St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-04
ONE LOVE AND TWO LETTERS.
, Life is at best a tangled maze,
-ah Of WOVEN chances

We grope away thro' cloud and haze,
Mere toys of circumstances.
There were two letters awaiting Miss
Stanhope on her writing-desk as she en-
tered her room that morning.
She was not yet in a mood for wadlng
through any very long epistles received
from former society friends since her return
from the seashore. They all contained the
same story-a charming summer; happy
engagement. perhaps not for the first time.
yet just as happy; requests for sympathy
for broken hearts, or feminine chuckle
over hearts broken. Ordinarily she had
taken an interest in these light condolences.
But now she appeared ''glum," as her
brother Fred expressed it. Several of these
letters had been only half read, and lay in
pile at one side of her writing-desk.
Yes, she had dressed just as well as any
one else: she had had her horses, parties
and her admirers. But she did not care
much for them; she had always had them;
other girls had them: any one might have
them who had the money. That is not to
say she was not fond Of attention. She
liked society, and she had a wholesome
craving to be recognized at her full worth.
In this respect, too, had she been satisfied
from her youth uD.
NO! OuG udu uSG UCCA CAdClAg ohoOONNf
she had been hurt" There's vast
amount of comfort to be extracted from the
difference we can put between those two
words.
I Stanley Newton had not had much in
the way of either money or looks to recon-
mend him when he first attracted her at
tention in society the winter before. He
was tall and rather awkward when he came
s to begin life as clerk in well-known law
/. Office. But as he had many good friends
and was himself OF once arlStocratc
family, the doors of society had been
! squeezed open for him.
1t had happened that each time he had
''gone OUT he had met Miss Stanhope, and
each time it had been his good fortune to
see more of her than of any other young
lady. With all his college experiences and
vacancies behind him he had fancied
himself entirely unsusceptible now
at least until he could see his way to an
income little larger than his board bill.
Of course he was mistaken. The story is
an old one. vet it is ever being repeated
the first young woman who really charmed
him. who impressed him with her intel
ligence, beauty, grace and sweetness.
that woman could henceforth command
him.
Evelyn Stanhope was that woman.
She knew it, and the knowledge had
brought with it deeper sense of pleasure
than she had ever expected in any halfway
similar case before.
AS the season wore on and the spring
came she ceased to blush when the maid
told her that he was waiting for her in the
parlor. On his side, he began to venture
the necessity of his strict attention to bust
ness as an excuse for an occasional uneX-
pected absence 1t had its end. 1t gave
her material for witticisms. and he may
have gotten from the whole strength enough
to help him through one or two hard days
at the Office.
Her regular summer trip to the sea shore
babe fair TO separate them for time when
matters were quite critical. Nevertheless
he did have means enough to allow of bis
getting out of the city for time, and by
judiciously boarding them he might-yes,
he promised that he would-"come down
for dav or two occasionally"
s.Rumor' had it that they were engaged.
They were not Who ever knew such a
couple to confess it. no matter how good the
mutual understanding" until formal
words. deprived of their force by their de-
lay, are sealed with ring? If a ring went
with every first kiss more young men
would be bankrupt than are now.
Frank Pascal had, however, no let or
hndrance to his going to the shore for one
month or one year. He didn't depend on
the height of any office stool for his income.
He traced back his ancestry in lines which
didn't fail 10 include the greatest of that
name And he was by no means the least.
He was the resultapt-fnanciallv. Still
he had good points. Miss Stanhope recog-
nized them if Stanley Newton did not
Perhaps he did, only he was not eager to
say.
Mr.. Pascal had an extremely irritating
little cough that was made worse by the
sea breeze But when he heard Miss STAN
hope signing for fear none of her old
friends would be at the shore he turned
deaf ear to doctors and fastened to disap-
point her.
Now as Stanley Newton had also been
one of the party when she expressed her re-
gret about her summers prospects. Miss
Stanhope could but smile to herself at the
outcome when MI. Pascal drove up in front
of the hotel the day after her arrival. She
was almost tempted to sit down that night
and write to Stanley about the drive and
what a comicaI fellow she had suddenly
come to find her old friend Pascal. All that
prevented her was a VOW she had entered
into with Stanley to the effect that they
never should write to each other before
well, unless in case of dire necessity.
1t was one of his humored eccentricities.
In this case, moreover, did it not mean she
would see him more, for. of course. they must
exchange opinions some way? 1t was Tues
day-a long time to Sunday; but then she
would tell him everything. the peculiar
new light in which she beheld Pascal and
every one else. Yes, she knew it was the
glamour of first love.
So the next afternoon, too, she started
for another drive. her mother accompany
ing her, of course, in good European style,
Just about the time that Stanley Newton
was taking the train for the shore and was
wondering how she would receive his little
surprise.
1t was short ride, and Stanley was moi
long in making himself presentable fol
tea" Then he loitered about waiting fol
the Stanhopes to appear. They did moi
come. 1t was not until he had lighted hi:
cigar and was sitting on the piazza thai
thew drove I'D with Mr.. Pascal. He saw
them alight and heard their friendly inter
change OF enthusiastically, very friendly,
indeed. He would wait till after tea
before presenting himself. But they die
not come down again.
Next morning he was compelled to return
to the city before any one was up. Some
how, it was not convenient for him to &c
to the shore Saturday night. A fellow
clerk went however. and returned to tel
him what happy couple Pascal and Mis-:
Stanhope made. 1t was just as well
Pascal had money and was much the better
match for her.
The next Wednesday night, however
found the temptation greater than the alb
surd resolve. and he went down again
There was a hop at the hotel Mis-:
Stanhope already had about all her dance.
engaged, and Mr.. Pascal was her partner