The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-04-12

he was still of the opinion that a
young woman who had INDUCED in two
or three flirtations. and then been Tilted
an engagement of a year or two,
had better retire to a convent.
AS he walked along meditating upon
American young ladies in general, and
this young lady in particular, his eyes
suddenly fell upon a small, glittering
object in the snow-bank which bordered
the sidewalk. A second glance showed
him that It vas diamond, appertaining
to a small golden circle which had sunk
a little into the soft snow. The diamond
"a small, though very brilliant, and
the ring was very small, indeed, and
must have fitted a very slender finger,
OF so Abner Sykes thought, as it lay on
his large palm. He suddenly caught
sight of letters engraved inside-''H. F.
to A. E. B."
'sH. F. may mean Homer Fem. Per.
haps it's hers. l saw her pull her glove
off, now l think of it. / don't remem.
Der what Greenough said her name was.
Don't know whether he mentioned it.
Wonder what A. E. B. stands for. Not
very difficult to find out, probably, but
pshaw! what do I care?"
At the next crossing, and before Alb
ner Sykes overlook her, the young lady's
companion left her, being torn away by
a horse-car, after which she looked re.
gretfully, making the frantic little wav.
ings of the hand, and grimaces expires.
sive of unatterable pangs, with which
young ladies are won't to bid each othel
adieu.
Mr.. Sykes was all ready to presentth
ring with a perfectly correct and sutfi-
GENTLY reverential bow, and ask the
young lady if it was her property, when
she suddenly looked up at him. That
was all that happened, but for some in
applicable reason MI. Abner Sykes wa
deprived of his self-possession.
Instead of saying what he had in
tended, he became wildly red in the
face, slipped the ring into his pocket and
walked on.
She had such very blue eyes! That
was really the first reason for hi.
embarrassment that he gave himself
Immediately recognizing his weakness!
implied in that explanation of thu
matter, he assured himself that 1t wa!
because she looked so very unlike wha
he had expected. Yet what Mr.. Sykes
had expected could not have been quite
clear to disinterested observer, orther'
was certainly nothing remarkable in thu
young lady's looks, unless it may hav,
been that her eyes were remarkably blue
She was not handsome; she was not ever
pretty, in the ordinary acceptation of thu
word; a very fair complexion, blond,
hair and those very blue eyes composed
all her store of beauty. Theyoung maj
who had lost his self-possession vaguel,
remembered that she had a. large mouth
a nose that did not follow the Grecial
type as closely as it should have done
and, in fact, that she had not at all i'm
pressed him as a beauty. If she hat
been a beauty he would by no mean:
have acknowledged that his sensibiliiie
could have been affected by thatfact. HI
regarded himself as altogether superior
to such a weakness.
He had been disconnected; that wa.
what he said to himself, aud being &C
customed to carefully analyze his emo
tons he endeavored to ascertain why 81
unusual a mishap should have befallel
him-without a very gratifying degree
of success. 1t was, after all, no matter
but, being a man who was proud of I'm
Outstanding himself. and having himsel
we'll in hand, he especially disliked tt
puzzle himself. He could much bette
have borne to be puzzled by somebod,
else.
Larceny, by all that absurdn' h
said, feeling the ring in his pocket
s.But, perhaps, after all, the correct thing
is TO advertise it, since Idon't even know
her name. Hope I shan't forget to asl
Greenough what it is. Pshaw! VIII,
should l be such a humbug? l know
l shan't forget to ask him!"
But Greenough was not 10 be fount
that night. He had been summoned
home by a telegram announcing the sud
den illness of his father. A few day
afterward the news came that his fathe
was dead, and that heavy business dutie
would devolve upon Greenough, pre-
venting his return to college.
The further information %concernin!
the college widow which Sykes hal
resolved to ask of Greenough he must g
without. 1t would be a very easy matte
to make inquiries of somebody else, bu
he shrank from doing it; he might b
subjected to chatting, which was ex
tremely offensive to his dignity.
He wrote an advertisement of the find
ing of the ring, to be inserted in tn
newspaper, but went by the newspape
office with the advertisement in hi
pocket and with the emotions of a con
science-stricken thief.
He eagerly seized the opportunity al
forded, by an invitation to a German
given by an association of the colleg
students, to appear in the society of tn
town, which had hitherto possessedli ttl
charm for him. And he was rewarde
by seeing, as soon as he entered the hal
the blonde locks and very blue eyes
the young lady he sought.
Hefound it very easy to obtain an in
PRODUCTION to her; indeed he had tn
honor offered him with only a very Sigh
suggestion on his part, and he had tn
pleasure of being her partner for tn
dance, and he found himself regardin
the German with favor for the first tim
as a dance which afforded unusual or
portunities for conversation. He neve
had looked upon round dances with AZ
proval; apparently the young lady
whom he had discovered was Miss Alic
Bradshaw-had no objection to then
Sykes found himself vaguely wishin
that she had, and for once he did NJ
feel disposed to analyze the wish.
She had various tastes and opinions
which he did not at all approve, but sh
confessed them in a frank and child-lik
manner, and with frank and child lii
chances which he found very agreeabl,
although he did occasionally become di
concerted again, and found himse
blushing like a schoolgirl. Which WI
altogether the most perplexing and al
noying thing which he remembered
have yer happened to him.
She seemed so light-hearted and ga
that it was difficult to regard her in Il
light of a ''blighted being,"but she did 9
to- conversations" she acknowledged
an acquaintance with Kant and Fitch
and Schopenhauer, and she calmly d
clared that she believed in woman su
frage. Judged by the opinions she e
pressed she was what Mr.. Abner Syk,
regarded as a monstrosity. She was fitte
to increase his horror of American civil