Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-07-19
MY LOVERS.
by MARY N. PRESCOTT.

"FOr once" said Lefty, "let us be
grandees. Let us go IN good style,
IL il takes every cent. Let us go ~
we might have gone IL you hadn't
been sentimental and had married
Mr.. Dunn"
Mr.. Dunn was a bachelor, inn
Intensely rich, bald and stout, and
no longer young; not the lover l
had dreamed of, not the realization
Of the "dim, sweet vision" which
had haunted my thOughts-fOr even
Il shOp-girl has dreams and fancies.
1 had been greatly surprised when
he asked me to marry him, and
live on Beacon street, and drive in
my coupe. OF course he didn't
mention these things, but Lefty did;
and had said, "NO, thank you, "
at once. What poetry could there
he in marrying Mr.. Damn? Living
in luxury on Beacon street would
he pleasant enough, but ii would
put love and romance and happi-
ucsS forever out OF the question, i
thought. Lefty disapprOved, l
know, and so did MIR. Dunn"
"Why don't you love me he ask
ed. Other women have;" and
ne smiled and blushcd attic confess
sion.
"Oh, | like you very much as a
friend. Mr.. Dunn" l said, to soften
the blow.
Friendship is easy enough 10 win,
But one isn't loved every day.
he quoted.
IL was q pretty show ut the beach,
E,,,t ~ az S,f vi er
and unpacking had worn off; after
we had gotten used to bathing, and
sitting idly on the piazza with the
sia rolling at our feet, or reading
novels in the hammock, or watch
ing the lliTtatiOns and the schemiDg.
We didn't know anybody, you sec,
and there was nobody To Introduce
us. We talked with some of tho
ladies, but they seemed to have
known each other before; and while
they discussed this or that acquaint-
ancc, the opera of the season past,
the soirees where thoy had met, we
naturally dropped out of the con-
Vcrsation. Then, when there was
dancing, we had no partners, and it
was not exactly pleasant to play the
Wall-ilOwcT while others were in
swing of everything. Lefty, had
SAID, II think we mad better go
home and use the balance of our
cash i'm Joining the Harvard Annex,
aud improving our minds" when
one evening, as we sat fOrlOrn on
4 tho piazza, who should come to
meet us but Mr.. Dunn! L never
was so glad to sec anybody in my
life before. lie didn't seem to bear
me any grudge for having refused
him. He introduced us to all the
young swells and nabobs and their
sisters as his particular friends; in
fact, believe no told one of the
dOwagers that had declined to be-
come Mrs. Dunn. lie didn't stay
Al great while; he was due some
where else-at somebody's country
place-and L was rather glad when
he went ; for although had refused
hun, L couldn't help feeling a sort
OF ownership in him, and when he
fiirtCd with the other women / did
not like it. One doesn't like ones
discarded lovers to recover too soon,
if at all. We were no longer wall
flowers; we danced and sang and
We were Mr.. Dunn's friends. /
think perhaps some of the women
were oven grateful to me because /
had not married him.
However, it seemed to mo that
presently forgot Mr.. Dunn. Clar-
ence Cuthbert began to fill the
measure of my thoughts complete
ly. L hardly knew if anybody else
existed. "All men beside were to
me like shadows" Wesat together
secluded on the piazza, or walked
ON the sands by moonlight, or stroll
cd in the pine woods and read poe
try, or sang together on the rocks
with the surf beating at our foet.
lie seemed the embodiment of all
poetry and lofty sentiment and rO-
nance. Hc had voice like the
wind in tho pines, or an EOlian
harp, full of tender meaning and
deep, unbelievable feelings | be-
lieved he was like the princess
whose lips dropped pearls and rubics
Of speech. lie read Byron so beau
tifulIy that one felt lie would have
written 1t all il Byron hadn't, and
lac had composed airs to some OF !
Shclly's divine verses, which he |
taught me to sing. oh, it seemed |
To me just then rs il [ were real !
live heroine breathing romance.
About this time happened to have |
Il severe neuralgia headache, which |
me to my room several /
lays, and ono evening when Lefty |
nIme up To bed she SAID:
81 don't know, if L were going To
marry one or tho other, but / should
prefer Mr.. Dunn to Cuthhert,D
Chow disagrecable you are, Let
" ~ said. "YOu had better come
% bod"
"Mr. Damn is sincere at least, if
le is bald," she pursued sand no
sn'tsO dreadful bald, either"
"tWeli, Clarence isn't bald ut ALL"
mo, but he's been going on with
Hiss ErskiuC as If you didn't exist
If the woods, looking
ntO her eyes, and repeating poetry. +
The showed me some lines he had h
written To her, aud / believe they
we're the very same ho composed 10
'Ou, only brown eyes were changed
D blue"
Lefty, l don't believe a word of
t. It's only her vanity and your ,
,alOusy. See these exquisite roses ,
q sent me, and this delicious note"
al should think it was recipe {
sOim Miss Parloa. Miss Erskine !
Yore finer bunch-real Jacquemin- y
IS, a dollar apiece-in to dinner"
al don't value mine according TO I
10 price they're Marshal Nicls,
%. III he had sent me bunch of I
they'd be rs precious.
,ut you don't deserve 10 read the
afe, and you shanf."
81 don't want TO. dare say its e.
no facsimile of Miss Erskine's." (
81 city, said L, severely, "don't
nds.E 10 me again tonight" i
OF course thought il was all non c
,ense. didn't want Clarence to G
when / was out of sight, 4
AMI not able 10 speak TO a soul. | {
wanted him 10 make himself rs
Fascinating rs possible to the other c
Urls. To be sure, made believe Il
+ WAS Jealous of Miss Erskine play
A,IIv when / went down stairs
nrSin, and pOuled about L and he v