MIR. Dunn to Cuthbert."
How disagreeable You are, Lefty T.
said. You he'd better como t,.
,ed."
"Mr. Dunn is sincere at least, if he is
'ald," she pursued; "and he isn't SO
readfnl bald either"
9Well Clarence isn't bald at ALL"
mo, but he's been going ON Will,
liss Erskine as if you didn't exist-.
3eiling in the woods, looking into her !
ses epeating poetry. She showed !
g ctlae llHes he had written to her, and
belie 81 we're the very same lIe
M 2,i only brown eyes were
don't believe a word of il.
hff Yapity and your Jealousy.