The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-15
HIS FRIEND.
by MANLEY II. PIKE.

ugly, but she was captivatingly pretty;
she was pretty enough to have been poor,
but she was paralyzingly rich-so rich
that she might have done up her bangs
in Government fours and no one would
have objected; for her father was Il bank
rupt by profession, and invariably broke
for ten cents on the dollar.
One might think there was nothing to
add to these advantages, but Ariadne
had more. She possessed a troop of de-
voted friends, of all ages, both sexes,
and differing conditions Of scrvitudc, of
whom this narrative concerns only a few
young gentlemen. Sho managed to keep
them all happy, and enjoyed to the full
the various kind of pleasure they afford
ed her, for a long time preventing any
proposals on their part, which she was
most anxious to avoid, since she loved
none of them. Nevertheless she was in
love. This is often so. Alcidcs Monroe, |
the fortunate object ofher passion, didn't
appear to rcciprocate. This, too, is Of
ten so-perhaps oftencr. And. the more
she adored him, the more he didn't adore
her. This is the ~oftcncst Of all.
Matters approached a crisis. Ariadnc
was altogether too fascinating to allow
her masculine friends to remain friends
any longer, and they becamc-not enc
mics, but something almost as bad-lov-
ers in fact. And when a young lady's
lovers are not what she wants, and give
her no end of pleasure as friends, it is
hard for her to refuse them and thus loso
their society forever.
One morning Ariadnc was sitting in care
less thought, when George j. Fisher was
announced. George was Il PRODUCED r ,kcr
and he knew beans and all other vege-
tables intimately. He was always we'll
supplied with money, but particularly so
at this time-the fresh, ~just-opening
summer time, when his country custom
ers were sending in large consignments
of early peas. This wealth he spent in
driving Ariadne out in remarkably fine
style. He made the object of his afcc-
lions what might be called a business
mans proposal, and awaited the result.
"Alas, Mr.. Fisher" said she; 81 must
decline. I do not love you; I can be
only a sister to YOU"
That wasn't at all the relationship he
wished to stand in to her. He said so.
and left.
"My delightful drives are at an endr"
sighed Ariadne.
Then there was another arrival. Karl
friedrich Christian Ohrspelter, the cele-
brated musician and pianist, who used to
play Wagner to her as long as the instru-
mcnt held out, and then sing until the
police interfered. On one occasion he
had fought a desperate battle with the
"Gottcrdammerung," and had three
pianos shot under him. He proposed in
q florid Gothic style. She said:
"Alas, Herr %Ohrspelter, I must decline.
do no. love you; but you shall find in
me a cousin"
He was not satisfied, either, and de-
parted in wrath.
Ariadne looked sad. 'sThe music of
the future is the music of the past for
me-" said she.
Another arrival. There seemed to be
an cratic epidemic in progress. This
time it was a talented young dramatist.
He was very successful in composing
plays, because he read French with ease.
With him Ariadne had attended many q
*.6rst night" and acquired a vast knowl-
edge of things theatrical. His declera-
ton was adapted bodily from the last
Paris success, and did credit alike to his
feelings and his memory.
Ariadne repeated her former speech,
and suggested that he should regard her
as an aunt.
But he refused. 81 have adapted al
most everything" said he; shut I can
not adapt myself to such a situation as
this.n
He Immediately folded his tent, like
the Arabs, and quietly adapted away.
There was nc more theater for Ariadne.
Next came her artistic adorer, who
had painted a large number of plaques
and screens for her, as slight testimoni-
al Of his lovA BE had also executed a