Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-05-04
SHE NEVER MARRIED

"Auntie, will you tell me a storyf The
story, you know, you've promised mo 80
often--why you never married DO you
remember, Auntie, when was little You
used TO say IL was because no ono had
asked your j never believed that" and
tho girl laughed. "Thcn you promised
you'd tell mo when was 10, and now 1
am 49," and Miriam gave tug at her
skirts with all the pleased proprictorship
Of long dresses. 80 do, auntie, dear"
VERY well, darling" Miss Daneby
sighed, and Miriam drew up her chair
and rested her golden head on tho old la
dy's knee.
Now, auntie. I'm ready" and Miss
Daneby began.
II was just about your ago when
came out, and for months past i had
looked forward to n London season and
thought my first ball would never come.
But the much looked for night came at
last, and, when dressed and ready to start,
thought 1t the hnppiest moment OF my
life, but 1t was nothing TO what followed.
The flowers, the music, the lights, the
bright dresses, and the gay people wan
dering hither and thithcr, all dazzled me
and put me In mind OF fairyland. i did
not lack partners, and danced till the
small hours of the morning. Every one
said had been success, but paid little
attention to any OF their remarks. had
enjoyed myself wildly What more could /
want to make mo happyp was very, very
young.
"Soon after, met Mr.. G.. remember
1t was almost my first dinner party, and,
having sufficiently recovered myself from
u fit Of shyness, / looked round ut my next
door neighbor, and there, on my left, were
two blue eyes laughing Mt me. He must
have noticed my slIyness, / fancicd, and
with the pride Of youth, deeply resented
it. After that found the blue eyes nearly
always smiled when they looked at me,
AMI / got to love that smile, and even that
evening i realized that only foolish Is
could take offense at such trifle, so we
laughed and made friends. All through
dinner he talked to mo good deal, and /
forgot my shyness and became communi-
cative on many subjects.
after that evening we met frequently,
danced together, rode togethcr-in fact,
hardly II day passed without our meeting,
till at last began to look for him, wheth-
er In the park or ut q ball or concert. AT
that time life was brimming over with
happiness. had no very definite idea of
the future, and the present was SO sweet
that preferred not thinking OF u change
of any sort.
"The first spot on my happiness was at
one ball, where had expected to find Mr..
g., and though l was not enjoying
things bit did not want to come away.
Perversity of human nature! And only In
the carriage did 1 confess to myself that /
had staid on in the hope of his turning up
late. Well he didn't, and 1t was with n
somewhat heavy heart went to sleep that
night, but by next morning tho cloud had
passed away. We're we not going to meet
and ride together2
Gould his presence make any difference
to my enjoymentp At first / laughed Mt
the idea, but soon found it was not to be
laughed at. Where he was there my en-
joyment was complete, but where no was
not seldom cared to stay. Naturally pcO-
pie began to talk about us, and, rs Is the
way of the world, speculatcd as to what
would como ofs it, II it would be a good
thing or not. Well, let them talk. What
cared Ip was SO certain he loved me that
/ smiled when people told me that Lady
Dallas was doing all she knew to catch
him for her daughter. Poor Alice Dallas 4!
Why, he never SO much as looked at her
when 1 was near! How soon was pride to
have a fall!
1.-THE summer was nearly over, and peo-
pie began to hurry away from London.
We met again In tho country and spent
long days together, and again people be.
gan to wonder why he did not propose.
Perhaps l was the person who wondered
least, for was / not sure that sooner OF
later he undoubtedly would? Then, one
Sunday evening, we parted, to meet again
the following week. but somehow that
meeting never came about. In the long
months that followed / remembered him
as saw him last, waving his handkerchief
from the carriage window.
"Then, one day, heard he was engaged
to Alice Dallas AT first would not be
lieve it, but when belief was forced upon
me my grief knew SO bounds. Till that
day / hardly realized how fond had
grown of g., and the prospect Of a long
life without him appalled, me. cried ms
II my heart would break, and then pride
came to my rescue, Full Of courage and
firm resolve, took up the thread of my
daily life and hoped not only to hide my
feelings, but to still the dull, aching pain
by plunging wildly into reckless excite.
ment. 1t was all very well for a bit, but
the reaction was bound ito come, and dis
covered that must try some other remedy.
1--WE met several times after the engage.
ment was announced-tas ,friends-and
talked and laughed as IN the old days,
save perhaps for touch of bitterness,
which then I had never known, and the
sound Of my voice seemed hollow and un,
real, perhaps because tears were so near
the surface. Then came the wedding and
subsequent congratulations, and 1 was
among the uirst to offer mine, and was 1t
fancy that Thought the bridegroom looked
at me little wistfully and wasihardly as
radiant as the OCCASION warranted2 But,
then, no one Ghought it was n lovoamatch |
Had not Alice herself given out that she
did not care for himp And hep But, then,
why had he taken this stepS''
Miss DancbY paused, and In the now
fast gathering darkness Miriam could dis