Catoctin clarion., 1890-05-22
Mecha6csown Frederick County, Maryland Thursday May z, 1890

permit, 'your notes have very bad ef
feet, indeed lie was attempting to b
jocose. Evidently, the lady don't lik
your French. You're sure it's good {
Wellman's billet.doux had been writ
ten in French. The count had oblig.
ingly penned it for him at his dictation
Of course he had looked to address him
self, and had called no names to tn
Frenchman, nor intimated whom th'
letter was to.
Wellman had used French az a pre-.
cautionary measure against POSSIBLE
compromise of Miss Folman, and ala
for the humor of the thing. The not
was the tenderest he was ever guilty of
and there was another Miss Jeanie For
man, his loves aunt, who had on a for
mer occasion been handed one of BIZ
missives by mistake. Neither he MOI
the elder Miss Forman was a French
scholar, but the young lady was, and
so it had struck him that 1t would bt
quite original, safe and proper to make
an instrument of the count in the affair
He did not for a moment attribute
the disastrous result to any connection
of the Frenchman with the note and
when the latter did not reply to his fore
ed pleasantly, he mentally called him
gentleman tor not asking questions
aud began his note of inquiry.
His lines were few and not altogeth.
cr lover-like ; his love could not Who'll
ly conquer his proud and independent
spirit.
The note was never answered. On
the following day he received from Miss
Forman the half dozen presents he had
given her, without word accompany
ing them, and he concluded bitterly
that all was up between them.
Misery now claimed him for its own
and for few days she was as disconso.
late as widow, and avoided one and
all of his friends. He saw by news
paper that Major Canmann and Miss
Forman had occupied a prominent box
at the opera, and he expected every day
to hear of their engagement.
Sure enough one morning he read Il
paragraph announcing the immediate
union Of the ,lajor and Miss Forman.
There were but two or three lines, max
ing the bare statement without any EN-
belllshment or comment.
Wellman paced his room in agony.
My life is ruined, he muttered over
and over under his breath. I loyed
her 50 fondly, and now she has broken
my heart. My own Jeanie-she one
week ago put her arms about my own
neck and kissed me, my own Jeanie-
she did not love me she has ruined my
life She has played the hypocrite and
tllrt. True ! had not yet formally ask
ed her to become my wife; but under
stood-we both understood, | thought
and as | intimate her in that French
note, meant to ask her that night to
set the day for our marriage. My God,
Jeanie! why did you treat me so? Oh,
why were you false?'
The post brought him an invitation
from an old Boston friend to attend a
reception at her house, and that night
he rushed off to the Hub, glad of a
chance to escape the possibility of meet.
ing her. He felt that he could not look
down on her face now without complete
ly bre aking down.
Strange fatality! Almost the first
woman he saw as he entered the recep-
ton room of his old friends was Jeanie
Forman And who was that bending
over her with such devoted mien !!
Count Marat! Every movement and
look of his eyes told that he was madly
in loye with herl
Loves Jealous eyes are keen, and
WelInan was quick to discover the
counts secret. lie looked at Jeanies
face. She was seemingly absorbed IN a
painting In a distant corner of the room,
and displayed little interest in the
Count and what he was saying. She
had not seen him-Wellman.
The latter felt faint and dizzy. and
went into the library. Passing Il mirror
he caughta IL glimpse of his face. He
was pale as death. He would quit the
house ut once.
lie didn't however. His hostess just
hen captured him, and before he could
litter word of remonstrance, had him
acknowledging at introduction to Miss
Seeker, or Miss Weber---her name, he
ust remembered, was that of some kind
If piano.
He did not trust him to look at Miss
1orman again. II she saw him he knew
t not.