The Press., 1893-02-09
'TWUWAYS OF WOOING

Stoop and pick up handful of shells from that brond path which you have 1 been mistakenly regarding as Q gravel walk. If you are one of the learned ones of the earth those small mollusks may 1 teach you that you are near the shores. | of the Gulf of Mexico, a1ld, for aught that know of such matters, may inform you that you are on the coast of the state'of Mississippi.
 Now, if you add tho pursuit of litera- ture to that of science, look we'll around you; for here that most valuable literary raw material, local color of the southern type, has been most lavishly poured out. Here are nagnolias, oleanders and all other southern trees and shrubs. There, in that arch of confederate jasmine, two mocking birds have their habitat. They have been fighting since daybreak with every living thing that has approached them; but you need not put that in your article.
 Behind you is a broad galleried, deep roofed mansion of the most approved antebellum architecture, and before you is the bluest water i'll the world-crede me experto who have seen the Adriatic and the Caribbean seas. Its beauty is marred by long dilapidated piers, but you will not complain of them when the mosquitoes swarm in from the Louisiana marshes and drive you out into the sea breeze.
 From where you stand you can see through the great hall of the house, quite through to where the pine forest stands out against the sky. It was not many months ago that a party of three ito inc at that time most interesting party-made that hall their assembly room and temple for their household gods. Indeed, it was often their battle. ground, for in the long leisure of sum- mer days the coating of conventionality ! in talk wears rather thin, and behind that coating are often concealed the most startling beliefs in persons of the most unimpeached responsibility. At such times the sole male member of the ! trio was apt to begin the discussion with smooth appeals to experience, policy and knowledge of the world, which hap pened to be his particular divinities, and like other priests of Baal, he some times appealed long, loudly and in vain.
 It was after one of the longest and warmest of these debates that all three sat ostensibly deep i'll their mornings mail. John Dunn. the lone champion of the commonplace, tore through a small pile of letters with an air of mysterious importance, which he had been early taught it was necessary to assume in or. der to attain business success. As he had attained that great and noble desid- eratum, and in no small degree, he might be fairly credited with knowl- edge of the necessary methods. One of his fair antagonists, Constance Aston, who had played heated, enthusiastic and altogether minor part in the discus sion, had forgotten the whole matter ill bulky letter addressed in 2 broad mas culine hand.
 Presently she looked up. "What's to- day-the day of the month 1neanY' she asked. And then, without waiting for an answer: ''F'ifteenth, sixteenth, seven teenth. They will be here today. He writes that he will be here tomorrow that is today of course; and he is going to bring friend with him.; She buried herself again in the letter and emerged with further intelligence: ''His friends name-I am not sure how to pronounce it. Alice," she said, turning to her cous- in, she last Of the trio, with mischiev- ous look, Show dc you pronounce B-e-a-l-lY'
 If her object was to create either sur prise or confusion on the part of her cousin the attempt was flat failure, for that yonng lady answered imperturb ably:
 "Bell of course, You know the name well enough, You can hardly have for gotten him since last winter"
 '.Was he a Johns Hopkins mana fel. lowY' asked Dunn with interest,
 s'Yes, we knew him at Baltimore" answered Alice.
 'sWell, he's, stopped all that" said Dunn, presumably referring to the pur- suit of knowledge by means of fellow ships. ''One of his rich relatives died this spring, and he's pretty we'll fixed"
 T suppose we know all about him pow;" said Alice, trife wearily, and rising she strolled out to the edge of the wide gallery, where she stood pensiyely looking out, 8 clear cut figure against the blaze of light from without.
 ''That's a graceful piet1lre.' said Con. stance warmly.
 "Yes, she's 8 very pretty young girl" answered Dunn indifferently. He proved the genuinoness of his indifference by carrying on very abstracted converse. tion with Constance for few moments, and then wandering out with a careful ipdefniteness to where Alice stood. To a sensitiYe man the manner in which he was received would have been equiva- lent to a verbal denunciataop as an un- pleasant interruption, but Mir Dunn's many enemies attributed much of his success to his seldom making such dis covefies.
 Half a day iater and Constance and her correspondent had resolved them- | selves into 9 faint splash of oars and a | murm4r of voices scarcely audible from the pier where Alice was burdened with an embarrassing wealth of companion ship. The whilom learned fellow was not obtrusiyely apparent in 8 quiet young man leisurely half reclining in the bow of small skiff of which Alice | held the oars. Dunn stood upon the steps leading down to the water, look ing despondently at dark gap between himself and the boat.
 Il can't bring the boat any closer on account of these posts," said Alice. "You can't drown anyhow" she added scornfully. -.,-.-...
 The Persians, 1 believe, have saying that contempt will pierce through the shell of tortoise. Dump made the at tempt with the snceess which usually attends leaps in the dark. There was g sudden movement of the skiff. which in his cooler moments he attributed solely, to his awkwardness. For as he stood q