The Forrest City times., 1895-02-08
A FOUNTAIN PEN.
Why the Owner of One Never
 Wanted Another.

am not the possessor of a fountain pen. l never had but one, which was given to me as Christmas present years ago, when I was a young man. and fount ain pens were novelty. Mine was made of tin, with a rubber bag to hold the ink. When vou squeezed the penholder the ink ran out of the bag and flooded the pen-or any, thing else that happened to be within convenient range. The diabolical con- trivance looked like tin whistle and acted like a cutie fish. but no one else had one, and so l was proud of it. Tan- ttdS rdRttatnmi Short was my triumph.
 l can still remember, as painful ly as though it was an affair of yes terday, how the tragedy occurred. It was at the Sturdeva nt-Hamiltons' ball-the event of the season. I had been looking forward to this ball with interest for good while, because in- tended to find an opportunity there to effect reconciliation with Alice. Such opportunities were not frequent, and I knew that if l missed this one it might be long time before found another. and that odiously handsome Dick Ham, ilton was paying her a great deal more attention than 1 liked. Alice and I had been close friends ever since we were children, and I had come to feel that had sort of proprietorship in her. We had even been engaged for just twentyfour hours, at the end of which time we had quarreled, for reasons too complicated and too absurd to be introduced here. 1 speedily re- pented, however, and was only waiting for an opportunity to induce her to do likewise.
 With this weighty resolution on my mind, it is no wonder that I felt little tremor as 1 started to go down. stairs, and that I scanned myself with unusual attention in the great pier glass, to make sure that my attire was perfect. Nothing embarrasses one more under trying circumstances than the consciousness of being badly dressed. was, think I may say, well dressed. My trousers were impeccable, my gloves, ditto, my coat fitted to per lection, my white waistcoat was as spotless-to employ figure which is popular among my brother barristers- as spotless as the driven snow; my hair was at that precise point when it has lost the formality given to it by the hairdresser without assuming the wild and umbrageous appearance to be no- ticed among musicians and other doubt ful characters. My complexion had never been better. On the whole, was we'll satisfied with the general ef feet.
 When entered the ballroom, Alice was away at the further end, talking, I grieved to note, with that odious young Hamilton. I did not care to make my approach under such circum- stances, and bided my chance with what patience I could muster. Finally my opportunity came. and lost no time in reaching her side. She greeted me very kindly, as she always did, in something the same style that she might have received a very old friend of her father This cheerful, unem- barrassed greeting always provoked me beyond measure; but l did my best E to stifle my i'll temper, which was also somewhat assuaged by the pleasing discovery that through some misunder- standing she was not engaged for the next dance. I had never seen her more radiantly beautiful, and l could feel the eyes of many envions ooserv- CTS turnedssupon us as we tooE our places. The next dance and the next were taken, but the third she prom ised to me. At the end of this dance, remarked that she WIS somewhat flushed with the heat, and proposed