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

said, Harvey, that our braggart SOL
dier, fighting to the last, would prove
an easier victim than any of us. 1
believe it. too. Walt and you will see.
I don't assert that the vanquisher will
be Therese Montressor, but it will be
some one, ambushed at present. but
doomed very soon to stand ! 'ur
path and dispute your further ~
progress. The trouble is, Harv,. you
haven't met your fate yet. You will
thwart peril with the utmost impunity
until you do. But when your fate APP
pears-bewarel"
"Ralph, you're a iackass," said Har-
vey.
aThanks. Excuse me a moment,
please. There's my wife out upon the
green, looking for me. / must hail
her. All, what a nice bunch of berries
a wife is, Harvey. You never go Der.
rying, do your And dartlng a proyok-
ing smile at his friend, Ralph rushed
out.
Harvey looked up at the roof of the
tent, passed his hand across his FORE
head, thought a while, and began to
wriggle.
"What a delicious thing it is" he
unused, ''to have a pretty woman
soothing a fellows head with a sponge
and a basin of waterl Charming The
reese is handsome, and no mistake. AS
pretty as an angel, and as clever as a
Vassar graduate. Beautiful eyes,
wondrous depth of expression, and
what a voice! What a heart, tool
Whoal steady, Harveyl What are you
doing? Letting the vision of a pretty
woman run away with your Dispel
it. then. There! Hang it. 1t won't
goI The black curls, the bright eyes,
the soft smiles, the fairy sponge and
basin, are all flashing before me like a
sea Of freshly minted gold eagles, and
the voice is still dwelling in my ear
like the murmur Of some baboling
brooklet. Pshawl Pm getting poeti.
cal. That's q very bad sign. Harvey,
my boy, really this Is getting serious.
YOU'RE going crazy. Is love hammer
ing for admittance at the gate Of your
hearth Don't let HIM in. Keep him
out. But these immateriai creatures
frequently jump the fence. Let him,
and he'll break his neck once and for
ever. Remember your vowl A bache-
lor as long as you live; a jolly life; free
dom; no slaveryl Hal hal Sorry
Therese, very sorry; but 1t can't be
helped. Drop your anchor, Harvey,
and let the storm come. You can
stand it."
Harvey was a man given to much
strange soliloquIzing, but in this solilo-
guy he was stranger than his wont.
What was the reasonp Was it the
fever produced by his fall in the polo
match, or the fever Of love? Harvey
turned over, and fell intoa comfortable
sleep.
Notwithstanding his intention to
| drop anchor and weather the storm, an
hour later, when he awoke, the FIRST
thing he did was to hurry to his hotel
and pack his valise. In the evening
to the general surprise OF every one. he
babe Newport adieu and took the boat
for New York.
What was the reason Of this hasty
departurep The reason which he as.
| signed was fear of the wound upon his
head, and the desire to have the at
tendance of his own physician, The
reason which Ralph Llston suspected,
and the true one, was that he dared
not trust himself in the company Of
| Therese Montressor; that he had flown
to escape the allurements OF love.
Poor Harveyl With all his bravado,
what a coward he wasl But he did not
escape the snare for all that.
The Newport season closed. So
ciety was again comfortably settled in
its metropolitan quarters. Harvey
played his accustomed part in the club
gatherings and social receptions. He
was invited to many parties, and he
went to all of them. But he was lnvi.
ted to one too many. 1t took place in
Brooklyn. He went to it, and his
doom seemed to ba for~eshadowed. He
| met Therese Montressor. He went to
several others, and through the skillful
management Of an arch villain named
| Ralph Liston, he met Therese Montres-
sor at all Of them. BY this time he
was fairly In the tolls-a helpless cap
| tive, and one Of the easiest OF victims.
One evening, Therese Montressor sat
in the parl0r of her fathers mansion,
IN company with a gentleman. They
were alone. The gas had not yet been
lighted; the parlor was illuminated
| only by the ruddy glow of the cheerful
CRATE, but by this light any one could
have appreciated the situation.
The gentleman had one arm clasped
lovingly around the lady's waist. In
one hand he was pressing that fairy
member which had once bathed his
temples 80 pleasantly with cold water.
"Will you be mine, Therese?" he
asked.
~ WILL" she whispered. softly.
Harvey gave a sigh Of relief.
"I've done it, "he murmured to him.
self. "Or, at least, Love has. How
sheepish l feell 10 think that l should
ever come to this! How I'vs beer
gathered in 80 easily knocks me! All,
well-Love is quite a conundrum.
Therese. my darling, l am yours for
everl"
Thus the last bachelor of the clut
fell into the tempting abyss OF matri
mony.