Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-08-03

Onarlle NelUnOrp6 was DTlSIlluB Win
outraged pride and wounded self
esteem when he went to pay his Gus
tomary visit to Eva on the day follow
ing Lady Brown-Jones' ball The fact
that Eva could forget herself and the
respect that was due to him SO far as
to sit on the veran1a with Lord Dolly
for half an hour had been a severe
blow to him, and he had not yet recov-
cred from the shock. He had refrained
from commenting upon her conduct at
the time, but now he meant to take 1t
out of her, and reduce her to the state
of abject penitencc that he considered
beftting the occasion.
She was reading when he went into
the room, but she laid her book aside
at once.
"Oh! Charlie, is that you?"
Charlie frowned.
"How often have / told you, my
dear Eva, that a self-evident fact re-
quires no asserting2" he asked, in his
most dogmatic tone.
She shrugged her shoulders.
"How often? Obi don't know. A
hundred times, / dare say. You look
cross, Charlie"
Charlie frowned agein. There was
an intangible something in Eva's tone
and manner that was not wont to be
there Something that he could neither
define nor understand, though he felt
1t instinctively.
81 am not cross, Eva, but / am
grieved-grieved beyond measure.
Your conduct last night caused mo
acute pain, the more SO as you ex-
pressed no regret for it But | hope
you IA in better frame of mind TO-
day, and ready to say you are sorry
for what you did. Until you have done
SO, really don't feel that | can kiss
you"
Charlie fully expected that this stu
pendous threat would reduce IA to
the lowest depths of despair, n. bring
her. fguratively speaking, to her
knees; but for once he was out in his
calculations. She drew up her slender
figure and pursed up her rosy lips with
an air that made him feel vaguely un-
easy. Was it possible, he wondered,
that she intended to defy him? Yes.
Her next words proved that it was SO.
'T am not sorry she said, mot Q
bit. am glad. would do it again"
Charlie gasped. The situation was
so unlocked for that he could not rise
| to it all at once.
GAS for kissing me-" Eva went on,
with little disdain!ul moue, well,
you will never have the chauce of do
| ing that again, so you need not excite
| yourself"
Charlie found his voice then.
"You are talking at random now,
Eva" he said. severely, "a bad habit
against which have always warned
you. Will you be kind enough to ex-
| plain yourself?'
| Eva tilted her small ncHo in the air.
and n horrible doubt 3'.idenly assailed
him. Was there-could there be n
hitch in the infallible system, after
all? The thought appalled, him.
'Oh, certainly" Eva answered, II
can do 1t in n very few words. Lord
Dolly proposed to me last night and ]
accepted him"
Charlie gasped again.
"But you are engaged to me-" he
| calculated. "You must be mad. You
cant seriously contemplate throwing
me over for Dolly Eastwood. The
things impossible"
She looked at him and smiled.
Incredible as it may seem to you,
l do contemplate It,"
"But-but-but," stammered Char
lie, "this is very er-extraordinary be-
havior on your part, Eva. Are you
aware that you propose to treat me in
a most dishonorable way, and-and-
erin short, very badly?"
Her face grew grave.
81 should be sorry to do that" she
said, more gently, IL don't want to
be dishonorable, or to treat you badly,
Charlie. But am only human, and no
one but myself knows what have
gone through IN the last few months.
You have .ried me too hard. I was
very fond of you at one time, and IL
you had treated me fairly I should
have been very fond of you still. But
YOU would wear out a saint-and am
only woman. l don't think Lord