The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-24
LOVE AND SCIENCE.

she turned from the window WITH a
queer little exclamation Of mingled vexa-
ton and disappointment. A half sigh
rose TO her lips, and, with a slight con
traction OF her brow that was in reality
Indicative of impotence, she drew the
curtain across the large square pane and
walked abstractedly away.
Agatha West was peculiar in somo
ways For year and half she had
been OF intimate terms with John hos
wick, a.0 in ali that time never once had
he been IN her presence without feeling u
deep sense Of ms own inferiority and de
pcndcncr Not Chat she was strong
minded 30 one Culu IoIC Id.Ckly re
sent zach an insinuation than she True,
she wore rimless eyeglasses, and at times
affected q sCrCro simplicity Of dress that
was decidedly becoming to her plump,
brunette beauty. Nor was Roswick an
cfemnate creature. lie was, however, a
man that easily lost confidence in himself
when III the presence OF the opposite sex,
and az such times was liable TO become as
awkward and helpless a. g l.dly jointed
sutomatou endowed with only q mono
syllable power Ct speech
Roswell was liam ol considerable
wealth aud possessed Il strong love for
mechanic lis life for the past ten
years. had been spent Ia an elaborate
workshop fitted out IN the upper part cf
his house. on pousey street. where, day
after day and night after night, he ham
mored and filed and filed and hammered
at some product oil his handIwoTk. His
great hobby was electricity, and with the
advent of the telephone electric lighting
and kindred inventions hc became 50 in
fatuated with his chosen work that hc
scarcely took time to eat and sleep
IL was through this devotion to his
studies that he became acquainted with
Agatha West. Just how this was brought
about need not be detailed here. bat sGf-
fec il 60 say that before the summer was
gone his work began to he neglected and
his affections were, III part transferred TO
tho more complex and hopciessly confus
ing study of womankind.
Agatha was consumed by mighty as
pirations when she left Wellesley. Her
horizon was bOundless In tha valedictory,
which it was her honor e. deliver, she adj
vanced the customary platitudes regard
ing 1.-The dawniug life. adown whose
shadowy vista we are now about to make
tracks. or words 10 similar purp0rt. In
common with the multitude OF ladies' who
each year blossom simultaneously with
the Juno roses into the stern realities of
}ifc, as they are pleased TO term it,
Agatha, was flied with tho vague idea
that she bad mission that hence
forth this old world, largely through her
influence, was TO run ON different prin-
ciplcs. With each succeeding year, how
ever, this inner consciousness slowly died
the death oi hamilton. until now. 1t
twenty sis, little remained bat a mild in
tercst in the arts and sciences fostcred
by her intimate associations With John
Roswck.
TO tell the truth. that evening was the
third consecutive time that Roswicll had
called on Miss West with tie prcmeditatcd
intention of declaring his affection and
asking her to be his wife. For the third
time he had failed ANONYMOUSLY. How
he had managed finally to bid her good
night he had not the remotest idea. n
dozen times during the evening had the
all important declaration of love risen to
his lips, and q dozen times had that
dreadful choking embarrassment effect
ually silenced his intended utterance. On
commonplace topics he had managed to
aeq,lt himself fairly well, but with an air
of abstraction that necessitated frequent
apologies TO the object OF his blind worship.
This, then, was the reason Agatha
watched his retreating form with an air
of vexation, and left the shadow of the
curtain with something dangerously near
"A frown ON her mobile features. His in
fatuation was no secret 10 her. To what
woman is her admirers mind as sealed
book2 And the feeling she entertained
toward him, long ago self acknowledged,
only tended to make her less tolerant OF
his prolonged silence.
10 say that John Boswick was discour
aged and yexed with himself would be
but n mild statement of facts. On his
homeward walk that night he ragged in
werdly every step of the way, and it was
not until week later that his mental
barometer had risen 10 IFS normal altitude.
The Tuesday evening following his last
doubly emphasized iiasco Roswick, secure
in the privacy OF his own inner workshop,
dropped bis tools fee IL moment and save
himsclf up 70 profound meditation
IL am q fool, and | Know it, he OK
claimed aloud, giving IT,. work bench
vigorous thump as he set Gown curious
looking machine upon whieh he he'd been
AZ work. What's more. Agatha knows