The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-09-25
A PSYCHICAL PRANK.

Cleut ne WIS SInlLteil. oHe represented
in every way his ideal, although until he
had met her his ideal had been something
radically different. She was not at all
Junoesque, and the maiden Of his dreams
had been decidedly SO. She had auburn
hair, which hitherto Willis had detested.
Indeed il the same wealth Of hirsute had
adorned some other woman's head Willis
would have called 1t red. This shows how
completely he was smitten. She changed
his point of view entirely. She shattered
his old ideal and set herself up In his stead,
and she did most OF it with a smile.
There was something, however, about
Miss Hollister's eyes that contributed to the
shifting of Willis heart. They were great
round lustrous orbs and deep. Sodeep were
they and so penetrating that Willis affec-
tions were away beyond their own depth
the moment Miss HOLSTERS eyes looked
into his, and ut the same time he had a dim
and slightly uncomfortable notion that she
could read every thought his mind held
within its folds, or, rather, that she could
see how utterly devoid of thought that
mind was upon this ecstatic occasion, for
Willis brain was set all agog by the sensa,
tions of the moment.
by Jover' he said to himself afterward
for Willis, wise man that he could be ON
clusion of all others by Jovei believe
she can peer into my very soul, and il she
can my hopes are blasted, for she must be
able to see that a soul like mine is no more
worthy to become the affinity of one like
hers than mountain rill can hope to rival
the Amazon"
Nevertheless Willis did hope.
Something may turn up, and perhaps
| perhaps | can devise some scheme by means
of which my imperfections can be hidden
from her Maybe can put stained glass
over the windows Of my soul and keep her
from looking through them at my short.
coming. Smoked glasses, perhaps-and
why notr If smoked glasses can be used
by mortals gazing at the sun, why may
they not be used by me when gazing into
those scarcely less glorious orbs of hers,"
Alas for Whilst The fates were against
him. A faroff tribe of fates were in league
to blast his chances OF success forever, and
this was how it happened
| Willis had occasion one afternoon to come
up town early. At the corner Of Broadway
and Astor place he entered Madison
avenue car, paid his fare and sat down In
one OF the corner seats at the rear end of the
car. His mind was, as usual, intent upon
the glorious Miss HOLSTER. Surely no one
than think Of her constantly, he reflected,
and the reflection made him bit Jealous.
What business had others to think of her?
Impertinent, groveing mortalsl No man
was good enough to do that-no, not even
himself. But he could change He could
at least try to be worthy of thinking about
her, and he knew of no other man who
could. He'd like to catch any one else do
ing so little as mentioning her name.
"lmpertinent, groveling mortalsl' he re-
peated.
And then the car stopped at Seventeenth
street, and who should step on board but
Miss HOLSTER herself.
1.-THE ideal" thought Willis. by Jove!
there she is-on horse car, tool How
atrocious One might as well expect to
see Minerva driving In grocers wagon as
Miss Hollister in horse car. Miserable,
untactful world to compel Minerva to ride
in n horse car or rather Miss HOLSTER t.
ride in grocer's carl Absurdest of ali
surditiesn
Here he raised his hat, for Miss HollisteI
had bowed sweetly to him and passed oil
to the far end of the car, where she stood
hanging on a strap.
~ wonder why she doesn't sit DOWN.
thought Willis, for as he looked about the
car he observed that with the exception Of
his own all the seats were vacant--in fact,
the only persons on board were Miss Hollis
ter, the driver, the conductor and himself.
II think I'll go speak to her" he thought
And then he thought again: mo, I'd bet
ter not. She saw me when she entered, and
II she had wished to speak to me she would
have sat down here beside me, or opposite
me perhaps. shall show myself worthy
Of her by not thrusting my presence upon
her. But wonder why she standss She
looks tired enough"
Here Miss HOLSTER INDUCED in very
singular performance. She bowed her head
slightly at some one, apparently on the side
walk, Willis thought, murmured some
thing, the purport of which Willis could
not catch, and sat down in the middle OF
the seat on the other side of the car, look
ing very much annoyed-in fact, almost I'm
amiable.
Willis was more mystified than ever, but
his mystifcation was nothing compared to
his anxiety when, on reaching Forty-second
street, Miss Hollistcr rose and sweeping by
him without a sign of recognition left the
car.
"Cut. by thunderl' calculated Willis In
CONSERVATION. And why, wonder2 Mosr
incomprehensible affair. Can she be c
woman with whims-with eyes like thosei
Never. Impossible. And yet what els,
can be the matterf"
Try as he might, Willis could not solv,
the problem. 1t was utterly past solution
as far as he was concerned.
"I'll find out, and I'll find out like t
brave man" he said after racking his brains
for an hour or two in vain endeayor t.
get ut the cause of Miss HOLSTERS cut
"I'll call upon her tonight and ask her"
10 1s-nG rI1a tn Argt hut
to his second He called, but he did no
ask her for Miss HOLSTER did not Civ,
him the chance to do SO. Upon receivinl
his card she sent down word that she wa
out. Two days later, meeting him face Il
face upon the street, she gazed coldly n,
him and cut him once more Six months
later her engagement to Boston man wa
announced, and in the autumn following
Miss Hollister of New York became Mrs. |
Barrows of Boston. There were cards, but
Willis did not receive one of them. The
cut was indeed complete and final. But
whyP That had now become one of the |
great problems of Willis life. What had
be done to be SO badly treated2
A year passed by, and Willis recovered
from the dreadful blow of his hopes, but he
often puzzled over Miss HOLSTERS singular |
behavior toward him. He had placed the
LuulleE DSlOr6 several Oh us 1IleuQS, anal
with the exception of one of them none
were more capable of solving his problem
than he. This one had heard from his wife |
a school friend and intimate acquaintanc,
of Miss uollistes, now Mrs. Barrows thai
Willis ideal had once expressed herself to
the effect that she had admired Willis very
much until she had discovered that he was
not as polite as he should be.
hpOlitpp Not no po1ita r ubnuId basp
retorted Willis. when have l ever been
anything elsei Why, my dear Bronson"
he added, 'you know what my attitude
toward womankind-as well as mankind
has always been. If there is creature in
the world whose politeness is his weakness,
| am that creature. I'm the most courte-
Gus man living. When play poker in my
own rooms, lose money because I've made
1t rule never to beat my guests at cards |
or anything else"
THAT isn't polteness," said Bronson. |