Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-09-19
An ABSURD FLIRrATIOn.
BY n. *. HOLAHAH,

fOu Snail NOT sonu me rom You
thus What right have you to drive
me mad under the spell OF your mad
deniDg beauty and charms. then cast
me of with silvery laugh and con.
|temptuous sneer! All, GwenolyD,
Gwenolynl give me some hopel could
wait years and years, If only might
hope! Do not madden me quite"
Amy other woman might have been
touched, any other woman frightened
by the depth of misery she had caused,
glorious dark eyes, with . CLEAN of
depths, TO the dark, passionately eager
face above her.
Why will you be 80 serious, Mr..
Tremaine 2" she asked impatiently, in
her soft, sweet tones, that we'll nigh
lure man to his ruin. l supposed
you understood that 1t WAS just an Ab-
surd hirtation-summer pastime
have passed . pleasant summer; you
will not deny, suppose that you have.
1 am courteous enough to thank you for
the amusement you have given me, and
there the matter ends. Please step
aside, Mr.. Tremaine. have prom sed
10 sing for Colonel Adair this evening,
and Isee him looking for me in the bal.
copy. Au revoir."
He caught her dainty, jeweled hand
In his strong white ones, as she would
have passed him by with . hooking
bow.
Zone moment" he said steadily,
and his handsome face could be no
whittier when FOR him earth became OBJ
livion. "One moment only, Miss
Lisle, then you shall 60 and sing with
your siren voice TO yonder deaf old
millionaire, the clink Of whose gold has
won your heart, which my honest love
and devotion could not touch but it
yet shall wake TO master touch, and
In the hour Of its awakening you will
suffer tenfold what now dot will be
humiliation, remorse and shame
am passionate man, and ! have
loved you as few women are ever loved; ;
and you made me believe that l might
hope-from your peerless eyes you
looked love into mine, and to night you
tell me, with all the ponchalence in the
world, that your heart was never
touohed-that you were but deluding
me, running q mans life, all the time I!
You laugh with your devilish, silvery
unconcern, and call 1t an absurd fir
tation.' And i swear TO you that In
sackcloth and ashes you will repent the
day you ever uttered those words. Now
you may 90 to old Moneybags and be
happy in his love-"
He threw her hand from him with Q
bitter laugh. She drew her dainty i,
regal figure TO its full height, and
flashed on him glance Of LOFTY disdAin.
"You coward, to taunt . " oman and
threaten As criminal In this case,
Kenneth Tremaine, / stand not alone.
Over how many human hearts have
you trAmpled before you laid siege to
mine? Luckily ] WAS forewarned-
that you cannot add my name TO the
\ victims"
With q dreary pain in her heart,
which she would not acknowledge,
G wenolyn turned away, and . few
minutes later the exquisite music Of her
voice was born to his maddened senses
across the low balcony windows-acrosi
the autumn bloom and heavy fra
GRANGE, waking him IS from Q night
mare dream.
He had lost heri He realised IL now
and he would have given his own soul
to possess her The days, tha weeks
and months would even stretch away
into years, and she would never be his
| He dared not think-it could not be
He would seek her-he would go down
on his nees aud recall the bitter words
he had uttered, and plead for little
hope.
He turned, as hand fell heavily or
his shoulder, and confronted Harold
Tousley.
Hello, old fellow, did you hear the
news? Engagement of Colonel Adail
and Miss Isle just announced In the
ldrawine room. Fine thing TO be 9
millionaire, instead of = poor devil Of
an artist like you, or a journalist like
myself. Fairest girl in the land, too
by Jove! The fathers affairs In bad
Ishape, they say-brink Of ruin-so old
Adair must be brought into reputation. ,
He turned away-even he could moi
bear the agony in that white face, and
Kenneth Tremaine went mad with pair
for a time.
He could never win her pow-sh'
had spoken truly when she had callet
1t an y" absurd Irritation, 30 she hat
proven thus soon.
With the fret gray streak Of dawi
Kenneth bid adieu to Saratoga ant
sailed for Europe, his heart filled with
bitterness.
At the news OF his depArtur
lGwenolyn shed passionate, yoarninl
tears in tn: solitude Of her dainty cham
her, and realized, as she always had
that life held nothing for her in thi
world but his love.
Surprising him flirting, she gave NJ
sign that she had not come out til
Iumphant, though God alone knew wha
1.-The effort had cost her
And the world did not guess the sad
ness behind the dark, rich splendor O
: her eyes.
al When the crash came, and Marvi
Lisle was penniless, ruined man
Colonel Adsir again bowed his statel
a head over Gwenolyn's slender hand.
Reconsider, child" he said.
r will try to make your beautiful yout
like An exquisite. poem, Gwenolyn-
Iyour slightest desire my law. M
=. glorious love, will you be my wife
N 90 not ask your love-how could 1t be
b IL only ask the right to protect an
: cherish you"
Il And when his earnest, noble praye
WAS jo ined by the agonized entreatie
tof her distracted father, who had neve
left her slightest wish unfulhlled, oh
l. was forced to yield weary, hopelet
assent.
loI They " ere married amid the fostiv
" ties of Christmas tide, and the fashion
~ able world went wild over the dusk
* splendor Of the beautiful young bird
10 in the sheen Of her priceless lacee; b,
70 among them all there beat that day 4
O w heart so hopeless as her own, and 1
40 one could testify to the bitter tears
90 agony and vain regret she had th'
morning shed over her orange blossom
rs lin the secrecy of her own boudoir.
iOt