Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-02-20
BILE. Now tell me, DJfss dear, who is
coming this afternoonp"

BILE. Now tell me, D1f1s dear, who is
coming this afternoonP"
"Ohl The usual crush, suppose.
Including Mr.. Randolph"
Queen, there is a mystery about
him. Let me tell you. In the first place,
he has not been here for over week,
and then yesterday saw him coming
down Fifth avenue, and-would you be-
lieve it?-just as l was about to bow to
him he turned down side street.
"He did not see you, my dear, or he
surely would have spoken. He would
have been too glad.
"Well, if he did not see me, he must
have suddenly contracted nearsighted-
ness that is all have to say"
Shortly after company began to ar
rive, and very soon the rooms were fill
ed by a crowd which is aptly described
by the term used by Dora. One goes to
these affairs partly from duty and part
ly from habit. One leaves mainly from
the instructive sense Of self preservation
inherent in all
Dora was besieged by a number of
admirers and took pleasure in avoiding
Mr.. Randolph, who was assiduous in
his attentions. He seemed anxious to
get her off into the seclusion of a cor
ner, a scheme which the young lady
frustrated without appearing to do so.
Mr.. Thauret was also present, though
he did not remain very long. He chat
ted short time with Emily on conven-
tional subjects, and then worked his
way to the side of Dora, where he lin
gered longer. He said several pretty
things to her, such as she had heard al
ready in different forms from other
men, but with just IA tone which SEEM
! ed to indicate that he spoke from his
heart rather than from the mere pass
ing fancy of pleasing. 1t was very skill
fully done There was so little of 1t
that no one, certainly not an inexperi-
enced girl like Dora, could suspect that
it was all studied. Yet after he had
gone, and the company was thinning
out, Mr.. Randolph found his long
sought opportunity, and sat down for a
tete-a-tete with Dora. He began at
| once.
"Miss Dora, why do you allow a
cad like that Frenchman to make love
to you?"
care you alluding to my friend, Mr..
Thauret? She accentuated the word
friend" merely to exasperate Mr.. Ran
dolph, and succeeded admirably.
HE is not your friend. In my opin-
ion he is nobody's friend but his owp. I"
"That has been said of SO many that
it is no new idea"
"But do be serious, Miss Dora. You
must not allow this fellow to worm his
way into your circle, and, more than
| all, you must not allow him to make
| love to you"
"You surprise me, Mr.. Randolph. /
had no idea that Mr.. Thauret was max
| ing love TO me. / could relate every
thing that he said, and it would scarce
| ly bear out your assumption.
THAT is only his cunning. He is too
shrewd to speak plainly so soon. " And
yet this young philosopher was not wise
enough to see that he was damaging his
own cause by putting ideas into the
| girls mind which had not yet entered
| there.
| "Why, Mr.. Randolph, you are really
becoming amusing. You are like Don
Quixote fighting windmills. You imag-
inc "a condition, and then give me Is
warning. 1t is entirely unnecessary, l
assure you. Mr.. Thauret was not acting
in any such way as you impute to him. "
"You are not angry with me, hope.
You know what prompted me to speakY"
"No, / fear / am not SO clever as you
at reading other peoples motives "
'But surely you must have guessed
that
Guessed what?'' Dora looked at
him so candidly that he was abashed.
1t was his opportunity to declare him
self, and he might have done SO had not
Mr. Mitchell entered the room ut that
| moment. Seeing him, Mr.. Randolph
thought of the peculiar position he
would be- in if his friend should be
proved to be IA criminal For this rea-
son he hesitated, and thus lost chance
which did not recur again for very
long time. He replied in a jesting tone,
and soon after left the house.
The company had departed. Dora
had gone to her own room, leaving Mr..
Mitchell and Emily alone together.
Emily, my Queen, said Mr.. Mitch
el, taking one Of her hands carelessly
within both Of his, us they sat upon u
tete.a-teta sofa 81 llIs-~--- lAAliaua that