Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-06-25

Chow did you get along r. asked Voss,
coming into his friends room just as the
second bell was ringing. -
ssCapitally," answered Cowan. one
is decidedly interesting, and her eyes
are first rate-black as Goals, and fuii OF
sympathy. She knows how to talk, TOO.
81 enjoyed myself very much in watch
ing Nelson. y said Voss. Il saw flrst
surprise. then chagrin; the next stage Is
modification, then come jealous rage.
nAnd now comes dinner, said Cowan'
laughing, as he took his friend by the
arm and led him from the room.
Avis was not in the dining wnen
Voss and Cowan entered It she was
upstairs in her little room still, ner
trembling fingers adjusting piece OF
lace about her slender neck. Never be-
fore had she been in such a fiutter of sur
prise and pleasure. 1t was no wonder
her fingers seemed all thumbs; no Won
der her pale cheeks were flushed ana ner
eyes bright. She had been at the Noun
tain Park hotel for two weeks, and dur
ing that time she had not made single
pleasant acquaintance. There were nearly
two hundred guests, but not one OF them
apparently had seen anything attractive IN
poor little Avis. She had not been IN
cluded in the various walking and riding
parties: she had been neglected on the
veranda. and she had heard unpleasant
remarks about the paucity of her ward
robe. More than all, she had been a
wallfiower in the ballroom. How she
had envied Lillian the attention that
young beauty received How she wished
that She, too, might go circling round
and round to the music of the band
And how often she had left the ballroom
and run up to her own room on the fourth
floor. and there gazed at her ugly little
face in the glass until she fairly cried be.
cause of the impossibility of ever be-
coming even one tenth as lovely as Lii
1anl
Perhaps some of the neglect Avis felt,
so keenly was due to the evident dlsfa-
vor in which she was held by her cousin,
who took care to let every one know that
Avis's STAY Mt the Mountain house was
due entirely to zone of mammals gener7.
Gus freaks" and she was always particuTs
lar to tell every newcomer that she
considered that mamma had made,
mistake in bringing poor Avis into soG-
ETY. for which she was so totally unhttcds
These people had conceived the idea
that the little schoolteacher was not
worth cultiyating, and as she was too
shy and proud to make any advances to-
ward friendship, she had been thrown en-.
tirely on her own resources for amase-
ment. She had often felt very dull and
very lonely, and had more than once
wished herself back in her little third
story room in the second rate boarding.
house There, at least, she did not feel
so utterly alone.
But now a change had taken place.
Sydney Cowan, the most popular man at
the hotel had sought her OUT and had
seemed to take an interest in her CONVEX
sation and to like her society. Itseemed'
strange, but it was none the less true,
and Avis was consequently happy and,
excited.
''Of course know it won't last" she
thought, as she at length succeeded in
arranging the lace TO her satisfaction,
and ran down to the dining room; 'butl
mean to enjoy it while it does.
She enjoyed it thoroughly, and was
like new creature under the influence
of little happiness and excitement. The
afternoon walk was followed by an even
ing drive behind Sydney Cowan's fleet
black horses; and then came dancing in
the great ballroom She was no longer
wallflower Sydney Cowan not only
danced with her half dozen times him
self, but he also took pains to introduce
some of his gentlemen friends to her, and
she was soon voted the highest dancer
at the hotel. ~
Lillian could not understand her Cousins
sudden accession to belleship; but still
less could she understand Sydney Cowan's
desertion of herself She had thought
her chances of becoming Mrs. Cowan
were very good, indeed, and she had been
in nowise loath to assume the title. This
was her fourth season, and she knew that
people were beginning to say that it was
strange she did not marry. And she had
a great respect for Mrs Grundy She
had decided that it would not do to give
that venerable dame chance to sheer at
her. 80 she had accepted Sydney Cow
ans attentions very readily, and had
spent hours in planning the details of
the grand wedding she was to have, and
had felt sure of being an object of envy
to all her feminine friends. 1t angered
and mortified her to see her air-castle in
a fair way to fall to the ground, and to
know that the hand which had shaken
its foundation belonged to her insignifi-
cant cousin She thought she could have
borne it better had her rival been any
one else than Avis
Your bringing Avis here was a great
mistake, she said to her mother, one
dav tsT never aunrnved of the Milan as