The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-16
A HOPELESS CASE.
Why Eleanor Gave Up Her Search
for an Ideal Man.

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 stimu-
lants--iced oxygen. II was day of the
gods, fit to put new life into the most
despairing soul. ard its invigorating eff
feet was plainly visible in the bearing
of a carefully dressed, slightly rotupd
gentleman of middle size and something
less than middle age as he came around
the corner of the avenue and walked
brislSly southwark This plump we'll
groomed gentleman 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 resolved what he felt
TO be hopeless case.
He rang the bell ut the last house in
the block, and was ushered into the IL
brary. 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
IA the chairs, the rugs and the book
eases reflected something of that alert,
intense spirituality combined with a
dash of chic which was her own especial
charm. Some one had said once that
Miss Winchester united New England
soul and New York style, and to his
apprehension the same piquant COM
bination was carried out in her sur
roundings.
There had been other days. plenty of
them, when he had also wondered how
it was that girl of this type had at
tracted Anthony Amory; he had, in
deed, 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 v ears earlier it
seemed as natural as the sunrise that
he should love her,
The present VISIT although il 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 greetings
neither of them pretended to treat it as
such. She was sitting near the win
dow in an immensely puffy and COM
Portable chair. and when he had taken
his seat opposite her, where he had the
best light on her face, they surveyed
each other in expectaut silence for a
moment; then Mr. Amory bent for
ward and picking up carved paper
cutter from the table scrutinized it at
tentively.
Il believe the time is up" he ob.
served, lin which you undertook To
formulate your objections to me. As
You were saying last June"
''Of all the foolish things | said las,
June that promise was the most fool
fish,
Because your objections are so nu.
merousP"
mo. Because the formulation OF
the IN is so hard"
40 not lect OlSpoSeu 10 Jet you on
the contract" said Mr.. Amory.
smoothly, sull examining the paper
cutter.
Up TO this point Miss Winchesterhad
been leaning back in the big chair;
now she held her 1.-the figure erect.
crossed her hands in her lap and lifted
her eyes fearleSsly. An adorable grav.
ity settled down upon her face.
"Please notice that have not asked
you 10" she said. II have decided to
tell You all about IT, You know | new
aT have. The other times we bave