The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-05-30
gently studied the painting on her

| myself. Ihere seemed no place TOR me
in this gay assembiage. | left the con-
servatory and made my way back to my
hostess. There was an old Jim Ran
dolph, widower and man of fifty or
more, talking TO her as if his life depend
ed upon it, and flattered myself that
here at least l would be welcome bu, it
gave me the uncomfortable feeling OF
having intruded when / heard him say
in an undertane, as he ros:
May come tomorrow and see you
alone? ?p
Never had / found the widow so hard
to talk to as now she was preoccupied
and absent.
"Old Jim Randolph wears pretty well, y
l said, after having started half dozen
general topics, only to have them drop
ped snmmarily.
Almost as well as you do" she re-
piled and rising from her seat, she
added:
Come, viii present you TO his daugh-
ter; she has Just returned from travelling
abroad. and has been out very little, 50
you must try to be nice to her"
And before | had time to object, she
had marched me off and presented me
to her.
An old friend of your fathers, Alice y
she added, after the formal Introduction
had been gone through.
Now that was really spitefnl, and |
was so occupied in trying to discover how
had deserved such treatment at her
hands that | stood there like a dummy
until heard voice saying:
Were you really friend of papa's at
coIlege2'
No, my dear young lady, | was not"
answered, with much irritation. "Your
father graduated years before | was old
enough to enter college but it pleases
our fried Mrs. A. to make me out a
regular old fossil tonight"
But papa is not SO very DID," said my
NOii ilduloli, III sur pIlSc.
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 as crusty old bachelor after that,
and il was all the widows fault. | would
get even with her for it.
1. i I l.
met so interesting girl, and yet one who
seemed so Totally UNCONSCIOUS of her
charms. | went to work in good earnest
to try and obliterate the unpleasant i'm
preston my first speech must have made.
Finding she bore no ill-will for it, we
were soon deeply engaged in comparing
notes on our travels, and for the first time
that evening | felt that l was appre-
ciated.
All too soon it came to an end, for a
miserable young whipper-snapper' APP
peared and bore her away for waltz.
She was too sensible a girl to care for
such a senseless amusement, / thought !;
but as watched her gliding gracefully
about with her partner, there was no
mistaking her expression for anything
but thorough enjoyment. Why had l
never waltzed :? Was it too late to begin
now? But what was coming to-I, John
Graham, who had always rallied at dane
ing in general as pastime fit for idiots,
to think of taking il up at this late day
And all because pretty girl whom | had
known but half an hour, looked happy
as she whirled away, and made me jeal-
Gus of the young idiot who had carried
her Off | must be drifting into my sec
ond childhood. Jealousy, TOO, wasa new
sensation, and it seemed so utterly nom
sensical that should be jealous that |
laughed aloud, and started at the sound
of my own voice.
had started out that evening perfect
ly self-satisfed, and feeling that my pres
ence was something most desirable /; vet
as | walked home two words kept ringing
in my ears--de trop, de trop. For the first
time felt out of place. When | reach
ed my apartments | walked straight to
the mirror. Ageing? yes there were
lines in my face had never seen before !;
and the longer | looked, the lower fell
the mercury of my spirits. ldropped into
my armchair in front of the dying en-
bers. Long sat there thinking. My
coy apartment struck me as cold and
cherries; it needed something-the wo-
mans hand, probably and yet hadn't
missed it before When at last rose and
went into my bedroom, it was as another
man my selfconceit was falling away
| was learning to know John Graham as
he really was, not the man my fancy had
pictured TO me for SO many years. The
fulfillment 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 never had
seemed so desirable to me but as the
desirability advanced, my qualifications
for it diminished in my own eyes.
{" There is no fool like an old fool."-
How often had quoted the old saying
but had never thought of applying it TO
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 to
all outward appearance, for l never had
found Jim Randolph attractive before,
yet now hardly day passed but man.
aged in one way or another to meet him.
In due course of time l was invited to the
house; called dined there: / drop
ped in of an evening, generally choosing
those which Jim spent at the club or in
visiting the widow, to whom he was now
very devoted. Sometimes | saw Alice
alone, but more frequently there were
other visitors, and never could flatter
myself that she treated me more kindly
than the others. She was cordial and
pleasant to all. She often referred to our
first meeting, and insisted upon regarding
me as friend of her fathers. At least it
was as such that she invariably introduc-
ed me to her friends but once or twice
thought detected spice of mischief in
her eyes on such occasions. One day
had dropped in early in the afternoon,
and after delightful chat with her, in
which felt that ! had made greater pro-