The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1891-12-10


agent. | spoke h him and asked who
the people who had gust lrft wrre. H.
SAID that he did nat know; that he had
never seen them belHr-: but / hsBaq4.
How that he did and that he Innst H:4ye
taken me for a lunatic; my appearance
was outlandish enough and SUSPECT my
manner was excited. tried 10 hire n
horse, offered him 4 large price for the
use Of one an hour, but the fellow told
me that he had none and there was none
in two miles. The carriage was now al
most out Of sight, and still hoping to
| find out something about it started out
after it.
But did not 90 far before realized
that pursuit was hopeless and that by
such conduct | wis making myself
ridiculous, and returned to the station
then for the first time | remembered
that | had left all my baggage which
was very valuable, my umbrella and
oyercoat, on the train, and even my hat,
as at the time of the incident was max
ing myself comfortable in skull cap
which was all | now had to protect my
ambrosial locks from the elements.
/
Il was now sufficiently disengared to
find ont something about the place
which had so unexpectedly visited. 1t
consisted Of the railroad station and one
store, which was unfortunately closed
the agent informed me that its owner
was attending camp meeting six miles
away. l questioned the agent again
about the party | had pursued, but
gained no further information. | tele-
graphed to the conductor on the train |
had left to take care of my effects,
which he was kind enough to do, and
after twelve hours in this neglected spot,
spent sitting on n barrel, realizing my
ridiculous conduct and bemoaning the
loss OF my ideal, | took the next train
and finished my journey in safety"
well, that is quite story said
Mrs. Henderson, and you have seen how
| have enjoyed it. Who but You would
have fallen in love in such way, and it
is too bad that you lost her. But it can
not have gone very far, even with yon,
and you will soon find some one else"
1--WE shall Sec about that. | don't
know whether it is love or not, but | be-
lieve that | shall find that girl again
some day, and am not going to marry
until do"
Two years passed during which George
| had been true to his resolution, and used
often TO say that he was waiting for his
ideal. Then he was transferred by his
house to the west and took up his abode
in Texas.
Not long afterward Mrs. Henderson
received from him a letter giving the
following account of his experiences:
81 have another story to tell you, and
as before | think | had best begin at the
beginning. Hampstead is nice place
to live in, and | have had pleasant
time here and have made many friends
You know that | am not society
| man, and steer clear of the profess
sional Four Hundred which we find
in every city. But the larger class
of cultivated people like, and 20 when
| can to their occasional entertainments.
Three months ago | went to one--it was
given by musical club, and combined
programme of the best amateur talent
with social features-that am likely to
| remember For one of the last pieces
was song by Miss Ethel Lyndon 1t
was well sung; | noticed that, but my
| chief interest was in the singer-in
whom recognized my ideal.
Il traced the resemblance in each par
ticular, and tried to discover whether
she was the woman | had seen in Ten
nessee. She WAS so like her | thought
khe must be the same, though | could
not determine, but there was no doubt
about her being the woman in your pic
| ture, and so my ideal.
Il asked my friend about her and dis
| covered that her father was prominent
| business man of Hampstead and had
| lived there for years, and that she was
very popular among those who belonged
to her society, so much so that half the
young men of the town regretted her
announced engagement and approaching
marriage TO a gentleman of Dallas
II was already in love, and you may
imagine that this was discouraging in
telligenoe. But my motto has always
been nothing venture nothing have
and Immediately determined to try the
fortune of war, knowing THAI | had
nothing to lose-having so completely
lost my heart already-and that might
win. So when the musical programme
was over was introduced by my friend.
cannot tell you our conversation, or
what she thought of it, but if | can be
entertaining was then; and found her
all | had expected her to be from her
face, and became more in love than ever
told her that was stranger, having
recently come to live here, and she was
kind enough to invite me to call.
II had no time to lose-I could only
attempt to take the fortress by storm,
dangerous thing to do, but there WAS no
opportunity to try the safer plan Of q
masked seige and stratagems. | had one
thing in my favor; was on the spot and
the other fellow was away.
Il soon availed myself of her invita-
hon to call and spent a very pleasant
tyening-one of those moments of de-
light that are at once so sweet and so
painful to remember in less happy times
What made it especially pleasing to
mt W ~ hiltt 4flloN iitihll ''''Ai'a - I'll
JOY it as much as | did. | remember
that you have often laughed at love at
first sight. but think that my expert
ence demonstrates its truth. And that
evening suggested another question
which endeavored to solve, but could
not. | will ask your opinion. Not only
did feel pleasure in being with the wo-
man loved, int had also feeling of
being thoroughly en- rapport with her,
as if she felt the same pleasure and there
was some subtle and mutual sympathy
between us. Now, was that feeling "A
creation Of my own brain, independent
of any similar feeling on erpsrt, or was
it what it seemed, and could | therefore
know because | experienced it that she
was similarly impressed.
at would tire you to read the de-
tails; it is enough TO say that made the
most of our acquaintance. called as
often as | possibly could, oftener than
had any right to; met her at receptions
and any other entertainments where she
was likely to go; went with her to the
theater and to the Beethoven club, at
one of whose meetings l had first made
her acquaintance-in short, took every
opportunity could find or make of see
ing her
"Finally went with her, her father
and party on an excursion in private
car to new city. where he was working
up real estate boom.
"On our return l seized favorable
onnortunity and told her that | loved
her-how did it | cannot tell even you
and of course received the reply that
she was engaged. But she said it very
sweetly, and made me love her better
than ever. Then said, How l wish
had known you sooner and she said, Il