The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-02-13
Z be Ef>0r/d'S H>ny,


N
bon vivant, hero of an endless array
ofrmore or less exciting love scrapes,
gentleman and all around good fellow
he, Charlie Brown, actually in the
meshes OF love, frightfully, scntimen-
tall y, desperately in love.
And with whom? A girl he con-
iessed did not caro- q snap for him -
Mary Chisholm, rich, cultured, travel
ed' cynical and proud.
n Look here, Brown" said Van
Iweet, one day in Browns room,
throwing ono leg over tho other and
looking his friend straight in the eve,
something very serious is the mat.
ter. l have Quietly studied you for
some time and diagnosed your lease
very carefully. You are in love. Como,
now, who is she Out with it,"
Brown tried to look surprised and |
then ilippant.
Tut tutw said Van Tweet "you
can't simulate any beguiling nonchal- |
ance before me; you can't deceive XAalI
Twcet. II you arc in troublssS""r"@H
tidant' Observation-Disclosures me your con,
to I"inE hav.nt IN the eve" w"'u
Il :.,,r''o think about just now. Lco a.,
y IN on the ground iloor. Now, then. us
love, isn't it?"
Brown swept his hand over his lore
head and stretched himself, like .
man who is undergoing u struggle
with himself, and then he blurted out
It's love, damn it all; just think Of
it t!-me-falling in love ! Don't you
me ?"
And he jumped to his feet and
towsled his hair like a. tragcdian.
Sit down, Brown. It's u mighty
good thing you relieved yourself OF
this secret. The fever has mounted
from your heart to your brain. fc"
months moro OF this supprcssing agony
and l don't know but trcpauning woult'
have proved the only remedy. Gil
down, | say.
"Now, tell mo all, and after am H.
possession Of the facts, us We say in Il
newspaper Office. l'll help you to dc,
some thinking"
1t was the same old hypnotic power
which he cXcrtcd over all mon and all
women, too, that made Charlie Brown
relinqush all resistance to Van Twcct$
appeal.
"All right" said Brown, aftcr Il
moments reelection. 81 trust y0l.
with my secret on your promise rf
silence. | have been, like Tantalus
the possessOr Of Il ravishcd heart eve,
since met Miss Chisholm ut the bcacli
last season."
"Oh, it's Chisholm, is it ?" said Var
Twcct, intcrrupting him.
I" don't know what possessed me t,
fall in love with her." continued
Brown; "but she provoked me-"
That's right; tho woman is always
to blumc," put in Van Twrct.
She provoked mo by her informal
Indifference. There she WAS, the con.
scious center OF lot OF fellows, all
trying TO make themselves agreeable,
and she only laughed ut them-laugh,
ing at them AS Il queen might at ;
roomfnl OF gibbering parrots; Sh:
thought she was too good for the lot
"And most likely she WIS right il
her conclusion" said Van Twoct
What did that concern you? Die
you try to make parrot OF yourself
rs we'll ?"
"Try?" echoed Brown. "Try
Great Scott, was the worst OF then
Z" You crouchcd at her feet apt
twanged at your Tyre like tho res
you, Brown" Van Twect was owl
dcntly surprised.
"Oh, not like the rest" said Brown
Catch me bearing any womans
train. No, did worse, rs | am about
to tell you. First, studiously avoided
her. She must have noticed it,, and
before long she seemed not to sec me
at ALL | knew what that meant. She
was going to punish me by pretending
that there WAS no such person as
Charlie Brown on this terrestrial
plane.
so laid myself out to be as coolly
scorniul rs she. AOu ought To have
seen us And so things went on, until
1nu II l,.,,. ,,,,f l.
er, and it fell to my happy lot to rescue
Miss Chisholm from drowning.
" 1t was a more serious matter than
had reasoned. Expert swimmer as
she is, she completely lost her senses
and she folded her arms around my
neck rs impulsively as il we had been
old acquaintanccs. All this occurred
under water, or shouldn't have mind
ed it half as much.
" Anyhow, rescued her, togc: cr
with ABOUT IL ton Of salt water, wi l.
made mo sick for u week, and d -
that we were worse enemies tuun
ever.
81 say we," continued Brown, "but
that is little too sweeping. BY what
process know not, but from tho mo.
ment | held her in my arms and
dragged her limp and dripping to
where her mother and brother could
lay hands on her. | felt feit--"
You're sure she hates you?"
ON, have no doubt Of it," said
Brown. 81 called, and that call com
pleted my downfall. ! have never
had the same respect for myself
since"
And you think she hates you ?"
BY jove, | tell you she Is getting
even with mo for being the instru-
ment of fate to rescue hcr from the
waves. That girl would a Thousand
times rather have died than owe her
life to my efforts"
Van Tweet thought for the briefcst
OF moments, and then looked up like
q physician who has reached IL con-
clusion at his patients bedside.
"Brown," he said, "you are other
1ool or else you are perversely en-
tertaining-I will not even say beguil-
mg-,your heart with an interesting
4 Illusion. You know that the girl loves
4 you, or else you arc SO blind that it
4 would be charitable to hold YOU non
ccompos mentis. Now, don't try to
De"llder my Judgment with a mass of
4 petCy 1aneles con njurcd up lust because