The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-07-31

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so childish. She is led away into
these foohshnesses and firtations by
the mere spirit Of youth. II she cared
for me If she cared for any one she
would settle down and give the whole
noble side of her character chance
to show itself"
''But she doesn't care for YOU
said Miss Helston, with decision.
Don't / say so2" he answered, but
irritably, for no man likes to be told
these things.
r'Do you know why she doesn't
care for you2" He looked an inquir-
ing negative. Because you are just
like everybody else"
your frankness, Miss Helston, is
quite refreshing"
"Well, but aren't your Every man
who comes near her falls in love
with her. You do the same. Every
man signs and languishes, and brings
her flowers, and wants to carry her
racket, and post her letters, and turn
over her music. You haven't given
Lola a chance yet to distinguish you
from the herd.
John Percival laughed. Frank, al
most brutal, as her words were, they
were sweetened by the subtle pleas
ure every man feels in talking him
self over with a young woman.
II suppose, now you mention it"
he said, that the symptoms of the
disease are just the same in all of US.
We love her, and we show it. But
don't you see that, short of rislzing
my fate on definite yes or mo,
there is nothing I can do to distin-
guish myself from the herd2 Ire
alize my unpleasingness much more
than you can, Miss Helston ! have
had 81 years experience of it-you
only six months. It's about that,
isn't 1t, since we came to know each
other9"
II never said you were unpleasing.
I don't think you are, but you must
seem so to Lola"
"Well, what can dol" he asked
impatiently.
81 don't know. ! know what I
should do if l were a man"
"What2" he asked, and in spite of
himself he hung almost breathlessly
on her answer. .
II should give her new sensa-
ton"
"For instance2"
Suppose you paid little attention
to some one else when Lola was pres
ent. That would be an entirely new
sensation to her." .
He laughed. "Of course it would.
How could any one help You
don't mind my treating you exactly
as a man since you asked for my con-
fidence on those terms2" r.
mo, / know no one can think of
any one else while she is by. But if
you can make up your mind to pay a
little-no, good deal-of attention
to, say, one of the Gumpidge girls,
who are really very nice, if Lola
would give any one the chance of see
ing it."
"You don't seem to like your cousin
very much" he said doubtfully.
"On the contrary, l am extremely
fond of Lola; but, like you, I regret
her lack of serious attachment, and
! believe honestly that the only way
to inspire one in her would be, to put
it plainly, to make her jealous"
At the back of his mind lurked
deep, intense establishment to find
himself thus in confidential CONVEX
sation with a woman, and that WON.
an Miss Helston. But he went on as
though that confidence were the most
natural thing in the world. ...
Don't think me conceited fool
when l say that don't think it would
be quite fair to Miss Gumpidge to do
that"
"Of course it would not unless you
explained what you were after. But
surely there's some girl among all
the tennis playing set whom you like
we'll enough to be able to trust"
You're the only girl 1 ever trust
ed or could trust" Then a new look
came into his eyes, and he said slow
ly, "Would you-but / know you
would not-I say, what an awful lot
of nonsense we are talking"
IF you thought THAT you could
play the part convincingly, l don't
know that l should mind" she am
swered "gravely. And if l were
quite, quite sure that you cared seri-
ously for Lola-seriousY enough, l
mean, for your happiness to depend
upon whether you married her or
not
II care for her so much" he said,
'that nothing in my life seems to
have any value OF any interest ex-
cept at the points where other things
touch her." .....
Very we'll" Edith Helston an
swered. II know Lola pretty well,
and / believe that the man who APP
pears Indifferent to her will be the
man she will care for. If you care
to play the comedy, / will help you
play it. But you will have to play it