Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-16

men who were known to send bouquets or
who had deg carts-besides which she used
to cast her bread upon the waters BY Civ
ing presents so that return might Be made
in kind When found myself alone in
her company determined to depart, but
checked myself almost Immediately and
said, "W ait, Ethel, till you see what is
going to happen"
As expected, she finally made up her
mind that Penny was her better game
She was lying on the sand leaning her
cheek on her hand. Her hair-she really
had magnificent ha!r-was pretending to
be drying, and she had it gathered away
from the send and flung over her shoulder
Artless thingl knew what was coming.
.Oh, dear nep she said, with glance
out OF her eyes at Mr. Charter ''Oh, dear
mel This sea bathing is horribly bad for
my hair. 1t Is splitting at the end, every
bit OF it!''
What pity" said Bran, laughing.
"Oh. go on, my dearP' said l to myself
"You think Penny Charter an innocent be-
cause his remarks are not those Of Tai
leyrand or Sheridan. could tell you
better than that"
Look, Mr. Charter.' cried she, guileless-
ly, taking up wisp of the article under
discussion. Just look and see il 1t isn't"
He took it and smoothed it between his
fingers, blushing a little, saying something
moderately polite. This was my oppor-
tunity. Just as he was withdrawing his
band sat little farther away from them
and smiled a faint, pitying smile at Bran.
Penny saw me, as l intended he should.
OF course, if the little Irritation had been
of bis own seeking he would only have
been stimulated by my smile into further
advances; but as it was he could hardly
help feeling that it had been thrust upon
him, and consequently be at once desired
to be Of my party. l saw him pause a lit
tie and knew my point was gained. Ac-
cordingly, while Daisy-who had not seen
the byplay-went on making more and
more of set at him, dribbling sand
through her rosy little fingers and tossing
audacious grains of it toward him, hum
ming little bits of the songs Of the season,
showing more and more of her delicate
ankles-dark blue stockings with white
polka dots and Oxford ties look very well
under pink lawn skirt-all this while,
say, leaned back calmly and talked in q
dignified manner to Bran, favoring Penny
with one or two more smiles iudiciously
timed. Presently another man, one Of the
enthusiastic bathers who was only just
through his morning swim, came up, and
rose, feeling that I would not have to
leave Bran alone with Daisy-as might
have had to do, though it would have been
rather hard on him. Penny jumped up
at the same time.
81 say" be said to me rather eagerly,
won't you come and have some clans at
the Studios''
'sYes-certaiply," said I; and 1 moved
step or two to show him was quite ready.
Let US go, then" said he, and off wa
went, leaving Daisy still sitting on the
sand, with rather a blank expression on
her lovely face.
1 threw u bewitching glance over my
shoulder et the three behind me. eyes,
love-" said l, under my breath, you may
walk all the way up to the hotel with your
hair over your shoulders, and much good
may it do you"
If ever delighted the soul of man I
delighted the soul of Penn Charter that
day. We got seat next to the window
and looked out on the yellow sands and
the tumbling waves and the extraordinary
old women who always battle at times
when they are the only persons to be seen
"a sort of proclamation, suppose, that
they know they are so ugly that it is use
less for them to try to conceal it. Twas in
humor to be charming-and charming [
was Touch my hair, indeedl Before our
little lunch was over he thought it the
highest favor to have been allowed to tell
me that l was losing a hairpin-and
blushed as he told me. As he left me at
the hotel he asked me to go driving with
Lot OF pn1 7 tod n
q half smile, half blush and half cour-
tesy-and I felt that / was now fairly
started.
Put had good deal of trouble. Daisy
Canayle WIS simply furious, and made up
her mind at once to cut me out if possible,
and as she didn't care what she did when
she had once determined on anything she
came very near inyeigiing Penny into
desperate Irritation with her. Luckily she
had been q good deal talked about that
summer, and the gossips had kindly pre-
pared reputation for her, SO that she did
not possess the spice of mystery. If she
had am afraid she would have been sue
cessful, for she was, oh, wonderfully pretty!
and man might well have felt chat he
would have given
All other bliss,
And all his worldly worth for this,
10 waste his whoie heart In one KISS
Upon her pefie.' iipe'
if ne had been quite sure that some other
man had not done 1t before him. SO that
all had to do was to be dlgnified and
charming, for 1t would have been fatal to
allow Penny once to suspect that was
competing with Daisy.
took good care not to let myself pass
out OF his mind IN the empty autumn
months | arranged mattQrS that he