The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1884-02-19
Selfrt Stury.
oAIoNE.
CHAPTER I.

ALA Sims lay gazing out over great
6eld of waving grain. The wind blew
fresh over it and it tumbled and battled
like an angry sea.
# was inspiring, poetical, artistic
And, though ALA herself was beth OF
The last, she failed this afternoon to yield
TO its charm though she had written and
dreamed and talked with Eustace Hou
team here, 10 her hearts content many
an hour, her face to-day was as void and
drear as leaden November sky, look
ing wofully out OF keeping with the
blight June sunshine. -Why2
Ala Simms thought she had lover
a lover after her own ideal, too; lover
who was manly, brave and humsre; q
lover who was cultured, original 10
thought and OF good family.
Well-what2 1t seems after all that
the man had been flirting with her-with
her-Alla Simms! who always said sbe
would defy any man to firt with her
without her kno wing it and giving him bis
ticket-of.leaye on the spot.
Yes, it was plain she had been victim
ized, and if that Miss Fribert had moi
turned up she would probably have gone
on being victimized to the end of her so
journ in B..
There was frank, noble "Chas" Bur-
ritt, as the "fellows" called him-why
could she not love him2 How heart
lessly Indifferent she had been to him
since the infaluatlon for Eustace Hou
team!
Poor fellow! Loving her hopelessly
and now about to depart for Florida with
that little ,sick brother of bis for whom
he was sacrificing so much! But she
loved another and that other was faith.
less and undeserving.
1t was strange, though, ALA Slmms
made no special effort to render herself
fascinating that evening a latent power
she scarcely knew in her possession lent
a quiet mental strength, and the light
wit that sparkled from her, as she Ian
guidly reclined in her comfortable COR
ner tete a-ete with Will Hooker, Bentley
Gould and company, to the fore with a
will.
Each sharpened his mental weapon
and embraced his challenge with eager
ness, returning after every defeat val
iantly to the charge, but finally leaving
the fair lady victor in the field.
And was not Eustace Houtean charm
ed into the old magic presence2 OF
course. She knew he would return after
being surfeited with change, but for how
longp
She had so shown him the best side of
her nature that he believed her almost
Griseldis-all yielding meekness and for
giveness. After all, he was ONLY. .one of
many. Only she-Alla-had not chanc-
ed TO meet many Society men.
Back in the metropolis Society threw
ont to her its gli,tering, bedizzened arm,
whose fair embrace she eagerly accepted,
hoping, as many do, to smother the old
yearning under her bewldering sheen.
And her lover? Oh, yes, she met him
again once. Graceful, urbane, be struck
upon her vision from the crowd leaving
the opeea house, thus appearing upon
her social horizon for the first time since
their pastoral idyl OF last summer Bow
ing with serenity worthy OF the We're
de Veres, she rendered that vacilatipg
fancy OF his unequal to the task Of ban
ishing this new, old face.
She had heard he had been in Chicago
all winter. So be had returned2 Again,
then, through Society's cleaning vail,
this shadow rose, approached close TO
her, and vanished came again and again,
until the reality, the weak nature, lay go
plain and bare before her that the shad-
ow fled forever.
He resumed his old relationship at
trsction was irresistible-for the time!
This heart experience and six months in
the world had not been without its effect
upon ALA She was now ALA Sirnms
and Miss Fribert united. The comhina-
tion was wonderfully alluring The truth
was evident now. There was no rival
to distract. This moth was very nearly
caught
Should she let him burn his wings ere
she withdrew the light from him1 She
believed she could.