Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-11-10
THE SOLITARY Girl.
Archie Fairbalrn In tho English Illustrated
Magazine.

tna sheltered corner which he had found,
and the American girls who had looked
askance at her during the first two days
of the Arcadia's passage across the At
lantic reckoned that the SOLITARY Girl"
had found a man. One Of them even
averred that she had seen tine process of
Standardization take place. that "Steely
Eyes" had inquired whether the "Soli-
tary Girl" minded tobacco smoke, after
carefully placing himself in position
where, owing TO the strong westerly
breeze, il was impossible that she should
inhaleit. She had answered in the mega
tive, "you bet your sweet life," and the
ice thus broken they had drifted into
conversation.
That she should have earned SO soon
after leaving Queenstown harbor the
title of the SOLITARY Girl" argued no
very surprising gift of observation or
ingenuity on the part of the young
ladies returning to their beloved states,
who had criticised her in her loneliness.
They had assigned her nickname as
they had to the man beside her, and she
was as unconscious of 1t and of the
interest they took in her rs she had been
of the clear gray eyes which had fol
lowed her at intervals since she had first
appeared on deck until the owner of
them addressed her.
He had been so perfectly respectful in
his manner, had seemed so absolutely
indifferent whether she spoke to him or
not when he occasionally made a trivial
remark as he sat near her, that she felt
NO need to retreat as she had done
hitherto when others, either men or
women, had shown signs of desiring her
acquaintance, and an hour later when
some one claimed the deck chair on
which she was sitting and he had offered
TO lend her one of his, she accepted it
with friendly smile,
81 have not got one" she explained,
I'VE started in such hurry"
Then you are not travelling alone%
he asked.
mo, my father, is on board, but he is
Zoo bad sailor to appear yet"
lie walked off hardly waiting for her
to finish her reply, brought the chair,
and arranged it with the one he had
occupied.
Il was expecting friend on board at
Queenstown, and had brought one for
him. he remarked, "but his train was
delayed and he missed the boat"
"lts bad train that does nobody any
good" she answered with another smile,
sinking back restfully as if not afraid of
being disturbed again, and before they
parted at dinner time he tied a label to
1t with her name upon it in pencil.
"How did you know my name was
Hamilton ?" she asked.
1.-The purser told me-" he said. az
think he has moved me to your table.
l asked him to do so. NV name is
Fletcher-John Fletcher"
And that evening, instead of sitting
solitary next to the empty seat which
her father should have occupied, Miss
Hamilton talked almost cheerfuily to
Mr.. Fletcher and man who had yainly
tried to find topic to interest her the
evening before found friend with a
knowledge of hides equal to his own at
another table.
He's an elegant man." said Miss
Lorania Luck of New York, "what can
he find to like in her? That's what
beats me-
And Miss Geraldine van Hooten an
swered, Dollars" founding her theory
on the fact that Miss Hamiiton's father
was occupying the best "stateroom" in
the ship alone, and that he had not vet
condescended to appear on deck and
mix with his fellow travellers. cor,
perhaps, he's NOBLE" she said specula.
lively. And Miss van Hooten indorsed
her friends opinion that Mr.. Fletcher
was elegant"
AS they had applied the term indis-
criminately to the big rollers the Arcadia
had encountered outside Queenstown
'harbor, to the furniture of the saloon.
and to Il shoal of porpoises, there was
nothing startling in their applying it to
tall angular young man, with a de-
termined jaw and black moustache
dividing his face with line as straight
as ruler over what seemed to be n
rather thin pair Of lips. An elegant
man in the ordinary plain British ac-
ceptation of the term he certainly was
not, whatever Miss Lolie Luck may have
said and Miss Hamilton may have
thought, and Miss Hamilton's eyes
showed that she thought well of him.
shes mean to keep him to herself
like that, said Miss Luck one afternoon;
'she looks at him when he comes on
deck till he turns and she catches his
eye, and if he does not come and plant
himself down by her right away, she'll
look at him till he does, and when he
sits down she has nothing to say"
There may have been some truth in
Miss Luck's remarks. She had n quick
eye, and possibly Mr. Fletcher was
himself feeling that he was himself not
extracting much amusement from Miss
Hamllton's conversation. He was lean
ing back in his chair looking at her
from under his half.closed eyelids.
$50 your father is going to leave the
old country and settle in America ?" he
said slowly; mot leaving his country
for his country's good, hopeg" he
added with half laugh.
II was the Fourth time that afternoon
that he had mentioned her fathers name.
three times she had turned the conyersa-
ton TO other subjects, and now she was
sitting looking seward, silent and with
her checks crimson. He must have been
quick-witted man, though, to notice
the effect OF his speech and Jump 10 the
conclusion which he did.
"Forglve me-" he said, bending for
ward and speaking earnestly, "forgiye
me, Miss Hamilton, if l have said any
thing to hurt you; You know me very
slightly; but well enough, | hope, to
know | would not have done so will
ingly."
'Many true word is spoken in lest"
she said, half to herself, moving as if
she would rise from her chair; but he
touched her arm and she sat down
again.
81 must have your forgiveness for
what | said" he insisted, "you know
would not betray any confidence, why
should II Who am that should do
so? | would do anything rather than
offend you--what Can | sayg Stay
you see that man?