Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-04-19

cd had proven good. Now he consid-
cred these means with pride, as the
trainer of horses might think cleveily
upon himself in bringing under control
some beautiful, unruly Kentucky thor
J oughbred.
The first two weeks succeeding his
| quarrel with frankie there had been
frigid silence on both sides. Then to
his surprise came sign OF compromise
| from the girl.
Her flag of truce shaped itself into
a note-a mere word of invitation 10
an informal gathering of friends, put
| in this effort of Cancellation Weston
saw no more than so small concession
| apparently warranted.
He thought it out carefully in this
wise:-Coming from a girl whose pride
was equal only to his sensativeness,
this sort of thing could mean but one
thing-she was as desperately in love
| as he was.
In the past few days he had already
] begun to make some allowance for her
behavior and for her temper. which lie
| told himself were urged by her youth
| and her training, but which were real
ly the result of his inability to free
himself from the fascination she had
| for him, since even wounded egoslsm
| could not destroy entirely his old feel
| ing for her or help him to renounce his
! former anticipation of possession
though he realized her tempestuousness
was fearful quality in a wife.
In the dyspeptic dependency caused
h. q las1 tt.tth
against his weakening resolutions ne
was ready now 10 seize hold
of the conclusion drawn from
Miss Frankie's little ruse as an
excuse for not giving the
young woman up. Yet he determined
| 10 be very firm. He reflected that w2-
men, like men, did not appreciate that
which was TO be had too easily, and II
| he allowed himself 20 be drawn back
into her power by such manoeuvres as
| this she would take advantage of his
weakness and tryanize over him anew.
No. he would not succumb until he had
taught her lesson.
As a first step, then, toward his wise
scheme, he pleaded an engagement as
reason for refusing her invitations, but
/ afterward, fearing that this might be
| interpreted as mere malice, he paid his
party call promptly, taking care. how
ever, that it fell upon Sunday after
noon, when there were other callers.
He was absolutely impersonal during
this brief half hour, and showed in his
! implacable countenance not a sign OF
divining the import of some of Miss
! HOlcomb's remarks, while ignoring her
| slightly nervous efforts to show him an
! especial and repentant attention.
J BY Cad, she is doing everything she
can 10 make me come round" was his
| inward exclamation on leaving the
house. And he was tickled TO death,
and resolved on the most excessive
| sterrness.
He. however, fully needed this firm
confidence 10 sustain him during the
ensuing months, when frankie. piqued
by his behavior. would resort at times
to a like role, and treat him with per-
feet and flippant Indifference. A few
/ times he saw her at the theatre, where,
conscious OF his presence, she would
display so much interest in her escort
/ and lavish upon the young man such
! prOdiguous wit and sweet glances that
| Weston would be beside himself with
! jealousy Again, she would veXatious-
| " feign not TO observe him, when, act
| ing upon like policy, he would under
take 10 be seen in some public place
with a woman. He also failed in max
! ing her evnce any feeling about the
! calls he began to pay upon young ladies
! in general. or about the attentions he
I 4 Iat -l,.a ;o~l,+ -
them.
After such trials he would remain
gloomy and doubtful of the plan he
was pursuing, but shortly frankie
would weaken and condescend to let the
gap down in the most pronounced man
ner for the re-establishment of the old
| order of things. Thus he was encour-
aged TO adhere to his refusal TO give in
without a first apology; and continued
to rarely call upon the baffled offender
unless by special invitation, or only Of
ten enough 10 keep up with her other
peauX, and discover with complacency
that none of them were serious. lie
thus guarded the field while he was
able to appear entirely Indifferent; and
in this wise goaded the girl TO final
| desperate point that had wrung from
her the open apology he now held, and
which it had taken full year to effect.
He admitted the position she had
been placed in was a trying one, since
by not having accepted his proposals
she had freed him from any obligation
of recognizing an engagement between
them. She was denied the pleasure Of
returning a betrothal ring, while his be-
havior inflicted the sting of diminish
ed regard. But now that the punish
ment had been made to fit the crime,
Weston was disposed to make the chag-
rim of this up TO her-the cl ever little
rascal.
| With this good-natured resolve he
read again the note he had found that
morning among the letters that had ac-
cumulated upon his desk in two weeks
absence from the city. There was but
one thing in it which failed TO delight
him-this was that the girl made as
reason for her apology coming at this
moment the fact that she was upon the
point OF leaving town-he was going to
lose her for time in this halcyon in
slant Of reconciliation.
She wrote:-'I am going to cross the
big pond. thing that would make me
| the happiest girl in the world were it
not that | am having behind me my
| friends, and one who has full reason to
| think i'll of me. Please, George, for
| give my rudeness toward you. l admit
| that | acted abominally on a certain &C.
casion year ago, and 1 have not been
| any the less reDentant for nv behavior