Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1895-11-16


beauty and wealth to whom Miss Wit
temore had been, for many years, 6
mother. Although Maud's tiancee was
count Count Kanolky, young
Frenchman Of Polish ancestry, there
was but a slight Auttering OF the
wings of society. For those who were
interested in counts had gone abroad
to seek them and those of Miss Wit
temore's set who remained had met
counts before and had found them &c
be like all the rest OF mankind, good
and bad-mostly bad.
There was a largo attendance at the
garden party. however. There always
was at any function given by Miss
Wittemop. She was IN old maid ii
is true, but she was the sweetest, most
lovable and youngest old maid in all
Christendom. And besides, there was
about her the atmosphere OF that most
interesting thing, romance in real
lie. Indeed, Miss Wittemore, in her
day, nd been the belle of all Amer
lea I; she had been, aud still was, very
rich woman, and she was of the very
inuermost social circle of New York.
She was an old maid. Yes, she laugh.
ingly acknowledged the fact herself.
But her friends considered her such
more because they thought she would
eventually become q prim, old, un.
married woman, than because she was
really 60 very old. No one could have
criticised the pink OF her complexion,
the lustre of her hair, or the brill.
fancy of her eyes; and her figure, her
bearing, her manner, were royal.
Old Colonel Tom Appleton used to
declare that che had received an aver.
age of proposal day for over ten
years. And there was probably some
foundation for the statement. The
frank old soldier was alleged to know
more about the rich girls OF New York
than all the young fellows in town put
together. Having NO daughter of his
own, he maintained that he had q
right to be fsthsr confessor to all of
them. But IL was darkly limited that
the Colonel based his statement more
on his intimate knowledge Of the &C.
tions of his friend and boon compan-
ion, Charley Thornton, than on any
thing else. And Charley was noted
for but one th,ng-that was his life
long devotion to Laura Wittemore.
But that is part Of the romance.
The story is short and not so very
uncommon. Laura Wittemore when
. young girl had spent several sea-
sons abroad. During winter in Paris
she had met Q young Frenchman, who,
although untitled, was of an excellent
family and Lieutenant OF Engineer 6
in the French army. They had loved
each other at first sight and soon be-
came engaged. She had returned to
America for the season preceding their
appointed nuptials. He had resigned
his commission in the army and be.
come an engineer on the Panama
Canal. There was a long period OF
correspondence between them, fo!.
lowed by a period OF silence on his
part-the conventional percurser OF
an estrangement. One day she
received information that he had
become an embezzler. A year
later the news came that he had
become a swindler in a South Ameri-
can State. Later, through the alleged
kindness of friends, she had learned OF
his continued degradation, until atlast
she heard of him no more in any way.
The average woman would have speed
lily forgotten such an experience. Not
so WITH: Laura Wtttainore. The men
who believed that she was like the or.
binary run of women There were many
such men) and; proposed, with the de-
lightful hope Stwianiag . celebrated
got ss's su ns .sNo'siss sS.wc1. And
few of them eysf had the courage to
meet her .again-always excepting
Charley Thornton. His was a case Of
such blind devotion and such courage
that even Laura Witteinore respected
it; and in time he became, not her &C
copied lovor, but her tolerated adj
mirer, and he was quite satisfied with
the role. People said it was because
he was the poorest of her admirers
hat she gave him the unusual privi
kege. II seemed a triHe cruel. Hi
case being hopeless. it appeared as il
! Ihe were making the situation all The
more tormenting.
The years rolled on. Miss Witte
more never mentioned the name Of hel
recreant lover, but there was NO ont
who did not believe, who did not know
in fact, that she still believed in him
still loved him. She was waiting fol
him to come back to her. All womel
have faith in the men they love. Her
was an unusual example of the faith o
. perfectly organised woman. In tn
: meantime she changed but slightly.
gray hair or so appeared abov'
her temples and she had Oc
casiousl lapses into melancholy. Dur
ing these she WAS usually rather dis
tant to the everfaithful Thornton
, He, naturally, would be thrown int
the depths of dependency on such oc
casions. But his friends agreed, to
! mn ., land ayop IN q vaman\ %.,nk thaa