The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-12-13
Select gtorg,
NOT so BAD AFTER ALL.

had rewarded Emily Cummings seraphic
smiles by an offer of his hand and fortune,
and She having been for months an earnest
competitor, accepted the prize with show
of tenderness that was perfect in its way.
She was belle and beauty, but, to
give the poor fellow his due, he was not
very much in love himself, and had, more
over, faint fleeting notion that his f1O0,-
600 had more to do with her acceptance
than any purely personal merit of his own.
However, the marriage in all human
probability would have taken place, and my
little love story been entirely nipped in the
bud, had it not been for the grim hand Of
fate, which beckoned the unfortunate Con
to little watering place, on fishing ex-
cursion ostensibly, but in reality to fall in
love with pretty little Mable Gordon.
He met her at some village gathering,
and it being a fixed principle of his to at
tach himself to the prettiest girl in the
room, he in the present case adhered to
his purpose with a rigidity which would
have been extremely amusing only that it
so soon become serious, for after two or
three meetings had followed the rustic
soiree Master Con was fairly infatuated,
and innocent Mable began to think that her
ideal hero had stepped out from his 'castle
in the air. and taken earthly lodgings for
ever and ever more.
For week the dream was bright and
undisturbed; then Con began to feel un-
comfortable.
With the prospect of being married to
one girl in a month, he was hardly dishon-
orable enough to propose the same course
with another; but being neither very clever
nor original, he couldn't see the slightest
loophole So, by way of inspiration, per-
haps, he fingered on at Mable's side; and
she, poor child, was happy even in the un-
certainty.
Of course people talked, as they always
do talk; and some, more daring than the
rest, encompassed Con, and looked unut-
terable things as they spoke of Mabels
parentage.
Olives with her father and mother? Oh,
yes. But then they don't happen to be
her father and mother. She is their daugh-
ters daughter; and as to who was her
father-well, we don't know, and the Blairs
take care to give US no information"
Then Con was awfully angry,
He was just young enough to be quix-
otic, and, of course, he wanted to marry
her, shame or no shame; to take his little
star-faced angel to himself for evermore-
to transplant his little field daisy to a more
luXuriant soil.
He went up to see her, with letter from
Emily Cummings il, IS pocket and an ON
inous guilty feeling ,out his heart.
'By Jove but as is cheering scrape.
Those Cummingses will be after me like a
pack of vultures: but all know is that I'll
never have wife if 1 don't get Mabel
Gordon"
So, with trembling determination, he
went into her presence-pretty Mabel, with
her white face appraised and her wondrous
hair falling around her like a glorious gold
en- cloud.
"I thought you would come," she said
shyly, the color family flushing her fair
cheeks. And then, though nature hadn't
made him so, Con felt more utterly foolish
than ever.
"As if could stay away!' he answered,
half reproachfully; then added, pathetical-
ly, "At least, until have to, for I'm going
away in a day or two"
l suppose Mable had the natural coquet-
tishness of her sex; but at that particular
moment it deserted her entirely. Her eyes
wandered down the road, and she leaned
more heavily than ever against the garden
gate.
"Oh, are you?" very faint and tremu-
lous, she murmured.
ayes; but I'll come back again if any
one wants me"
She stole one quick glance at him from
under her downcast lids.
'Do you want ME, Mabel? Shall [
come back to you ?"
No answer came from the parted lips, but
| think he knew she wanted him, for lean
ing over the garden gate, he answered her
silence by saying, every well, dear, I'll be
! back in very little while, and you'll be
waiting for me, won't you ~
1t was not very definite, to say the least
1t.
= Any other girl would have preferred a
more lucid proposal, but poor little Mabel
had one of those rare natures which are
satisfied to give all and take almost nothing
to love pre-eminently, perfectly, and re-
ceive in return trifing need of affection
The world doesn't contain great many
like her, and 1, for one, am heartily glad.
| think the women who hold their own,
and anything else they can get, are far
more preferable; but then earth's children
must be variegated, sharp as well as sweet.
Con went home that night ecstatically
but guiltily happy, and when he reached
home he found letter from his mother,
the elder Mrs. Creighton, asking, or 1
should say demanding, his instant return.
"Emily is very i'll, she said, "and GER
tainly your place should be beside the lady
who in four weeks will become your wife.
In addition to this, l am afraid that some
ulterior object causes your long delay in
that out-of-the-way place. I have heard,
but totally disbelieve, a rumor of some girl
whose pretty face has attracted your atten-
tions. 1t fioated upon me with some ap-
pearance of veracity, and might have trou-
bled me had | not known that l could
trust your dignity as being member of
the CreigLacl family and your honor as
being ensor ID to Emily Cummings"
Con mhed the letter in his hand and
tried to!stare circumstances in the face, but
circumstances bafied him, and in a state
of semi-torture he retired to his dream
disturbed couch.
The next morning he turned to London,
leaving a little note for Mable in explana-
ton of his absence
Emily Cummings was much better when
he reached the city.
Mrs. Creighton greeted him with digni-
fed pleasure, and poor Con felt as utterly
mean and dishonorable as his most inveter-
ate enemy could have desired
For week he wandered around in a
very uncomfortable state, and then he be-
gan to make sudden resolutions.
"What a confounded fool l am !'' he
soliloquized, as he walked along Piccadily
| in tho most doloro,s froma Of mind stT