Smyrna times., 1891-11-25
Cupid's SurVitor.

eyes GnOSe Illuminating glasses which
turn the common sky into heaven,
which convert life into a lyric and
woman into creature of perfume and
melody and light. But the next day,
as one may see, these glasses were
taken off again and Clymer Ames
had never looked through them
since.
Yet every day from in the morning
to 5 in the afternoon this man who
could have killed Eros for his perfdi-
GUS conduct.was obliged to toll in his
behalf. He was, in short, the clerk
who issued the marriage licences.
When he first went into the service of
the greatest of cOsmOpolitans, Cupid,
he dedicated to him very bad CHR
Ography, totally uneducated percep-
ton and an indefatigable industry.
In the course of few weeks spent
behind the little window in the County
Courts spacious apartments, the CHR
Ography of this young man began to
improve. So did his perceptions.
He could tell, when n man APP
preached him, whether he had family
pride or not whether or not he was
sentimental and impatient; whether
he was inclined for hymeneal display
whether he was happy or fearful
whether he was going to marry a
woman of whom he was proud or only
one with whom he was in love.
Clymer Ames, who at first saw only
the stage carpentering and scene
shifting in this drama of emotions,
began to wonder how it would look
from the front. He found himselfg get
| ting very curious as to what a man
did and said befOre-armed with the
age, name, maternal and paternal
patents names of bride-he came to
ask for legal permission to be forever
happy.
| 1t would be very easy, of course, for
Clyner Ames to get that legal right.
In his capacity of lover he could
! approach himself in his capacity
as clerk, and without unneces-
sary embarrassment or hesitation ask
for license and get it. To be sure he
could not we'll be on both sides of the
window at once, and he had some
doubts about the complete regularity
of license granted Under circumstan-
ces in which the applicant associated
with such unseemly familiarity with
his superior, the clerk.
This, however, was difficulty which
he felt could be overcome. But that
was the fifth act. What led up to it ?
What did lover do through the four
preceding acts Clymer Ames decided
to find out. Fate, which is sometimes
kind only to be cruel, aided him. It
went further and abetted
Lydia Eastwater lived in the next
block hut one to where Clymer Ames
boarded, and che came down to see
the daughter of the landlady and play
tennis with her on the lawn. Clymer,
who had hitherto detested tennis, felt
convinced as soon as he saw Lydia
Eastwater on the green that exercise
was the only thing for him after his
long Office hours, The rest of the
summer he put on white flannel as
soon as he got home, and he all but
slept with a tennis racket in his
hand.
II guess it must be pretty dull stay
ing in the Office all day this hot
weather, said Lydia Eastwater one
night when they stood together on the
same side of the white tennis net.
TITS dull enough. But nothing to
what it used to be, you know. l have
something to look forward to, now"
Have your" said Lydia Eastwater,
innocently, picking a bug off her red
and white skirt. "I'm sure Pm glad
of it,"
Its the tennis at night 1 look for
, ward to. 1t brightens up my whole
day. Don't you care for it too ?"
me P" calculated Lydia with un-
grammatical nOnchelance. ooh, yes,
l like tennis well enough. l wish,
though, that these people would come
back and 60 to playing. Standing
around on tennis ground until you
are ready to drop isn't any pleasanter
: than standing around any where
I. else"
7 She firted out one foo. as she talked
2 and revealed a marvellous stocking.
| Clymer wondered if the twenty-five
fellows who had that day applied tc
: him for the sanction of the law to theil
bliss had experienced such difficulties
3 in the first act ss this-he felt himsel
: to be nearing the end of that part o
? the drama.
If Lydia Eastwater would only show
by some sign, however slight, that hel
! heart throbbed as his did he would bt
willing to have the curtain rung down
! for the entire Gcte and let the OrchestrS
l play awhile.
o 'It is not that play tennis that
d am happy" he cried explOsively, "bu
Q because play tennis with you"
Q "Oh." cried Miss Eastwater as she
g retied the yellow bow on her hat
r isn't it too bad, then, that am goinS
a away tomorrow for the rest of thu
o summer ?"
Going for the rest of the summer p
n Clymer was sure that none of thes,
rs twenty-five happy men with licences
o in their pockets had ever known such
Q suffering as this. He leaned against
!? tree. He could not remember feeling
II so strange since the day he tainted il
q the Office, after being up all night witt
D. the agent who had the rheumati
fever.
I. "Then you are not sorry to go p
10 he whispered. "You will not mis-
- me?"
II Lydia Eastwater tied the yellow
y bow once more. 1t was growing int
n q deeper twilight. The one bar of re-
in the west was all there was left Q
the day. She hit a moth that iuttere
by in the dusk.
J" "Why, yes, shall care. I shall car
"a very much indeed" She looke'
~ straight at him, and the red in tn
r. west got into her cheeks. Clyme
Il started forward, throbbing with a new
n life. He forgot all about the first &C
: and even about the fifth one. ALI b.
al saw was a girls eyes. All he felt wa
"a her soft lips.
D. Then the other players came walk
g. ing across the lawn in the twilight
IL The next day Miss Eastwater wen
" away. Clymer wrote to her, of course
of He stole the time with which to d
Ri this from the county. But the answer
Is were not just what he had expecte
o, they would be. They were full c
pleasant gossiping and even the e,
It's pressions of those girlish opinion
which most maidens have and whic
so strongly resemble copy-book mo
toes. But she said very little of jus
-. the sort of thing that Clymer desire
a. her to say. He consoled himself b
a. looking at every applicant for lioeni
~ who thrust his face in at the little viii
~ dow, and rejecting;
x "Ahl my man, you look happy nov
m But l know what you have bee
4.