Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-04-03
The STORY Teller.
MY FOUNTAIN PPM.
AN UNLUCKY ADVENTURE.
BY ROBERT WAGNER.

BY ROBERT WAGNER.
am not the possessor of a fountain
pen. never had but one, which was
given me as Christmas present years
ago when I was a young man and
fountain pens were novelty. Mine
was made of tin, with rubber bag tc
} hold the ink. When you squeezed the
penholder the ink ran out of the bag
and flooded the pen-or anything else
that happened to be within conven'
lent range. The diabolical contrivance
looked like tin whistle and acted
like cuttle-ish; but no one else had
one, and so I was proud of it. Vanitas
vanitatum Short was my triumph
1 can still remember, as painfully as
though it was an affair of yesterday
how the tragedy occurred. Il was al
the Sturdevant-H Hamilton's ball-quite
the swell event of the season. l had
been looking forward to this ball with
interest for good while, because
intended to find an opportunity there
to effect a reconciliation with Alice,
Such opportunities were not frequent,
and knew that if I missed this one il
might be a long time before I found
another, and that odiously handsome
Dick Hamilton was paying her great
deal more attention than liked.
i Alice and I had been close friends
, ever since we. were children, and
had come to feel that had sort ol
proprietorship in her. We had even
been engaged for just "a hours, at the
end of which time we had quarrelled
for reasons too complicated and too
absurd to be introduced here. I speed
ily repented, however, and was only
waiting for an opportunity to induce
her to do likewise.
With this weighty resolution on my
mind, it is no wonder that l felt a
little tremor as I started to 60 down
stairs, and that scanned myself with
unusual attention in the great pier.
glass, to make sure that my attire was
perfect. Nothing embarrasses one
more under trying circumstances than
the consciousness of being badly dress.
ed. I was, I think may say, well
dressed. My trousers were impecca'
BILE, my gloves ditto, my coat fitted to
perfection, my white waistcoat was as
spotless-to employ figure which is
popular among my brother barris-
ters-as spotless as the driven snow ;
nv hair was at that precise point
when it has lost the formality given to
it by the hairdresser, without assum-
ling the wild and outrageous appear.
ance to be noticed among musicians
and other doubtful characters. My
complexion had never been better.
On the whole, I was very we'll salts
fed with the general effect.
When I entered the ballroom Alice
was away at the further end, talking,
I grieved to note, with that odious
young Hamilton. I did not care to
make my approach under such trying
circumstances, and bided my chance
with what patience I could muster.
Finally my opportunity came, aud l
lost no time in reaching her side. She
greeted me very kindly, as she always
did, in something the same style that
she might have received very old
friend Of her fathers. This cheerful,
unembarrassed greeting always pro.
voked me beyond measure; but did
my best to stifle my ill-temper which
was also somewhat assuaged by the
pleasing discovery that through some
misunderstanding she was not engaged
for the next dance. I had never seen
her more radiantly beautiful, and /
feel the gaze of many envious observ'
ers turned upon US as we took our
places. The next dance and the next
were taken, but the third she promised
to me. At the end of the dance, which
was waltz, and taken at the unmer-
cifully fast tempo then prevalent, | re-
marked that she was somewhat flush.
ed with the heat, and proposed that
we should take turn in the conserv.
atory.
Whether she guessed what was in
my mind or not, l cannot say. 1t
seemed to me that the color grew a
shade deeper in her lovely cheeks, but
that may have been due to the heat,
or was perhaps the effect of my own
imagination. At any rate she assented
in the most charming manner in the
world, and we strolled out into the
large and handsome conservatory
which was now quite deserted. 1t was
in this same conservatory that we had
stood sud talked the evening after we
were engaged, and I hoped that mem
ories of this would affect her as they
did me. But alas! she was evidently
in very sympathetic state of mind.
~ suppose you must be very much
engaged with your profession" she re-
marked, sweetly "we see so little of
you nowadays"
This had all the the effect Of pre-
meditated satire. 1t had not been a
month sirce we had laughed merrily
together at my briefess condition, and
had agreed that we could be very hap
py together without riches.
"Not so deeply engaged but that
find time to call on all who care to
have me-" l answered bitterly.
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