The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-05-23
LOST OPPORTUNITIES.
BY VI. j. HAMPTON.

had a months vacation, money
enough to meet all ordinary demands
and lovely place picked out to spend
them both in to my hearts desire.
The place was a charming resort,
where the best people congregated in
numbers of the proper proportion to
maintain the standard of exclusive
ness, and there were five young women
there, any one of whom could have
made me happy for life if she had
been so disposed. OF, course, there
were others there always are at
summer resorts but they lacked
those graces which made these five de-
lightful of contemplation to me, see
ing that no one of them had less than
one hundred thousand dollars of con-
tingent fund in case of matrimony or
other emergency.
AS l was about to say, the name of
this charming place was Sal-Soda Spa.
and as | shall now say, though it may
be bad form to mention lady's name
in print, the names of the young
women were Katherine Stewart, Mary
Hertone, Edith Harmon. Frances Bar
ton and Gertrude Gray, all represent
atives of rich and rare-as they say in
the bric-a-brac shops-old families, adj
mission to which | was seeking on the
most liberal terms.
had chosen Sal-Soda Spa because 1
had understood men were ridiculously,
not to say painfully, scarce there.
When l registered the debonair clerk
behind the counter smiled or me
benignantly.
"Ah, Mr. Vivian" he said. eve are
glad to see You. We expected you
three days ago. At least, the young
ladies are.
How well l remember that night
after dinner, when, as the others were
dancing in the great ballroom, Miss
Gray and | sat in the silver shadows of
the piazza with the insistent moon
light making strenuous efforts to reach
us, but coming no nearer than the hem
of Gertrude's pretty gown.
l had hardly thought the fates would
be so propitious but they were, and it
was not my province to question, but
to act, and was making my prepare
tons to do so when, in answer to a
query of mine concerning the men at
the Spa, Miss Gray went into a rhap-
sody over fellow she Familiarity des-
ignated as Charlie.
Il beg your pardon" said, with a
damp, cold something clutching at my
heart, but who is Charlie, Miss Ger
trude?"
said miss Gertrude" to her as a
gentle reminder to her that we were
not entire strangers.
''Oh, " she exclaimed, in the hatefully
rapturous tones woman can use when
she is talking to one man about an
other man she admires, don't you
know Charlie? But of course you
don't. How could you? He has gone
away; but when he comes bacl. you
must see him. He is the loveliest fell
low, and"
at occurs to me-" l interrupted, not
unmannerly, hope, that Charlie, as
you call him, has made Il very deep i'm
preston upon your tender young
heart, Miss Gertrude"
Possibly there was tinge of sarcasm
in my speech possibly l was rude
possibly-but what matters it? Miss
Gray was offended, and the few re-
naming moments she gave me were
devoted to patching up a peace, and
one of my glorious, golden opportuni-
ties was gone forever.
However, there are just as good fish
In the sea as were ever caught out of
it, and though don't care for fish, ex-
cept in Lent, | took heart again, and
the next morning at breakfast | asked
Miss Stewart to go walking with me
and show me the sights of the Spa. AS
no other man was in sight, she fairly
jumped at the chance. and we strolled
away in the bright sunlight of a sum
mer morning in the mountains. l have
no record by me of what we talked
about for an hour or more, but when
we had reached point overlooking the
hotel we sat down to enjoy the view
and rest bit, end from that point on