The Penn's Grove record., 1888-05-19
WEAK PROMISES.

WEAK PROMISES.
Mr.. Harvey Thackston, bachelor,
had arrived al home from the club. and
was about to retire for the night. He
had thrown of his vest, released his
collar and cravat. and taken on his
boots, but there his divesting process
had suddenly ceased, and WI find Mr..
Thackston sitting upon the edge Of his
bed as motionless as q statue, holding
q boot in either hand, and at times
gazing silently from his boots to the
gas-iet, and from the gas,jet to his
boots.
A person might have surmised from
the bachelors appearance that he was
In doubt whether to complete his
Investment and 60 to bed, or resume
what articles he had already taken of
and sally forth for a little more enjoy
ment, or that he was racking his brain
over q question Of more serious inter-
est. A few words from the gentleman
himself, however, will spare the reader
the torture Of conjecture.
$50, So" he unused, looking down
upon his boots with a smile of amuse-
ment, and swinging them between his
knees as he spoke. $50 Ralph has
gone, ehp Gone mad, and been mar
riedP Well, well, who'd have thought
itp And I'm the only n of the club
left single. Hal hal What a grand
triumph this is for mel The lastl The
only man of the whole lot who had the
power to resist 1t. Hal hal You're
quite a hero, Harvey, my boyl They
all said you would 60 first but you
didn't. Several Of them vowed that
they would be the last ones. Several
of them had the impudence to vow
they never would be married. But they
have all succumed at last. Love, the
conqueror, has leveled them all like
reeds under the scythe, or ten.pins
before the bowling-ball. Island alone,
the only survivor Of the dreadful car
mage. Poor Ralph Gonel and he
was captured so helplessly. Amelia
Weatherston's bright eyes and hand
some curls were too strong for him.
much as he used to profess himself in
vulnerable to a score of Amelias. Ha,
hal What a helpless bit of clay a man
seems to be, with a pair OF black eyes,
a beautiful face, and q cluster Of curls
confronting him."
Nil. Thackston here stopped swinging
his boots, and transferred his attention
suddenly to the gas.iet.
1.-THE fame Of love-" he soliloquized,
his metaphor probably inspired by the
dancing gas-light-"the fame OF love
has devoured them as chat, and here !
sit q selt-conceited salamander "a
gloating victor. Your turn now.
Ralph said to me, parting at the clut
tonight. yes, my turn, l know, but
q turn that will be totally devoid Of
event. Net so,' they sll said. you're
no more love.proof than we are. Har.
vey. You have had will enough te
stick 1T out to the last, which must
have been extreme torture, but you'll
succumb, never fear.' Neverl Never
1 have lived q bachelors life too long
to relinquish 1t in the very zenith Of
glory and delight. What Surrender
liberty for slavery! Give up my jolly,
rollicking life, that OWLS not even the
shadow Of authority, for that welded
BLISS which holds for the innocent vic
tim the gloomy prospects Of rigorous
system, punctual hours, spicy breezes,
occasional halr-dressings, cradles,
soothing syrup, and much else too dis.
tracing to think Of. Step from Ely
SUM into Bedlam. Ughl the thought
makes me shiver. II I should take
such q mad step, my conscience would
torture me to the grave. I'D be play
ing false to my club, to my night-key
and to the general principles Of good
fellowship. Some people think my sen
timents rancid. Let them. I have
been called q w~oman-hater. I am not
/ can revel in q woman's smiles anc
sweet talk as well as any Of them.
can look upon q woman with as mucf
true admiration as any of them, but ]
can admire her from the proud height
Of impartiality, and while toying will
the fatal hook, prove the fact that
am an extremely hard fish to catch,
oh, mol am not a woman-hater. I'm
a man of common sense, that's what
am.
With this sage reflection, Mr.. Thack
ston threw his boots into q corner, al
rsyed himself in his night costume
put out the gas, and went to bed.
A few days subsequent, Mr.. Harvey
Thackston was enjoying his summel
vacation among the most fashionable
circles Of Newport Society. Hand
some, and wealthy, courteous, jovial
and generous, IN the highest degrees
MI. Thackston always created a marked
tunpraooton tp wbofavar aootafu no s.hoa.
to enter.
At Newport he was in his glory
Thejolly, happy-go-lucky, free-and-easy
beaus, the stately bells, and the flaunt
ing c~oquettes, all fiocked around him
the former to revel in. his charming
company, and share his magnihcen
wine, the two latter, to endeavor, will
the charm of beauty and the science o.
artiHce, to snare him In their nets, ant
effect the capture Of a millionaire ant
his fortune.
For the irst class Harvey cared /;
great deal. To them he devoted hi
heartfelt attention; for, rollicking
careless fellow that he was, he lovet
good-fellowship, and was bound II
enjoy it, no matter what the cost. FoI
the latter classes he cared comparativel.
nothing. He was a bachelor, q maj
who. regarding the sublime passion
! possessed, it was said, a heart Of ada
mant, lnvulnerable to charm, unassail
able by stratagem. What cared he TO
their smiles and c~oquetryP Nothing
He let their cunning articles pas!
unnoticed with the utmost innocence
II he met them, he paused for a Will,
"a ahakAxI Inaao,klu .-h~- t-x.sNaH d,