Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-11-08

self, aud there we're at least six
other men who considered they had
cl aims. One can't help laughing,
q though it isn'ta thing to be amused
about, really. | think they ought
to send the girl straight back TO
England
'Oh, come. Miss Graham, perhaps
she did not mean to do any harm
'No,' said the girl, bitterly. The
people who 1irt never mean to DO
harm, l believe but that does not
make it any less cruel
Would you-would you be very
down on a man that flirtedF
'Oh, lis not really worse iu a
nan than IN a woman. It's heart.
less aud mean, and cOnteu ptible
on either side.'
'Bnt, Miss Graham remonstrat-
ed tue man, lit doesn't follow
always that flirting merits all the
hard names you give 1t. Some.
times 1 fancy, it may be a very in
nocent form ofamusement.|
'Ah, you don't understand, you
don't know said the girl, earnestly.
You are too simple and honorable
yourself to guess what it may
mean when it's innocent amuse-
ment, on one side anG not on the
other. That game is so seldom
/ played fairly on both sides. Per.
haps 1 should have thought like
yOu but tor something that hap
peaed when | was very young. |
can never forget-I can never
think lightly of flirting again.
Her voice stopped with little
quick catch Of the breath; the man
looked at her with face OF syWpa-
thy and interest. Presently she
went on again;
Ill tell y0u, it you like; 1t does
ut matter now who knows. | had
a frlend-my dearest friend, though
she was some years older than l.
She died six years ago, and was
with ber much of the time that she
was i'll. They called it all sorts
OF things, and no one knew but |
that she died of a broken heart.
suppose it was one Of those cases
of innocent amusement.
Her people used to go every
summer to a little watering place,
where they had cottage and a
boat. Oae year there was young
man there, handsome, clever and
attractive, aud with some halo Of
romance aud herOism about him
that made him speedily interest.
ing. Mabel liked him from the
first, and when he began TO de.
vote himself to her, as he did
almost at Ouce, there grew up an
understanding between them that,
in Mabels eyes, was equivalent to
an engagement. You see my
friend was quite incapable Nf flirt-
ing, and it never occurred to her
that an honorable man could mean
anything but that. OF cOorse, IN
her eyes, this was the embodiment
of honor, and courage, and every
other virtue.
IMable nad SAID nothing to her
people. There was no formal en-
gagement, you know, no ring, aud
Mabel was ii shy and sensitive
girl. She dreaded the publicity
and the fuss of congratulations.
She was not afraid of opposition,
her love was good enough partl,
and she was glad that no one
should know for a little while.
One day she awOke to the tact that
she ought, perhaps, to speak. Her
lover had persuaded her to meet
him by the river, after dusk, and
they were 10 20 for row. VI Ib!e |
had rather reluctantly consented |
to this pan, for her people were
rather straight.laced, and she did |
not think they wOuld like it. In
fact, after first intending to tell
her mother, as a matter of course,
as the day wore on she found II
more and more difficult to speak OF
it. She worried herself quite i'll,
for she did not want 60 break her
promise, and she could see no way
of keeping 1t. As tuck would have |
1t, her people were going next door
flr a quiet rlbber after dinner.
NJ .ble looked 80 wrctched that her |
mother suggested she should stay
at home and 90 early TO bed, and
aud she glacly accepted the ex
cuSe.
'As soon as they were gone she
pat on slight wrap and hastened
to the trystiug place, determining
as che went that she would ask her
lDver to speak to her people next
day. The path by the TiYer was
a private fOotway used by the resi-