The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-03-23
ternal permission to press the suit to
a.. eft, Il, I,a, ,kan

AS AakA
1t was in the park that the lover
had resolved to put his fate tc d
test. In his waistcoat pocket was d
%circlet, of the approved fashion of the
period for an engagement ring, and he
sought with Miss Rosa one of the
least frequented paths and placed him
self Oh a bench by her side hear d
fountain and basin.
"I hope you have had a happy time
hero. Miss Rosa" said Middleton.
80, Observation-Disclosures to you-what
woull we have done without you?"
II wish l might presume to think
you could not do without me-may l.
dear Miss Rosa?" and he fumbled in
his pocket for the ring, which, folded
in paper, had been mingled with other
odds and ends there. AS he took out
a handful of these he unceremoniously
put on his eye glasses, and as he sep
arated the little folded square from
the other articles he glanced up at
Miss Rosa, who had grown rather pale.
But, alas, this was not all which the
tell-tale lunettes revealed! His Ores
den shepardess was turned into a
rather coarse featured ordinary young
woman of the common clay. Young?
There We're even crows feet about her
eyes.
"Her hair was rather coarse and ex-
hibited evidences of ~concealing that
horror, d Switch" The lips were a
little dry and showed signs of
''cracks" The small parcel fell from
M;ddleton's paralyzed fingers into the
pool. His presence of mind had near
ly deserted him, but as Miss Rosa's cry
at the accident he recovered himself
sufficiently to stammer "O-no conse-
quen :e whatever! 1 was only going to
roll a cigarette-it was only a little
package of paper-and las l was say
ing, Miss Rosa, when you were speak
ing so kindly about my little, efforts
to amrse you all-may l hope you
won't r. ally miss me so very much
when l leave town for a few days, as
l do to- n.orrow?" p
What the girl answered Middleton
did not know. If by the telcpathy
which usually enables us to read each
others thoughts, outrunning coming
words or c~ontradicting false ones, she
had anticipated what it was on his
lips to speak, he %fervently prayed that
the confusion of his mind since he
had quizzed his companion with his
eyeglasses had prevented the last
underlying thought from passing from
his conscience to hers. This was to
get away as quickly as possible from
an in.perilled situation; to free him.
self from a person for whom his at
traction had turned to a very active
repulsion. Fortunately his honor had
been saved though by a mere fuke.
He breatbel freely for a moment I'M
til the thought of the ardent southern.
err crossed his mind. Had his atten'
tons been too marked, his confidence
too apparently apropos, for General
Rosa to tolerate his sudden change OF
base? This aspect of the affair flash
ed through his mind as he was at the
door of the boarding house after q
homeward walk, cold and reserved or
the lady's part, preoccupied on the ca
valier's. He bowed and left her there
putting on his glass for one final, con
elusive. desperate stare, and went tt
his club.
In a very few minutes one of the
servants brought him a portmanteaI
and a few clothes from his chambers
and, mailing a note to Mrs. Simmons
to account for his absence by a plet
of business which took him away
from the city, in which he forced him
self to send a message of regard ant
regret to his good friends" thu
RosaS, he took the night train for Chi
cago, leaving no address.
A card which Middleton found a
his club, upon which General Ros;
had permitted himself to pencil som
uo,su Strnnp nvprncSinDc on6 81 1nttn
which was lying at his lodgings
breathing vengeance and almost
cartel, proved to him on his retr"
that his discretion had been the bet,
part! And his valor hardly returne,
until the summer came round and h
read in n of the society newspaper
Of the engagement of Miss Rosa a
Bar Harbor, to a fellow visitor at tina
very engaging resort.
When Middleton finally made hi
choice of a partner for life he ha
ado pied spectacles, weary Of the vie
lent shocks which he was continual
receiving from the alterations b.
tween the delightful impressions of hi
elderly eyes and the shocking revels
tons of his too truthful eye-glasse
Once. shortly before their marriage
the future Mrs. Middleton said: Sd
my love, take off your %spectacles an
let me see your dear eyes just tn
once"
"Not today. please" replied Middl
ton. "By and by. perhaps, when W
have learned to love each other faitl
fully and have grown to be M
life as in name. If I should lay asi(
. thes. now, the ,glamor might retul
and make me discontinued with IL
truth, with which I am so content
Z your sweet face, just as 1t is
"a creature not too bright or good
For human natures daily food"
p D1e+on UN,o ), co,;nt