The times., 1890-01-03


&HNA%H &M that perhaps some
MSN W Z%kSWJ people were believ-
MNo\1kZ MNlA\ ing him engaged to
NX@s\ TSZ1ilTM her, or sure to be-
HlH,MhN LTflj llWN This impression be-
:" "'.N r came more distinct
when some Of his new business acquaintances
rallied or complimonted him, and when he
occasionally declined an invitation, given
viva voce, by explaining that he had prom
ised to escort Miss Tramlay somewhere that
evening. IL this explanation were made to
lady, as was usually the case, knowing
smile, or at least significant look, was al
most sure to follow. 1t began to seem to
Phil that the faces Of the young women of
New York said great deal more than their
tongues, and said it in way that could not
be answered, which was quite annoying.
II he was to seem engagad he would prefer
that appearances might not DO deceitful.
Again and again he was on the point Of ask
ing the question which he little doubted
would be favorably answered, but he always
restrained himself by the reminder that he
was only clerk on a salary that could not
support wife, bred like Lucia, in New York,
ami that villa plots at Haynton Bay were. not
selling as rapidly as they should il he We're
to become we'll to do indeed, they scarcely
were selling at ALL Who could be expected
to become interested in building sites on the
sea shore when even in the sheltered streets
of the city the wind was piercing the thickest
overcoatsi And who could propose to a girl
while another man, even were he that stick
Marge, was Offering her numerous attentions
all of which she accepted i-confound Marge
and his money!
That Marge also was jealous was ineyita-
BILE. Highly as he valued himself, he knew
womankind well enough to imagine that a
handsome young fellow just past his major.
ity might be more gratifying to the eye, at
least, than a man who had renched-well,
who had not mentioned his age since he
passed his thirty-fi fifth birthday. He had in
his favor all the prestige Of good record IN
society, Of large acquaintance and aristo.
cratic extraction, but he could not blind
himsti to the fact that the young women
who were most estimable did not greet him
as effusiyely and confidentially as they did
Phil. His hair was provokingly thin on the
top This head, and farther back there was
tell tale spot that resembled a tonsure; he
could not quickly enter, like Phil, into the
spirit of some silly, innocent frolic, and al
though he insisted that his horses were as
good as Phil's, he could not bring himself to
extending an invitation for a morning dash
through the park, as Phil did once or twice a
week. So he frequently said to himself,
Confound the country habit Of early rising,
which his rival had evidently mastered.
AS for Lucia, except for the few happy
hours she spent with Phil, and the rather
more numerous hours devoted to day dreams
regarding her youthful swain, she was really
miserable i'm her uncertain condition. Other
girls. were getting engaged, on shorter ac-
quaintance, and ten times as many girls were
tormenting her with questions as to which of
the two was to be the happy man. She de
voutly wished that Phil would speak quickly,
and finally, after long and serious consulta-
ton with Margie, she determined to adopt
| toward Phil the tactics which only two or
three months before she had tried on Marge:
she would encourage his rival With Marge
| it had had the unexpected effect Of making
her yield her heart to Phil; on the other
hand, it had perceptibly quickened Marge's
| interest in her; would not a reversal of the
| factors have corresponding RESULT
| She had but one fear, but that was grow
| ing intense. Agnes Dinon continued to be
| fond of Phil; there was no other man to
whom she ever saw Agnes appear SO cheerful
and unconstrained. Could it be that the
heiress was playing a deep game for the
| prize that to Lucia seemed the only ono in
viewi She had seen wonderful successes
made by girls as old as Agnes, when they had
any money as a reserve force, and she trem
bled as she thought Of the possibilities Agne
| was old--dreadfully old-it seemed to Lucia
but she was undeniably handsome, her man
ners were charming, and she was smart be
| yond compare. She had declared that he
interest in Phil was only In his position q
Lucia's admirer; but-people did not Away
tell the truth when they were in love. Luci'
herself had told number Of lies-the yer,
| whitest Of white ies-about her own regar,
for Phil; suppose Agnes were doing likewise
IL she were Lucia's little finger calls mad
deep prints on tho palms Of her hands as sh
thought of it.
| She told herself, in her calmer moments
that such thought was unworthy Of her an
insulting to Agnes, who really had been friend
| ly and even atfectionate to her. In wakefu
hours at night, however, or In some idle hour
during the day, she fell into jealousy, an
each successive tumble made her thralldon
the more hopeless. She tried to escape b.
rallying Phil about Agnes but the youn
man, supposing her to be merely playful i
her teasing, did his best to continue the joke
and was utterly blind to the results
At last there came an explosion. At
party which was to Lucia unspeakably stupid
there being no dancing, Miss Dinon monopc
lized Phil for full hour-a thousand hour
1t seemed TO Lucia-and they sat on a sofs
too, that was far retired in an end Of a roor
which once had been q conservatory. Luei
watched for an opportunity to demand a
explanation; it seemed it never would com,
but finally an old lady who was the head an
front of small local missionary effort In tn
south called the young man aside. In an ir
slant Lucia seated herself beside Agnes Dinor
saying, as she gave her fan vicious twist:
"You seem to find Mr.. Hayn very entel
tainingp
"Indeed do" said Miss Dinon; "I haven
spent so pleasant an hour this season, unit
this evening""
"Ohp exclaimed Lucia, and the unoffent
Ing fan few into two pieces.
my dear grill" exclaimed Agnes, pickin
up one Of the fragments "It's really wicke