Richland beacon., 1888-03-10

almost IS well as You 90, she re
piled; and rising from her seat, she
aided: Come, | will present on to
his daughter: she has Just re armed from
travelling abroad, and has been or, very
little, SO YOU II lst try to bc nice to
her."
And before had tine to ob,cct, she
had marched me of and presented me.
"An old friend Of your father,
Alice" she added, after the formal iu-
PRODUCTION had been gone through.
Now that was really spiteful, and |
WAS so oOccupied.in..trying to odisco, cI how
| Eal deserved such treatment at her
hands that | stood there ike dummy
until heard voice saying:
"Werc you really friend of papa's at
collcgc!"
"No, nv dear young lady, Twas not, !"
| answered, with much irritation. ''Gour
father graduated years before | was old
enough to enter college; but it pleascs
our friend Mrs. A.--to make me out Il
regular old fossil tonight"
But papa is not SO very Old sad my
companion, in surprise. And now for
the first time noticed how very Lovely
she was, and wished myself in Guinea for
having given such an answer. She
would be sure TO put me down rs a
crusty oil acl.c!or after that, and it was
al the widows fault would g. even
with her for H.
Never 1efOrc did | remember to have
met so interesting girl, and yet one who
SC med so tOta ly uncOnscioI- OF her
ch,rms | went to work in good earnest
to try and obitcrae the Unpleasant i'm
preston my frs. speech must have made.
Finding shc bore me 10 illwill for it,
we were soon deeply engaged in compar-
Ing NOES on our travels, and for the first
tine that cyCEing felt that / was ap-
prcciated.
All too soon it cane to an end, for a
miserable young whipper-snappcr ap-
pcarcd, and bore her away for waltz
She was too sensible girl to care for
such scnselcss amusement, ! thought; :;
but as watched her gliding gracefully
about with her partner, there was no
mistaking her expression for anything
but one of thorough enjoyment. Why
had | never waited! Was J: too late to
begin now. But what was coming 70
i, John Graham, who had always rai.cd
at dancing in general rs IA pastimc fit for
idiot to think of taking it up at tn
late day, and all because a petty girl,
whom had known but h4lf an hour,
looked happy as she whir.cd away, and
made me jealou; of the young idiot who
had carried her off. must be drifting
| into my sccond childhood.
had started out that evening perfect
ly sclf-satisticd, and feeling that my
presence was something most desirable
yet as | walked home two words kept
ringing in my cars-ie trop, Il; tro,P. For
the first time | had felt out of place
When reached my apartments walked
straight to the mirror. Aging: yes,
there were lines in my face l had never
seen before; and the longer | looked the
lower fell the mercury of my spirits. |
dropped into my armchair in front of
the dying embcrs. Long l sat there
thinking. My cosy apartment struck me
as cold and cneerlcss; 1t needed some
thing the woman's hand probably; and
vet had never missed it before. When
at last rose and went into my bedroom,
! it was as another man: my self -cOnccIt
was falling away, and was learning to
know John Graham IS he really was, not
the man my fancy had pictured to me
for so many years. The fulfllment OF my
fathers wish did not seem SO easy; and
instead of writing to him Immediately
as had intended, put it off from day
to day, not because had given up the
intention of gratifying him-far from it.
Marriage had never seemed SO desirable
to me; but as the desirability advanced,
my qualifications for it diminished in my
own eyes.
"Therc is no fool like an old fool.
How often had quoted the old saying
but had never thou yht of applying it tt
myself 1t came home to me now, and
rang in my ears as if | could never get
rid of it. suppose was an old fool tc
AL outward appearance, for / never had
found Jim Randolph attractive before
yet now hardly day pissed but l man
aged in one way or another to meet him
In due course Of time was invited tC
the house: ca'lcl; l ned there;
dropped in of al evening, generally
choosing those VIII ch jim spent at th'
club or in visiting the widow, TO whnn
he was now very devoted. sometimes
saw Alice alone, but more frcIuentl,
thee were other visitors, and never could
| f.atter myself that she treated me NOR,
kindly than the others. she was cordia
and pleasant to all. She often referred
to our first meeting, and insisted upO;
regarding me as friend OF her fathers
At least it was as such that she in aria
bly introduced me- to her friends; bl
once or twice thought detected a spic
Of mischief in her eyes on such occasions
One day l had dropped in early in tn
afternoon, aud after delightful cha
with her, in which felt that had mad
greater progress than ever before, asket
her If she would go skating with me.
"Jh, yes, with pleasure she an
swcrcd; then dropping her eyes demure
ly she added: ~ know papa will no
object, though he rarely allows me to &
ont alone: but he said he always felt a
if were well chapc Oned when you wcr
with me. being such an Old friend OF his
you know"
The long lashes hid her eyes, but fel
that she was laughing at me as replied
"Oh. of course Al old housc-dog VIII
, has lost all his teeth is perfectly safe fo
.hc children to pay with"
"Ycs, exactly" was the reply. An
this time she raised her laughing eyes t
mine, and with Al Eau revo r" and lo'
courtesy, she ran upstairs, while | de
partcd, in a most uncomfortable state G
mind, to fetch my skates. A few mir
, utes before, l would have been willing
! stake my fortune that she cared littl
, for Inc, but her last speech undid it al
In ha,f an hour l was hack agaiI
!, Some one left the house as ran up tn