Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-07-25
A SIMPLE MAIDEN.
7Tconvrieht. 1so5.l

brought up in the old fashioned sheltered way, you know; she has not yet been in- | troduced into society, and am sure her l inclinations will be in your favor. l" | ''I wish, MT. Naylor, that my attrac- tions were such that an acquaintance with society would increase her appreciation of them, but I'- @
 "Oh, it will, Blake, of course. As she knows moro of the world she will appreci- ate you more and more." .~ Naylor saw that he had made a blunder and tried to heal the wound he had given | Blake's vanity us well as he could. Tho two men were near the same ago, and all | their lives each had worshiped society and success as their chief gods. Blake had never married. He was a very handsome man, quite professional beauty" and he had been great lady killer. Now he had retired from business with fortune, and, concluding that he wanted a wife for his old age, had spoken to Naylor about his blooming young daughter of 1S Lena. Naylor had been losing money lately, and it seemed to him here was most desirable son-in-law. He congratulated himself that Lena, whom he had brought up rather like a French than an American girl, would not have the audacity to say Blake was too old for her. as he might have expected 1 if she had been the girl of the period. That was the thought that led him into such tactless intimation to Blake, for Blake was as sensitive about his age as a woman and could not hear any other tone than that he was likely to be loved for himself alone by any woman to whom he threw his handkerchief. Naylor's dart the sug- gestion that he could only win Lena Nay. lor's affections because she had seen noth- ing of the world and was an undevelopcd child, struck and ranked.
 | He came out in his courtship successful N 1., IIo fn1I nI fN I LNo ideal that all women worshiped, and when her meek, faded, silent little mother, at her father command, gave her hint that this great gentleman admired her tran scendently she was flutteringly fiattered. l When that evening it was managed that they were left alone together In the back drawing room, and MT. Blakc beautifully correct in his evening dress and handsome and stately, gently kissed the tips of her fingers and hoped she would honor him by consenting to be his wife, she felt as if she were dancing somc pretty stately figure of l a minuet in which hers was, of course, @ consenting part, and consent she did.
 on after this MT. Blake who was conducting himself as very dccorous lov- | CT, found ti! he wanted to go abroad and take the Carlsbad waters for awhile for his ! health.
 "In be away but n little while, Nay Tor" he said to his prospective fathcr-in- law, land hope to be married very soon | after my return, so now in tho meantime | hope my dear Lena will see little soci- ety, such as summer place liko yours af- lords. It will fit her tho better for tho po- sition she will take as my wife. I have nephew, rather tiresome and plain young man, but he is intelligent and well mean | ing, and he will be a good cavalier for Lena while am away. It will relieve her of any embarrassment as a betrothed young lady to settle it that way. Abe is coming down to this cove for tho months of July and August to sl1etch-he is trying to be a painter, poor devil!'
 Naylor made little sounds and move ments of assent during this monologue. He was pretty sure that this idea of giving Lena a taste of the world came from Blake's memory of his unlucky speech | when he nlado his offer of marriage, but he was glad to notice that his prudence curbed his vanity and that he did not in sist that his bctrothed should go about with any but plain, dry young man ab- \ sorbed in his art!
 "I don't think Mir. Albert Blake so very plain" said Lena after her first meeting with the despiscd ncph9w of her lover; "ot course he isn't so handsome as Mir. Blake must have been when he was youngn' It was only month or six weeks later that the two young people were sitting on the beach together Al Blake, with his easel and his white umbrella folded beside ! him.
 "Why don't you go on and finish your sketCh?'' asked Lena
 "Curse the SkCtch!' muttered Al. "I got letter from my uncle this morning.
 He'll be at home in a fortnight; but, of course, you know all that better than l." "Is that why you arc in such n bad tenn per?" asked Lena naively. No answer.
 "You were going to Dc his heir if he ! hadn't-hadn't made up his mind to mar . | ry mo, weren't you?''
 "Much care about his fortune! He \ could leave his money to an orphan asylum
 for anything I care, declared the young
 man, and relapsed into gloomy silence.
 He seemed to say by tho determined set of
 his shut mouth that he was q man of
 honor, even to a fanatical degree, and that
 wild horses should not drag tho secret of
 his discontent from him.
 "Are you so very rich?" asked the girl,
 looking at him with big round eyes, and
 picking string off his coat sleeve very , carefully.
 "Im not rich but I'm successful enough
 in my profession, though my uncle does affect to consider me nothing in it. Tn l not afraid to make my own way" "Ah-Albertv' (Lcna was leaning to
 ward him, but this time, though she tried tC
 look him in the face with her usual wide
 eyed gaze, her eyelids fclD mako my way
 tool" The words fell to a whisper, but Al
 bert caught them-yeS, and caught th' 8 speaker, too, and kissed her before sh, r could warn him that they were in sight O = tho house, and that it behooved them to b. : discreet.
 S "IIadics don't generally do the propos 3 ing, do they?' said tho ingcnue. "Well, how should I knew? I haven
 been out any, and papa would never le 5 me read love stories. I'm not intereste' t you were going to lose Mir. Blake's mone,
 anyhow you might well have me.
 knew you wanted men'
 MT. Albert Blake was so much impreSSe s by the cogcncy of this reasoning that h O ! allowed the ''child, " as her father was al = ways calling her, to plan out all the ar V engagements for their marriage, and, thank to her astuteness, it was all safely and SC e cretly done before her ancient Apollo land @ ed again on his native shores, and the tw were gone on their wedding journey, leaI IT ing explanatory letters behind them. k "It was your vanity, Blake," the disap o pointed father allowed himself to say now
 ''in throwing her with a man so muc :: nearer her own age, that's caused all thi U trouble.''
 e- "I trusted too much to the good taste q 8 well as to the honor of your daughter, d said Blake, and with that the two me
 quarreled so bitterly that, in very oppos
 tton to Blake, MT. Naylor forgave Len
 and declared her choice was better tha Q his. VIOLA RosEBoRo'. Omce Boys Explanation. There came burst of thunder sound: The boy-oh, where was he? 1G Out at the city baseball ground,