Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1888-02-25

uelendcd upon i, and tlattered myself
that here at least | would he welcome:
put u c.Nvc me the uncomfortable feel
tt@ oi having lntmdcd when | heard
ann say III an undertone, as he rose:
May | come to morrow and see YOU
alonc.'
NcVcr h>d found the widow so hard
~ laik 70 as now; she was preoccupied
and absent
aold jim Randolph wears pretty
Wei, SAID, after having started half a
dozcn general topics, only to have
them dropped in most summary man
ser
Almost as well as YOU do, - she re-
'Il"d; and rising from her scat, she
tdcd: Come, will present you to
q, daughter she has iust returned from
r4veling abroad, and has been out very
'itlc. SO you must try to be nice to
ter
And before | had time to object. she
mad marched me off and presented me
'An old friend Of your fathers.
Alice, She added. after the formal iu-
PRODUCTION had been gone through
Now that was really splteful. and |
va, sooc supicd. .n,,trying to discover how
bad deserved such treatment at her
hand that ! stood there like a dummy
until ! heard voice saying.
Were you really friend of papas at
college,.
No, nv dear young lady, | was not"
IN, Wcrcd, with much irritation. Your
| father graduated years before was old
enough TO enter college but it pleases
our illcnd Mrs. \. to make me out
fe. ulaa old fossil to night
bnt papa Is not 50 very old said my
companion, in surprise. And now for
| the first time | noticed how very lovely
| she was, and visited myself in Guinea for
| having Given such IN answer. She
would he sure TO put me down as q
| erusty old bachelor after that, and it was
Ill the widows fault ! would get even
! with her for it.
Never before did | remember to have
met So Interesting a girl, and yet one who
So, med 50 totally unconscious of her
charms | went to work in good earnest
] to try, and oblltcratc the unpleasant i'm
! pIession NY frs speech must have made.
| .Finlin~ she bore me 40 illwill for it,
~ were soon deeply engaged in compar-
! ing notes on our travels. and for the first
time that evening | felt that | was APP
prcciatcd.
All too soon it came to an end, for a
miserable young whippcr- snapper ap-
p"ared and bore her away for a waltz
she was too sensible Il girl to care fol
| such scnSclcSs amusement, | thought
but as watched her gliding gracefully
abo,H with her partner, there was NJ
| mn Il inc n Vt nC
but one Of thorough enjoyment. VIII,
had never waited! Was it too late tt
begin now! But what was | coming tt
-, John Graham, who had always rallet
at dancing III general as pastime fit TO-
IDIOT, TO think of taking it up at thi
lat. day aud all because Il pretty girl
whom had known but half an hour
looked happy as she whir'ed away, ant
made me jcalou, of the young idiot who
hid carried her Of must be drifting
into my second childhood.
had started out that evening perfect
Iy sef-sati,ticd. and feeling that m,
presence was something most desirable
vet as | walked home two words kcp
ringing in my cars lie hop, dc tfop. Fol
Inc nr,t time | had Iclt ont OF place
When reached my apartments walked
straight To the mirror Aging: yes
tharc lines in my face | had ncve
-cen before aud the longer looked tn
lover fell the mercury Of my spirits.
dloppcd into my arm chair III front o
the diving tmhers Long | sat ther
thinking. My cosy apartment struck m
IL, cold and cnccrlcss; 1t needed some
thirg- the woman'~ hand probably; an
! vet had never missed it before. " he