The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-03

went back to ms work III BonuoH'
leaving Ruth sailing about with her
head higher in the air than ever l
thought that he had gone off and left
her lamenting. like Lord Ullan in the
old story: but cousin of mine met
him In London several years after
wards, and she declared that. from
the interested way in which he IN
Guired how Ruth was, and whether she
was married yet. 1t was very evident
that she had made a deep impression
upon his heart, and that it was her own
fault she had not become Mrs linen
man years before.
Then there was a man in the 18TH.
That was the heaviest affair Ruth
Jeaffreson ever had. For once in her
gay and don't-care sort of life, II was
plain that she had got hit right to the
very lowest depth of her heart. l don't
wonder that she was hit and hit hard.
for the man was very attractive ana
very much in love. ] never knew the
exact details, but he married somebody
else: and for months Ruth went about
looking like a ghost, with smile that
was a little too set to be quite natural.
and. her head higher in the air than
ever. / think | hated her worse at that
time than | did when she was able to
crow over me, because | knew that she
was suffering; l knew that she was
hurt and hurt badly; but as for the
white feather-not bit of 1t, not SO
much as the very tip of single quill
would she show.
After that business she never seemed
to care what she did; they were all fish
that came to her net, and, on my word,
there wasn't man in the town but fell
under the spell of her fascination. They
pretended they didn't; they would care
lessly say she was not bad sort, "a
ripping fine girl and good fun, and all
that, don't you know" But you had
only to look at them to see what their
real thought was, and that any one OF
them would have jumped at the chance
of marrying her If she would only have
given a word of encouragement 1
never hated anybody as l hated that
girl.
There was Bill Errington. Bill Err
rington used to belong to me; we had
been sweethearts years and years be-
FORE when he was boy at the grammar
school and / was girl at Miss Jenkin-
sons. For years Bill always sent me
valentine, and Christmas card, and an
Easter egg, and somehow 1t had always
| been an understood thing between his
| family and mine that one day l should
| become Mrs. Bill Errington. or, as they
always call 1t i'm Bankhampton, young
Mrs. Errington." don't say that there
were not others that 1 would rather
| have married. would have liked poor
dear Freddie much better than Bill Err
rington. but YOU know girl in place
| like Biankhampton has not got over
and above much chance of marrying
| ANYBODY, and If she doesn't want to
stop an old maid which. !! suppose, no
girl wants to do) she makes up her mind
| to take the best that comes along. I
| had quite made up my mind that !
would take Bill Errington all In good
| time. but Ruth Jeaffreson came sailing
along and she knocked that on the head
in the twinkling of an eye. I can't tell
why. She didn't want Bill-not bit OF
II believe that she would rather have
died than have married into the Erring-
ton family, although they were very
swagger people and would have been