The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-02-09
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A TRAIL OF LOVE.
How One May Find Happiness if He
Follows The Right Track.
RG STIRLING KANE.


took me captive often and easily ! lay
awake at night thinking of the house |
would build for pretty Monette Silly.
When she tossed me sky high, | contemp-
lated suicide for whole week. Then | met
Maria Prudens, and my spirits revived. |
declared my love to her in forty eight hours
only to be laughed at and told that she had
been engaged year. So | went ON, love
affair after love affair, each one more
painful than its predecessor, until | was
twenty five, when common sense called
and half questioned: "Morely Montague
are you going to court every girl in Chris
tendon.
Then the susceptibility that encountered
such frequent inspiration began mad
rush to the other extreme. I somersaultel
over into woman hater Curls, waves,
roses, dimples, smiles-all woman witchrry
was lost on me. | had gone up the ganut
of female loveliness had sounded every
note, and my heart pronounced the tones
tiresome, uncompensating. l carried my
o
was nothing more to learn about woman,
and it became a self evident proposition
that celibacy was my doom. accepted it
cheerfully, and, like all such graduates.
began to ridicule and depreciate women
youths playthings, mans scorn.
1t was December. The first snow lay on
the ground, and the clear, cold rays of
golden sunset were falling over all the un.
trodden wilderness. The business of the
day being over, | wound up my affairs at
my Office and started for my home, which
lay on the outskirts of the town. Turning
from the main street to the road that led
to my home, observed that | was the first
pedestrian along that highway since TIL
snow had fallen. No. there is anoth
track. Some one is gone ahead of me.
And such track! A woman's? 1t mus
be child's, it is so tiny and perfect. Yet
something told me it was woman's. anu
felt sudden mysterious interest in it.
With head down and eyes following this
track reached my own gate, and, behold,
the walker turned in there!
Having settled into bachelorhooI, was
not sure l wished to meet strange woman
and knew there was no foot in my own
family that, even by tight squeezing,
could be reduced to the size of that track.
So / made sudden dart to the side door.
entered, and, meeting my mother, inquired
"Who's here?"
"Who's here?" she repeated. Glow do
you know any one is here?'
why, haven't I followed woman 5
track all the way from town. mother:
And l never saw such beautiful
foot"
Its not any prettier than the owner,
my mother replied, ''but | suppose you'll
object to meeting her, you care so little for
ladies, so Eve ordered small table laid in
the breakfastroom, and you can take your
supper alone, if you wish"
"Well, finding myself so coldly and
easily disposed Of felt uncertain as to
whether it pleased me- But asked with
a woman hating nonchalance: "Who is
the beauty with such perfect FOOT"
"She is Miss Enid Gloriana Brand,
school friend of your sisters"
Show does she happen to be here,
mother"
'She is going to visit her aunt in Fair
vile, and stopped over to spend the night
with Felicia. AS she lives in the city and
does not often see the snow in its purity,
she preferred to walk up from the train
She's a lovely creature. Pm so sorry you
won make her acquaintance, Morleym
81 don't know but | will, mother If
she's as pretty as her foot, Why
Mother laughed and said in tone that
piqued me: ''IIa, shes's so charming and
so stylish she'd never look at a country
town beau like you"
Now, people may lay themselves on
shelf and be willing to be overlooked but
they are not so ready to have other people
consign them into oblivion as unworthy,
and then to think of woman looking upon
me as country beau | determined to
meet Miss Enid Glorana Brand-her name
was longer than her foot. Twas wonder.
full with what hasty, spasmodic zeal dash
ed to my room and got into the best of
well stocked wardrobe. Miss Gloriana
could not say the suit was country cut, for
it came from her own city.
| rushed into the parlor with some little
diiiidence, it must be said, determined
however, to impress the visitor if possible,
and escape the Indifference which my mother
predicted she would feel toward me- NV
sllutation | accompanied with a compli-
ment. 81 knew some beautiful Cinderella
had entered my home, Miss Brand. | did
not find her slipper, but saw the imprint
OF her foot in the snow, and felt that | was
fortunate in being able to follow her
step
Well, now, if you had been that sweet,
grlish face blush, look down unconsciously
to her feet, which were peeping from under
"A handsome dark-blue skirt and then break
into ripple OF confused laughter, you
al sl..,N Il