Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-07-12
FALSE AND TRUE.

FALSE AMI ~ ~ 1s
We were only shop girls, you know,
and, for the matter of that, we are
shop-girls still But one day we had a
little money left us-just trife-and
as we were tired to death with pleas.
ing other people. we decided to please
ourselves and take vacation at the
beach.
"For once" said Lefty, "let us be
grandees. Let us go in good style, if
it takes every cent. Let US go as we
might have gone if you hadn't been
sentimental and had married Mr..
Dunn"
Mr. Dunn was bachelor, immensely
rich, bald and stout. and no longer
young; not the lover I had dreamed
of, not the realization of the "dim
sweet vision" which had haunted my
thoughts-for even a shop-girl has
dreams and fancies. had been c-eatly
surprised when he asked me to marry
him, and live on Beacon street, and
drive in my coupe. OF course he didn't
mention these things, but Lefty did;
and had said, "No. thank you," at
once. Whatpoetry could there be in mar
rying Mr.. Dunn? Living in luxury on
Beacon street would bepleasant enough,
but it would put love and romance and
happiness forever out of the question,
l thought. Lefty disapproved, know,
and so did Mr.. Dunn.
Why don't you love me?" he asked.
"Other women haye:" and he smiled
and blushel at the confession.
"Oh, like you very much as a
friend, Mr. Dunn" 1 said, to soften
the blow.
Friendship is easy enough to win,
But one isn't loved every day."
he quoted.
Itwas pretty slow at the beach, after
the first excitement of arriving and
unpacking had worn off after we had
gotten used to bathing, and sitting
idly on the piazza, with the sea rolling
at our feet, or reading novels in the
hammock, or watching the fiirtations
and the scheming. We didn't know
anybody, you see, and there was no.
body to introduce US. We talked with
some of the ladies, but they seemed
to have known each other before; and
while they discussed this or that ac-
quaintance, the opera of the season
past, the soirees where they had met,
we naturally dropped out Of the con-
versation. Then, when there was
dancing, we had no partners, and it
was not exactly pleasant to play the
wal[fower while others were in the
swing of everything. Lefty had said,
81 think we had better go home, and
use the falance of our cash in joining
the Harvard. Annex, and improving
our minds hen one evening, as we
sat forlorn on the piazza, who should
come to meet us but Mr.. DUNN 1
never was 50 glad to see anybody in
my life before He didn't seem to bear
me grudge for having refused him.
He introduced us to all the young
swells and nabobs and their sisters as
his particular friends; in fact, I be-
lieVe he told one of the dowagers that
had declined to become Mrs. Dunn.
He didn't stay great while he was
due somewhere else-at somebody's
country place--and was rather glad
when he went ; for although l had re-
fused him, l couldn't help feeling a
sort of ownership in him, and when he
firted with the ether women I didn't
like it. One doesn't like ones dis
carded loTer to recoEY too soon, if at
all. We were no longer wall-fowers
we danced and sang and rowed and
bowled with the best. We were Mr..
Dunn's friends. think perhaps some
of the women were even grateful to
me because had not married him.
However, it seemed to me that pres
emily forgot Mr.. Dunn altogether.
Clarene Cuthbert began to fill the
measure Of my thoughts completely.
/ hardly Enew If anybody else existed.
"All men beside were to me like shad-
ows." We sat together secluded on
the piazza, or walked on the sands by
moonlight, or strolled in the pine
woods and read poetry, or sang IT,
gether on the 70 ks with the surf beat
ing at our feet. He seemed the en-
bodiment Of all poetry and lofty senti-
ment and romance. He had a voice
like the wind in the pines, or an Eolian
harp, full of tender meaning and deer
Questionable feeling, / believed; he
wa, ike that princess whose lips
dro; ped pearls and rubies of speech
He read Byron SO beautifully that one
felt he would have written it all i
Byron hadn't, ard he had composed air