The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-05-09

patlentS tlldt nlSilt, uC Joiucu Iuc III
the old room, and with . bottle OF
good wine between US, l said:
Il saw your beautiful Miss Dor.
vaux to-day"
John started as he heard her name
but made no reply; SO determined
to learn all that was to be learned.
1t was very easy task. Old John
had never yet been able to keep a
secret from met may be he never
meant to keep this. Anyway, in a
short time / had tho whole history
of his love.
Fleurette and her mother came to
Dalesbury some twelve months ago,
and John, whose heart had been
proof against all local charms, had
at once surrendered. There was
something in the girl 30 different
from all others. Her beauty, her
gracefulness, even her pretty little
foreign ways, had taken him by
storm and, as far as l can Judge
from the symptoms he described,
his case was very soon as desperate
as that of boy of twenty. 1t may
be the very strength of the constitu-
ton which had so long detied love
made the fever rage more fiescely.
Yet, severe as the attack was, the
cure seemed easy enough. He had
a comfortable home and 4 good in
come to be shared SO be set to work
seriously to win Fleurette's love. All
seemed going on as wei as could be
wished, the girl appeared happy in
his society, and, if she bowed him
no tangible marks d preference,
pleased and flattered hG his atten-
tons. Yet at least, when he asked
her to be his wife, she refused him
and sadly, il is true, but
firmly refused him.
Now, although l, being four years
younger, and. moreover, his brother,
chose to laugh at John-called him
grave. sober and old-you must un-
derstand this is all in jest and by
way of good fellowship, and that
John Penn was a man any girl
should be proud of winning. He
was no hero, or genius, or anything
of that sort: but, then, most of us
move among ordinary men and wo-
men, and only know heroes and her
oines, and geniuses, as We know
princes and dukes, by name. He
was a clever, hard working doctor,
with a good provincial practice.
deters me from saying much
about his personal appearance, as
the world sees strong likeness be-
tween us. l will only say he was
tall and well built and carried in his
face certain look of power, which
right minded women like to see with
men who seek their love. His age
was something over thirty. Our fam
ily was good and our name unsulIied.
What could have induced Fleurette
Dorvaux to reject him? Beautiful
she might be, but the times are mer-
cenary, and beautiful girls don't win
the love of man Ike John every
1ay in the week.
Although John told me all about
it in cynical sort of way, which sat
upon him as badly as another mans
coat might, but could not conceal
from me how deeply wounded he
disappointed-and how
intense had been his love for the
yirl. AS he finished his recital
,rasped his hand, saying with the
of one who had seen much
ife:
Hard work is the best antidote,
md you seem to have plenty of that
you will forget all about it in time,
Did fellow"
II don't think l shall. l feel like
! man who, having been kept in
twilight all his life, is shown the sun
or an hour, and then again put back
nto twilight. He will forget the sun
10 more than l shall forget Fleur-
stte."
''She seemed to me such a sweet
girl" said, doubtfully.
She is perfect" said John. "YOu
have seen nothing of her as vet.
Wait until you can fathom the
depths of thought and feeling under
hat bright exterior. Then you will
say | was not wrong in loving her
rs | did-as | do even now."
HAS any one else won her? Was
that the reason she refused you ?"
"No one. She loves me, and me
only"
What do you mean?" / asked,
greatly surprised.
That evening when she told me
firmly and decisively she would
never marry me-never could marry
when l said mad, cruel
words to her, | saw love in her tear
ful eyes. And when, forgetting all,
| held her and kissed her once, and
once only, l .felt her lips linger on
mine. Then she broke away and
fed but | know such woman as
Fleurette Dorvaux would not suffer
a mans kiss unless she loved him.
She wrote me few lines the next
day, telling me it could not be, beg
ging me not to even ask her why.
Since then she shuns me, and all Is
at an end, so please talk no more
about it"
Here was a nice complication J
Here was knot to unite! John re-
fused by girl who loved him. /
own ] was glad to hear him assert
his belief in her love, as somehow
it panied me to think of Fleurette
sporting with a mans heart. Al
though, as / told you, determined
she was not the right wife for John, /
had soon recanted, and thought now
how she would light up the old
house, and how happy John would
be with such a bright little woman
to greet him when he returned of an
evening weary and tagged. So l re-
solved to see all l could of Fleurette,
to study her, and if I found her as
good as John said, to use my skill in
untying the knot and smoothing the
strands of their lives. / never doubt
ed nv ability to arrange the matter.
l had always been an able diplomat
ist. Had not, at New Durham,