The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1893-03-31
miscellaneous.
A HOPELESS CASE.

The sunshine was dazzling that af-
ternoon, and in the golden November
air sweeping freshly down between
the rows of tall houses on either hand
YOU tasted at its best that keenest of
stimulants-iced oxygen. It was a
day of the gods, fit to put new life into
the most depressing soul, and its in
vigorating effect was plainly visible
in the bearing of Il carefully dressed,
slightly r0tund Gentleman of middle
size and something less than middle
age as he came around the corner of
the avenue and walked briskly south
ward. This plump, well-sroomed gen.
tleman was Mr. Anthony Amory his
was not a despairing soul, however, in
spite of the fact that he was on his
way to plead-for the last time as he
had resolyed-what he felt to be q
hopeless case.
He rang the bell at the last house in
the block, and was ushered into the
library. As he entered that remoteSt
and most individualized OF the more
public apartments of the Winchester
house, he wondered, as he had often
wondered before, how it was that
Eleanor Winchester had impressed
her personality SO strongly upon it
that the room seemed alive around
her. To his mind, at least, even such
stolid things as the chairs, the rugs
and the bookcases reflected something
of that alert, intense spirituality com
bined with a dash OF chic which was her
own especial charm. Some one had
| had said once that Miss Winchester
united a New England soul and a New
York style, and to his apprehension
| the same piquant combination was
carried out in her surroundings.
There had been other days, plenty
| of them, when he had also wondered
| how it was that a girl of this type had
| attracted Anthony Amory; he had,
indeed, supposed that he was safely
| past the sentimental stage of life.
| Those days, however, were long over.
| Now that he had recovered from the
| first shock of surprise at finding that
| he was, if anything, worse hit than
| he might have been ten years earlier,
| it seemed as natural as the sunrise
| then he should love her.
The present visit. although it was
| the first time Mr.. Amory had seen
| Miss Winchester since her return to
| town the week before, was evidently
| not of the nature of an ordinary CALL
| and after the first interchange of greet
ings neither of them pretended to
| treat it as such. She was sitting near
the window in an immensely puffy
and comfortable chair, and when lie
| had taken his seat opposite her, where
he had the best light on her face,
! they surveyed each other in eXpectant
silence for a minute then Mr.. Amory
bent forward and picking up carved
| paper-cutter from the table ScrutiniZed
| it attentively.
Il believe the time is up" he OBJ
served, ''in which you undertook to
formulate your objections to me. As
you were saying last June
"Of all the foolish things | said last
June that promise was the most fool
| ish p
Because your objections are so
numerous p
mo. Because the formulation of
them is so hard"
81 do not feel disp osed to let you off
the contract" said MIR. Amory smooth
ly, still examining the paper. cutter.
! Up to this point Miss Winchester
| had been leaning back i'll the big chair;
now she held her 1.-THE figure erect,
crossed her hands in her lap and lifted
her eyes fearlesslT. An adorable
gravity settled down upon her face.
please notice that have not asked
YOU to-" she said. Il have decided to
| tell you all about it. You know L
never have, The other times we have
talked about this we have not done it
seriously and calmly"
Il was serious enough, murmured
Mr.. Amory, but she ignored the inter
ruption.,
afraid l have not been just
1T is not Justice | want at your
hands, She waved this remark
aside. That first she said.
go on, then, and be just
Apparently the task she had set her
self was not an easy one.
Il dare say | am going to make
some impossible remarks she be an
uncertainty.
Don't get nervous" said Amory
reassuringly, " nothing that you say
is going to make any difference, you
| know
s'You told me once" she said slowly,
casting about for her words, that |
was consumed by the passion for per,
lection and everybody admits that
all the world wants love"
"Do YOU know-don't you think
there exists in every human heart an
inappeasable thirst for perfect love ~
Il am not here to generalize about
humanity. | only know what l my
myself have felt, an that / have told
you Already"
Miss Winchester passed her hand
quickly across he forehead, as if to
brush away the little frown that had
settled there.
"Other people have sometimes told
me that they had found it, she went
on steadily. Il may be unjust, but il
has seemed to Inc, That usually they
were very easily satisfied; and yet
there have been some of them | nave
envied from the bottom of my heart
Is it my fault that l have not been
able to be satisfied, too? You know
have been more or less admired, but
SO FART has always happened that the
admiration | have received has seem
ed to me too light a thing to be serious
with. Can you imagine what it means
to know-or think you do-eXactly
what you want, anC to really wish for
it, and never to have it come neal
you, but instead to have the cheapest
tawdIiest limitations of it thrust into
your hands? Why, it seems to me it
is the life of Tantalus -
Miss Winchester was breathing
rather hurriedly now, but she took
courage from the impressive, attentive
face of her listener and went on brave
ly.:
"After few experiences | stopped
expecting anything different. But
could not change NV ideals, YOU know