The Dickinson press., 1895-04-06
A PRETTY PAIR.

SsAAAc AkOM CAAAC " 0uAS AS 0SSSASu oA
exclan alton. 1t was evil
dent that something had upset his
mental equilibrium-but what?
Well, as a matter Of fact, It was
nothing very new. 1t had happened
before. and would probably happen
again; though he registered a mental
vow nOw-as he had done on every
similar occasion-that 1t never, never
never should.
To state the case as it stood, he had
just discovered that he had grown
tired Of the girl whom but a little time
ago he had thought was the only wom-
an in the world for him. He had made
the discovery so often before that 1t
had lost the charm Of novelty. and now
aroused a certain amount Of resent
ment within his breast-resentment
against women in general for being
unable to produce woman in particI-
lar fascinating enough to retain his
rowing fancy. Why on earth, lie Won
deccd irritably, were all women made
so they charmed you up to a'certain
point and palled upon you a%fterward?
For Elaine Dering the present dis
turber of his peace, was somewhat
different from the other women whom
he had loved and left. A slim, fair
haired girl, with a pale, spirituelle
face and rapt gray eyes, She seemed
a hoinu ~ dtAforon% oyov froun tho or.
binary fin de steele maiden. Simple,
child-like and unworldly, he felt it
was impossible to attribute to her the
thousand-and-one small vanities, jeal-
ousies, coquetries and caprices that go
to make up the sum Of the modern
woman's existence.
No, she was no modern coquette, no
up-to-date irt, who could play a man
at his own game and give as good as
she got. She was innocent ard trust
ing, and he wished to heaven he had
left her alone.
The hunter instinct was strong with
in him, and he was untiring In his
pursuit Of shy game. So long as the
object Of his desire eluded him, he
threw his whole heart and soul into
the chase; but when once uncertainty
was emerged into certainty, and he
knew that he had conquered,in that
very moment victory and vanquished
alike lost their charms for him. Like
81 many men, he cared only for that
which lie thought he could not have.
Until the previous evening he had
never felt sure of Elaine. Up to that
time she had been shy and elusive and
a triae cold. and the state Of her feel
ings toward him had been a subject
for speculation. On the previous
evening the mysterious glamour of
the twilight hour, and the subtle fas-
cination Of her serene gray eyes. had
combined together to get the better OF
him. In one moment he had awoke to
the fact that he loved her madly, and
desired her above everything on earth,
and in the next to the fact that she
loved him, and was to be obtained.
That was the climax, and now-after
the climax the reaction.
No wonder that Cyril looked moody
and uncomfortable rs he wendell his
way toward the hawthorn tree that
had been The Sent witness OF 50 many
meetings and partings.
He was first at the trysting place,
but Elaine 500 Joined him, and the
moment he saw her he became con-
scious of some subtle change In her.
could not define 1t, but he felt that
1t was there.
He threw his cigarette away, and
strolled on by her side as usual, but
the situation had lost its piquancy,
and he soon began to cast desperately
about for some means OF getting out
Of 1t.
Its a month to-day" he said rather
irrelevantly, "since 1 came to this hail."
Elaine nodded her fair head.
"Yes," she assented, land it's a
month to-day since 1 came to this vicar
age"
Il meant to stay a fortnight when l
came,"' he hazarded presently.
$50 did l." returned Elaine, with a
shrug of her slender shoulders. "Alas!
for the frailty of human resolutions"
Deadlock!
"Been such jolly weather, don't you
KNOW" said Cyril, desperately and dis
jointedly. Country life not so bad,
after all. Thought / should bate 1t
when l left town, but what, with ten
mis- and boating and fishing and-and
one thing and another, l-well, well,
don't YOU know He broke OIL, fioun-
dering helplessly.
elaine lifted her face a little, so that
the uncertain light fell upon it.
II thought 1 should hate 1t, too, when
l left town." she answered In her cool,
level tones; but what, with tennis and
boating and fishing and-and n thing
and another" She broke on at that
point, and filed in the blank with q
little sigh,
Another deadlock. p
He gave Elaine a quick furtive
glance.
She looked very pretty in the soft
twilight, more than pretty, but her
dreamy beauty did not stir his pulses
to-day as 1t had done yesterday.
But If Elaine looked even prettier
than usual, she also looked graver, and
the uneasy frown dar.ened on Cyrirs
brow. He feared that she was n of
the girls who misunderstood him, and
that she would make a scene when he
told her he was going away.
"Well, 1t has been n pleasant month.
any way" he said at last, urged thereto
by a desperate feeling that he must
say something at all hazards.
yes" Elaine assented, dreamily;
every pleasant"
Her serene, unconscious eyes gazed
straight before her into the hazy dis
lance with q rapt, far-away expression.
She was all in white, and she looked
like a tall, sweet, Mary lily, with slen-
der, swaying form, her pure. pale face,
In its framework of ruttied golden hair.
"And, like all pleasant things" Cyril
went on, In the same desperate way,
ut must come to an end, l suppose.
All pleasant things come to an end,
don't they?'
Elaine nodded gravely.
Eyes, the copybooks say 80, and, Of
course, they + right"
"Of course they are right" echoed
Cyril.
Elaine turned the calm light Of bel
gray eyes f:ll on his face.
Il suppose" she said, you mean you
are going away?"
Cyril was somewhat taken aback; HI
had not expected her to jump at a con
clusion quite SO quickly, but, all thu
same, he felt rather relieved.
"Yes," he answered, II am goine