The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-11-22
7HE TAX ON BACHELORS
By EFFIE W. MERRIMAN.
copyright, 1906, by the Author.1
[coNTNUED.]
CHAPTER ".

fool for showing his annoyance SO plain
ly and by that means giving his friends
so good an opportunity to discuss his af-
fairs.
"They will mistrust that you are hard
up" he said, "and then you will lose
prestige. am ashamed of you, Tom.
Why don't you brace up and be man
about it?''
Il wish you were in my boots, Park
hurst began Tom.
81 should like it of all things, my
boy! Handsome, refined, popular,
wealthy-what more can a man ask? As
for Miss Daisy, you are binder than
you need to be about her. She has GER
tain power of attraction that more than
one of your acquaintance seems to ap-
preciate. I saw her out riding yesterday
with young De Quincy and today with
Walton Humphrey"
"You didn t!'' exclaimed Tom in
amazement.
81 certainly did. You might have
seen her also had you not been moping
here in your room. There have not been
so many callers at the Ridgways in
years as there have been since Miss Daisy
came to the city
Tom frightened up under the infu-
ence of the lawyers information. 1t is
wonderful how much easier it is to en-
dure person when one discovers that
he is sought for among the idlers of So
ciety. Tom began to think that he might
at least endure what De Quincy and
Humphrey deliberately sought. He be-
gan at once to make preparations to at
tend the reception at the De Quinceys.
Half an hour ago he had decided to send
word that he was too i'll to go, trusting
that she might accept the excuse. He
decided to dress himself with even more
than his usual care and to appear SO
brilliant that his unhappy manner dur
ing that last evening at the Ridgways
would be credited to the premonitory
symptoms of the indisposition which
had followed. He was grateful now to
Parkhurst for having spread the report
that he was not feeling well, although
he had been annoyed when his friends
first began dropping i'll to make inquiries
concerning his health.
Tom never looked better than he did
when standing before the CRATE in Mrs.
Ridgways sitting room, waiting for
the appearance of Daisy. He heard her
voice in the hall, and, summoning po-
lite smile to his face, turned to greet
her. The heavy draperies before the
door were pushed aside. Tom advanced
step or two and stood face to face
with vision of loneliness which fairly
took his breath away. The smile became
more genial as he softly explained that
he was expecting to see Miss Blake.
81 am Miss Blake" replied the girl
quietly
1t was Da;sy's voice surely, but what
had become of the gray hair and the
smoked glasses: Where were the heavy
eyebrows which had met so sternly over
the glasses? Where was the unsightly
black patch which had adorned one
cheek? Where was the ugly wart which
Lie had seen OH the side of her nose?
"You are disappointed once more, ]
perceive" said Daisy, breaking the un-
comfortable silence which had fallen be.
tween them.
81 presume I might as we'll explain,
Mr.. Wainwright, that have been act.
ing part. l wished to convince myself
that you were as perfect as my cousin
Sander represented you to be. Shall we
go now? 1t is growing late.
"You were fortunate in having such
able assistants to make your little COM
edy so enjoyable" said Tom coldly.
gEnl, ~ hlas,,a fri pda \
No one wanted to do it at first, but /
persuaded them to change their minds.
Sander may not have told you that l
usually have my own way.
Once more Tom was speechless. 1t
was not difficult for him to believe that
SO charming a girl always had her own
way. He would have turned against any
friend he had for the sake of pleasing
her, but to have his friends turn against
him was different.
"I suppose Parkhurst knew" he said
after he had helped Daisy into the car
riage and taken seat beside her.
ooh, yes, replied Daisy, changing to
the seat opposite, "Mr. Parkhurst knew.
He was difficult to persuade, however,
Tom thought how Parkhurst had tried
to persuade him to appear perfectly sat
isfed with his engagement to Miss
Daisy, and he could see that if he had
followed his lawyers advice he would
now be in a position to laugh at his tor
mentors. Tom realized that he had
Numbered, and he did not know how to
retrieve himself. He cursed himself and
| all his friends but that did not helm
matters in the least In few moments
the carriage would stop before the door
of the De Quinceys, and the silence be-
tween himself and that vision of lowell
ness opposite was rapidly becoming more
uncomfortable Tom would have liked
to establish friendly relation before he
met his friends, thinking that by so do
ing lie could make his own position less
difficult.
81 presume, he began, "that there
is no explanation"-
81 think shall find it easier to for
get if you say nothing" interrupted
Daisy coldly.
Tom ventured no further remark, and
the two entered the house in silence.
"Why did you do it?" asked Tom of
Parkhurst, when a little later he had
the pleasure of seeing Daisy surrounded
by the most eligible young men in the
room and making herself delightfully."-
agreeable to every one but himself.
Because, Tom, replied the old law
yer gravely, 81 thought it would do you
good. So did Mrs. Ridgway, who as