The Penn's Grove record., 1885-08-15

Established beliefsi'' he laughed
again. 81 have never had much sym
pathy with the tender passion myself,
but If it can turn a reasonable man like
you into all old woman | shall abjure it
altogether. l live by my wits, and |
can't afford to trifle with theml"
"Chalmersl' l say. angrily; lyon are
a cold blooded--"
"And, l think, Trevor" he returns,
pointedly, you are a trife too hot
bloodedl''
He goes away. The next minute l
hear him laughing with Miss Fortescue
and Lambert Kerr-at me, ldaresay.
But l do not care. In the other
drawingrOom l see Evelyn still talking
to MacPhoole. She is there; here am |,
not thirty feet away, yet an impossible
gulf divides us. 1t is like a horrid night
mare,
Then l see MacPhoole leave her. and
Chalmers, mine own familiar friend,
darts from some lurking place and, with
a fendish smile of triumph in my direc-
ton, takes his empty chair. OF course
it may be my fevered fancy, but at this
moment his face appears to me more
dlabolical than ever mans was before,
1 think of Miss Standish, and cursed the
hour when | admitted my friend to
share the secrets of my bosom. Is he
telling of my egregious follyp She
laughs. Is he witty at my expense them
A few hours ago my greatest chum,
and now l hate him with a deadly
hatred-at least / think l do.
Hurriedly | run over in my mind my
ancestors and my relations as far as |
can remember them, but L do not re-
collect ever to have heard of anyone of
them as being insane.
Evelyn is still monopolized by Chal-
mers. In despair l return to the album.
This time the fates are more propitious.
Opening in the middle of the book L
light on the portrait of Evalyn Bellairs.
This sweet mouth is not laughing at
any other mans wit. These eyes only
look straight into my own,
How long | have been gazing at it |
do not know, when / hear the sweetest
voice in the world say over my shoulder:
"You are very interested in my
album, Mr.. Trevor what are you look
ing at2'
l spring to my feet, and she moves
nearer to the table.
Chalmers has brought her. How L
wronged himl With the kindest plying
smile he meets my eye, and turns away.
Sat my own portra;tr' she exclaims,
looking up to me with a smile.
"Doy you think" l say in a low voice,
"that l should care to look at any
otherp'
She bushes and looks down. "How
can | teliP" she murmurs.
L am about to utter I know not what,
when the voice of the monster is heard
through the room, that is to say, he
stands about four feet away, and speaks,
very likely, in his ordinary voice, but to
me it Is a hldeous shrek.
Evelyn" he says, LADY Burliston
wants to hear about Fidele."
With one glance from her blue eyes
she goes.
Can she really prefer comparing notes
about those wretched little dogs to
talking to meP Yet she seems to be very
happy with the ancient Lady Burliston.
To my thinking everything in its
place" is a very good old saying, and
Lady Burliston should have stayed at
home In her arm chair.
But if l cannot talk to Evelyn L "a
look at her. Once her eyes met mine.
and then some one comes In front of her
and talks to her. Flesh and blood and
broadcloth are, alas, unpenetrable.
Here Jenkyn dinner, and
the ogre suddenly appears before me,
saying, Trevor will you take Miss
Fortescue as well as Mrs. Latimerp
Lent was to have taken her in"
Mrs. Latimer is my pet abomination,
and the ogre's voice distinctly chuckles
as he this disagreeable fact.
With feelings of angry repugnance |
move across the room to the simpering,
UNCONSCIOUS Mrs. Latimer, a prattilng
baby o. thirty. l take her and Miss
Fortes .ue to the dining room, and bear
ing in mind Chalmers kind prompting,
[ steer straight to the end of the table.
We Sre Just standing in our places,
| when NJ Fortesque says:
ss1 1t 5 rely we are wrong, MIR. Ire
var? 1 am not Lord Mac Phoebe and'-
10 king at my card-"your card is
Y org too"
Then O. almers was deceiving me,
Q d / am not to sit near her after ALL
lrrorl to be made a fool of in this
/ ' ay. The drops stand on my brow; |
iook savagely round for the traitor when
it suddenly strikes me we are on the
right hand side of the table.
Inspired with fresh hope, / say, 81
know that we are to sit at this end; sup
pose WI try the other sidep"
And, true enough, there we find DUR
names,
l see, with a fearful joy, that Jenkyns
has put my name at the top, and left
Mrs. LatImer and Miss Fortesque to sit
together. Calling down blessings inHu-
merable on his powdered head, l take
advantage of this arrangement. Thank
heaven, l gave him a sovereign the
other night, although l owed it to my
tailor many times over
We are only just in time, for here
Lord MacPhOole, whispering another
of his odious jokes as he comes, brings
in Evelyn. She gives me a little glance,
l fondly hope of pleased surprise, as she
sees me next to her.
We are standing, waiting for grace,
that vile monster says, from the other
end Of the table: "Mr, Trevor, we can,
not allow two ladies to sit together.
Will you divide them, please?"
Imploringly do l gaze In that stern
monsters eyes, weakly do | half reach
out my hand toward my name card as a
Seeble protest in self-defence, but l
finally succumb to his-inexorable eye,
and-Miss FOrtesque finds herself next
to my goddess.
The dean rushes through grace, but
he gives me time to pour my d~lsappolnt-
ment into Evelyn's eyes, and | almost
teink she Is sorry too.
On the strength of this my dropping
spirits revive, and l awake to hear Mrs.
Latlmer asking for the salt. L pass it
hastily, and she seizes the occasion of
my heads being turned toward her 10
say:
81 suppose you have heard the latest
news?"
"No," l say, indifferently; ~''social?
polIticalP"
ssI noaan Miss Rallair,s An0aOomant ,, |