Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-12-31
By LILY A. LONG.

tors would linger on into the early au-
tumn to catch from nature that drop of
sentimental melancholy which crowns
the cup of happiness, and sometimes
sentimental sportsman would build a
bonfire on its banks in winter with
view to teaching the guileless fish how
treacherous are the ways of men, but in
general the wild things of the woods
and waters had it all their own way
from September to June, while the de.
serted summer hotel stood like three |
storied homily, in green and white paint,
on the vanity of human pursuits. But |
when the ephemeral northern summer
flashed itself upon the lake it brought |
gay parasols to astonish the roses, and
the hotel, now that at last it had an au-
dience, forgot to preach and betook it
self to entertaining.
Maurice Carne had managed to make
away pleasantly with few weeks there
one January. so in default of anything
better to do be let himself drift back the
following August. a
"Presto, changed" he thought to HIM
self as he tried, on the evening of his
arrival, to renew his acquaintance with
the locality. Like her namesake, in
the old wears story, she only needed a
new set of ribbons to turn her into a
coquette."
Instead of the white solitudes, with
their secrets of rest, the groups common
10 lakeside resorts were wandering about.
trying to do their duty by the sunset.
Here were children laden with flowers
already faded: young women brought
up on sentiment and young men trying
1t for two weeks vacation time; busi-
ness men talking stocks and markets as
q relaxation from the unaccustOmed
strain of enjoying themselves; anxious
mothers secretly longing for the rest of
home, with here and there some serene
soul enough at leisure from itself to re-
ceive the blessing Of nature,
Carne wandered along bypath, not
ing all with careless eye till his uncon-
cern was suddenly scattered by the
familiar appearance of one of the ap-
preaching figures. BY his melancholy
visage it should be Mark Liddell, but by
his environment any one but he, recluse
that he was Could he be trying to en-
10Y himself after the fashion of ordinary
mortalsp If so, the experiment could
hardly have been called successful, for
detection spoke from every fold of his
limp seersucker, and his hat dropped
over his eyes in an openly disconsolate
manner
Carne caught his hand.
''Mark, old fellow. how did it happen?
How did you, of all people, come to lose
your way into this placer
LidGell looked up with the air Of one
too deeply sunk in woe to feel surprise.
"Oh, | was here before these folks
came. | didn't realize the dangers of
the situation until it was too late and
they were upon me. can blame no one
but myself"
"And you have been doing that very
effectually, should judge. Do you
know, when | first saw you, was wild
enough to fancy for moment that you
had at last concluded to take some good
advice about coming out among human
beings and studying your raw material
before working it up into your booksi
suppose was all at sea, eh?"
''You certainly were if you thought
that would ever willingly or Willingly
put myself into q corner Of the globe
where half hundred Of them could
crowd around me at once. They fairly
suffocate me.
81 hope you won't let the fact that
happen to belong to the human race
place any awkward restraint on the free
expression of your feelings. just go or
as though were not here" murmured
Carne reassuringly,
"You are different. You are not sc
eggressively alive as these jerky people.
"Huml You intend that as compli
ment, so will try to be grateful, though
privately remembering the place to which
certain good intentions are preverbiallJ
consigned. But some one is coming thi
way-or some two, rather. Let me gen
tly suggest that we withdraw from th'
enemy and seek solitary spot wher'
you can breath your woes and berat'
humanity at a safe distance"
But Liddell, with sort of horiie(
fascination, was watching the self alb
sorbed loungers who approached, anC
shook off the arm of his friend.
''They look like lovers, don't they2
he asked, with bated breath. "Ant
they will have to pass US. Go on talk
ing; say something, anything, and dom
mind If don't listen. must hear wha
they are saying, don't you understand
His sunken eye was glowing with sup
pressed excitement.
But the wary young people were water
ing place graduates, with reserve stocl
of subjects warranted strictly imper
sonal, to supply necessary breaks in con
versation.
"Do you admire Herbert Spencer3
asked she, as they came within earshot.
"Spen:er2 He is the evolution theor.
man. isn't hsf"
"ls he or isn't hsp" she asked mool
ingly.
ssOh, well, you know don't pretend
keep up with you on those things.
ISN'T fair for you to try to trip me-
They were out of range by this tim
and Maurice turned to his friend q
verely:
'.If your reason for stunning societ
In general, Mark, is the consciousness {
an understandable impulse to turn cave
dropper on the slightest occasion, sha
respect your principles hereafter, and
only regret that you have ever bee
tempted to forget Them"
..They're going through Lovers lane