Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-07-30
THE POSTSCRIPT.
A Feminina sidelieht.

direction OF her aunt's house In Caven-
dish square-her home for the next
two months-when she became vaguely
conscious that some one-a man-was
following her.
Coming out OF the fashionable pho
tographer's further down the street,
! where she had gone to arrange for sit
ting, she had narrowly colided with
frock-cOated, shiny hated, curly-haired
young gentleman. Ia the short inter-
val occupied In their mutual apologies,
she had time 10 notice first, that the
boy-for he was really little more-had
a great deal more than his fair share Of
good looks. and secondly that he was
regarding her with undisguised admi-
ration.
Then she had gone on up the street
with an unmistakable blush on her
white-pink cheeks, aod palpable quick
ening of the pulse beneath her slender
wrist. She walked with the long. grace
full swing which is as common among
the women of the stage as IL is rare
elsewhere. Her skirt, trimmed eIaoo-
rately. but in perfect taste, seemed to
move of itself in unison with her limbs,
From the roses in the big hat which
crowned her shapely head, TO the point
ed toes OF her morocco leather shoes.
she looked as charming as you could
wish, and by the time she had reached
No. - Cavendish square at least half
dozen men had fallen hopeIesSlY In love
with her.
As she stopped to put her key into
the door she happened to glance down
the square. The boy. whose appear
ance had been so fOrcibly impressed on
her in Bond street, was standing at the
corner gazing intently at her. She
blushed violently, and fumbled energet-
ically at the key, which as luck would
have it, seemed to have jammed, looked
up again, impelled by some irresistible
attraction, aud caught the boys gaze
full, blushed still more, wrenched furi-
ously at the key, and at last, with
desperate effort, turned Ii and dlsap-
peared within.
The moment the door closed behind
her the boy advanced rapidly down
the street, picked up the envelope
which, unnoticed by her, had dropped
from her pocket when she took out the
key, carefully scrutinized the address,
smiled, put the envelope into his breast
pocket, and, with a glance up at the
windows OF the house, as IL TO impress
it on his memory, lounged oil down the
street, humming quietly TO himself the
chorus of "Linger Longer, Loo"
x
"It's shameful What sort OF woman
does he think am? Oh, how l hate
menu and Dorothy's little French shoes
beat contemptuous tattoo on her bed
room carpet ana her little hands douo-
led up into daiLty fists, suggesting that
she would like TO enter into violent
physical warfare with the whole OF the
other sex then and there.
The innocent cause Of this outburst
lay, sublimely unconscious of the storm
IL had aroused, on her lap, the creamlest
and toughest Of cream rough envelopes,
addressed in struggling masculine
hand, with a corresponding sheet OF
note paper protruding.
Dorothy pulled the letter out again
and, half pouting, half crying, read 1t
over for the sixth or seventh time 1t
was dated from the Olympic club, and
ran as follows.
"DEAR Miss MoSTAGU: ! trust you will
excuse the liberty that |, perfect
stranger, take in addressing you-your
name and address l discovered rom Tue
envelope you dropped. The only excuse |
have TO offer-if it is an excuse-is that |
cannot help it. The moment |
saw you in Bond street to-day l
felt that, come what might, / would try
to make your acquaintance l
know that by addressing you IKE TINS L
run the risk OF being thought cad. But
can't help it. l must take my cnance.
What want TO know is, will you let me
call on you! OF course, | know haven
been introduced, but am sure lfyou VIII let
me call we shall be sure to find we have lots
of mutual uaintances, who could arrange
a proper introduction. / am one OF the
Gainsworthys Of Deepdown. l daresay
YOU know the name. Trusting you Will
not refuse me, believe me, dear MISS Mon
tague, yours very, very truly.
ERIC GAINSwoRTHY."
Dorothy's tattoo on the carpet con-
tinued during the reading Of the letter,
and once or twice a tear fell and blurred
the words.
When she came TO the boyish,
sprawling signature at the end she got
M from her chair and began TO walk
hurriedly up and down the room.
ats abominable," she mdrmured,
ITO be insulted like that-abominaole
And he was a gentlemanly looking boy,
too: couldn't he see | was a lady? l am
sure"-she went over 10 the glass and
gazed anxiously into it--"no; / am sure
| don't look ike that sort OF women
no. not a bit. Write to him? Yes, /
will, and at once, too-and tell him what
} | think"
She sat down at the little bull escri-
. toire ana began:
CAvENDIsH SQUARE, w. May ls9-. -
!, SIR: Your letter has surprised me exceed
lngly. | am not in the habit OF receiving
such-insultiDg-
She paused for word, resting her
elbows on the table and her chin In her
hands. A photograph of a man-her
brother-stood on the escritoire in front
of her. She had always considered
him good looking Now somehow,
nnconsciously, she began to com
pare him with the man to whom she
was writing-to the latter's de-
cided advantage. After all, she
thought, Jack was really nothing much
TO look at. She took up the frame
and scrutlnized the pict1re closely
Now she came 10 consider matters crit
ically, Jack was not very far removed
from absolute plainness. His nose was
, really almost snUb, his eyes too
small, the forehead, the square
nese of which she had once
thought an attraction, seemed to have
become obtrusively aggressive. II
| looked as il IL were trying TO push It's
way out OF the picture. And the hair
/ was uncompromisingly straight aud
: flat. 1t was ridiculous! Men with
, hair like that ought to be made TO curl
) it, like girls did. Curly hair was Sc
; much prettier. Like, for instance -
A faint pink painted her cheeks. She