The Van Buren press., 1894-03-10

An Incident In the Love Affairs OF
Miss Eregg.


Miss Eragg.
Miss Louis Brngg's social colleagues
were fond Of saying Of her TO one an
other and to strangers that she was
clever young woman.
This was meant in no qualified sense; 1t
carried with it no contingencies; the
distinction was positive The fact OF
her cleverness stood prominently apart.
and was notable item in the general
assets OF her social set. It became one
Of the chief facts concerning her inter-
esting personality, and frequently over
shsdowed less striking ones when she
was being conversationally considered.
She was Of the slender. willowy type;
tall Is most men. and graceful after an
unconscious, unstudied fashion. Her
face had straight, angular lines. and
was not essentially pretty. When she
smiled It revealed many surprising
curves md subtle charms Of expression.
Wondrous power lay In her brown
eyes, power under complete subsection
OF her will. Her hair was Of the
bright yellow tint Of over-ripe wheat,
the tint that somehow suggests arti-
ficiality. Little curling wisps defied
the imprisonment of the dainty colt
fure in which her tresses were fas-
tened.
She was original and clever and,
therefore, unconventional and Boz
hemian. Men she chose to regard In q
humorous light, as rather amusing
animals. charming under certain cir.
cumstances, but ordinarily dull and
vulgar. At little social gatherings OF
her sex, her coming was always await
ed As an event which would give breezi-
ncss an d vigor to the conversation. She
was not at MI unpopular among her
own sex. This was doubtless due to the
heartless manner In which she rejected
the lovers Of q grea. many other young
lady friends.
Miss Bragg's love exper fences had
been numerous; but she had managed
with her cleverness to give them va
riety. Every man she had ever known
we'll had attempted to make love to her.
She thought it very amusing, and her
women friends agreed with her In this
view when she told them OF her ex-
periences, emitting names She was
not without conscie fence in tho matter.
however, and contented herself with
believing that all of her admirers would
get over their weakness without per-
manent hurt.
a brief note from one of these adj
mirers received one morning just as she
was going out produced marked effect
upon Miss Bragg. She gave up her in
tention to 20 out and sat down to read
q second and third time the very brief
and conventional epistlc. 1t was
very concise note from Mr.. Philip New;
mann, asking her to walk with him In
the afternoon.
These walks, 1t must be explained,
formed one of Miss Bragg's character
istic social institutions. Besides being
clever she was peculiar. She went
walking with young men much ofteher
than she went driving or to the theater
with them. Mr.. Phil Newman had
been one OF the first young men to en-
Joy the pleasure of these walks, and
the sight Of him promennding with Miss
Bragg had inspired countless other
young men to aspire TO the same priv
ilege But for three years, although
she had walked often, Newman had
not been her companion She had seen
him occasionally at balls, parties. the
theater and elsewhere but had had lit
tie communication with him. The day
before receiving his note she had passed
him ON the street and he had bowed In
distantly polite manner
After reading the note the third time
and vainly trying to comprehend its
meaning she took from the cabinet, in
which she kept oil her letters letter
In the same handwriting. and, putting
the two together, studied them. Though
totally different In tone and apparent
meaning she believed them to be OF
practically the same import The first,
written by Newman just after their
last walk together three years before,
was timid, half fearful proposal Of
marriage. 1t had tremulous note of
fear in it-fear that she would refuse
The last-just four lines-asked her to
walk, nothing more. Yet, Miss Bragg's
logic gave the two the same meaning
WELL" said Miss Bragg, as she
finished her note Of acceptance. 'the
answers the same to both letters
yes Before 1t was q qualified, OBJ
bcure .yes'-he didn't recognize in its
disguise. This time-I don't like this
I'll make it pl ain for him."
She tore up what she had written,
and penned in scrawling, careless char
acters: "Yes-Louise Bragg. like that
BETTER" she said. She read Newmann's
note again, half smiling. II wonder II
this last phase in the evolution of Mr..
Newmann's feelings is as compliment
airy to me as the first" she speculated
Hes man of moods, phases and pc.
rioda It's hard to make out the mean
ing of this last. 1t sounds like a last
appeal. He is a human paradox"
OF all her love affairs, this was the
most interesting to Miss Bragg. This
was due to its novel history and to
other reasons Newman was q So
ciety man Of q not remarkable mental
caliber. He measured up to the aver
age OF his set He was rather tall and
handsome, with face typicslly south
ern. What particular quality of his
that drew her toward him. Miss Bragg
herself could not say--but she was con-
scious OF liking him. Their walks, as
has been said, were frequent. and their
talks, while confidential. had never
touched upon matrimonial topics.
He reserved the mention Of this sub
ject for the letter that has been re.
ferred to. Miss Bragg was bit dis
appointed at having SO important a
question treated after the manner Of
husinpss nepotiatiou II saemed a III.