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

of the Mountain Park hotel ives, /
call myself a pretty good judge of char
acter. I've made a study of the human
face, and can read it like book-gener-
ally thoroughly enjoy such place as
this and shall probably analyze the fea-
lures of every person here before my
month is up. See that girl over there =
the one you were so devoted to last night.
/ mean? / spent nearly the whole morn
ing yesterday studying her. Her chief
characteristic is JEALOUSY
"Nonsenselr SAT- Sydney Cowan,
little impatiently. ''She hasn't given
the first indication Of such thing. She
is one of those calm, lovely women who
are above petty feeling of any sort.
You're wrong this time, Voss.
No, I'm not, ! returned Voss. She's
jealous-as the man who marries her will
find out to his cost. / shouldn't care to
see any friend of mine lead her to the
altar. Who is she2"
"a Miss Nelson" answered Sydney
Cowan That fat old lady in the easy
chair is her mother. They are very well
off, / believe; and Miss Lillian is very
accomplished .
"And you won't believe she is jeal-
ous?"
No, / can't believe it. I've known
her intimately for two weeks now, and
have never seen even the fa;ntest symp-
tom of jealousy"
"Perhaps not. She hasn't had cause
to show it, probably. can prove to you,
though, that am right, if you are will
ing TO help me-"
GgINhc% ,1,,c+ 4 oc1yoI Coxror
"You must stop paying attention to
her, and pretend devotion to some one
else. Take up that ugly little girl in
white, for instance-the one sitting off
there by the big tree"
THAT ugly little girl in white is Miss
Nelson's cousin-a poor relation, | be-
lieve, whom they brought here out of
charity
''All the better for our experiment,
said Voss. ''Devote yourself to her
with one-half the ardor you've shown in
your attentions to Miss Nelson, and you'll
see a case of jealousy of the worst
kind
tYou're wrong, Voss; I'm sure of it. "
"Try the experiment, then. y
every well, / will But | don't fiat
ter myself that Miss Nelaon likes me we'll
enough to care one iota where my atten-
tions are bestowed
Don't be so humble" said Voss.
''You know well enough that you are
considered first-class match. Mothers
with manageable daughters always have
soft place in their hearts for you It's
a wonder you've been able to keep your
self unshackled so long"
Don't talk nonsense, Voss. Look
here, I'm willing to try the experiment
just to convince you that you are not
so infallible as you imagine; but can't
you pick out some one else than Miss
Bentley2 ! haven't addressed more than
a dozen words to her since I've been
here, and she isn't bit pretty"
''But she's cousin to Miss Nelson, and
therefore the best one we conld have
under the circumstances, y said Voss.
Very well, so be it; but predict that
I'm going to be awfully bored" and
Cowan, with q grimace which made his
friend smile, crossed the veranda, and,
walking directly past Miss Nelson, made
his way to the big tree beneath which
Avis Bentley sat reading
Voss, watching Miss Nelson, saw look
VI SURPRISE CIOSS uCA Adlt. SOt0 4dCC as
Sidney Cowan passed her. The surprise
deepened as she saw him pause beside
her cousin, address few words to her,
and then throw himself on the grass at
her feet. This was something so entirely
without precedent that the young beauty
was at a loss to understand It. She
was not alarmed, however. Avis in the
light of a rival was not to be considered
a'moment.
Meanwhile, Avis had been thrown into
state of the greatest amazement by the
sudden appearance at her side of the ele-
giant Mr. Cowan whom she had long adj
mired at a distance, and whom she con-
sidered as her cousins personal property.
She was so much confused that she re-
turned the most random answers to the
questions he asked her about the book
she held; but soon the pleasure of find
ing some one who had the same tastes In
literature as herself made her forget her
embarrassment, and she smiled and talked
as gaily as ever her cousin had done.
''She's intelligent, at least, 2 thought
Cowan, and ne did not find the morning
as dull as he had anticipated. Indeed,
he could scarcely believe when the first
bell rang for dinner that il was so late
and he proposed to Avis that they should
take walk that afternoon without feel
ing that the arrangement involved an
personal sacrifice