Evening star., 1896-01-04

was that Miss Bessie Duran5s motives
were entirely misunderstood by an unap-
preeiative world. Was she to be blamed
because young men wanted her to marry
them? Certainly not. 1t was not ner fault
that she was pretty and sweet, and that
young men, as a general rule. liked to talk
to her better than to any one else in the
neighborhocd Many of her detractors
would very likely have given much TO nave
had Bessie's many charms of face, figure
and manner. This is a jealous world, and
people delight IN saying spiteful little
things about those more favored by PrOvi-
dence than themselves. 1t must be ad-
mitted, however. that Bessie had a certain
cOo.ng, confidential way with people that
nay have misled some of the young men
who ultimately proposed to her into I'M
agining that they were especial favprites
with the young lady
She took a kindly interest in their affairs
and very shortly after their acquaintance
with her most young men found them
selves pouring into her sympathetic ear
all their hopes and aspirations. Bess:e's
ear was very shell-like and beautiful as
well as sympathetic, SO that one can hard
ly say the young men were to blame. any
in this world wants to talk of himself or
herself, as the case may be, and so it is no
wonder that person like Bessie, who IS
willing to listen while other people talk
OF themselves, is popular Among the
many billions who inhab:t this planet there
are too many takers and too few listeners
and although Bessie was undoubtedly
brilliant tafker on occasion, there is no
doubt that her many victories resulted
more from her apprecative qualities as a
talented listener than from the entertain
ing charms of her conversation. Those
women WHO have so much to say about
Bessie's behavior might well take leaf
from her book in this respect. They would
find, If they had even passably- good looks,
that proposals would be more frequent OF
course there IS Lo use in denying that Bes-
h1H IN to, RI -
young men to the point. Her eyes were
large and dark and they had an entranc-
ing habit of softeHins just at the right
moment. when there came into them a
sweet. trustful. yearning look that it was
simply impossible to resist. They gazed mus
at q young man when he was telling in
low whispers how he hoped to make the
world wiser ana better by his presence in
II, or when he narrated some incident of
great danger IN which he took part where
tunconsciously, perhaps, on the teIIer's
parD his own heroism was shown forth to
the best possible advantage Then Bes-
sizes eyes would grow large and humid and
tender and a subdued Eight would come
into them as she hung breathlessly on his
words Did not Desdenona capture Othcl-
10 merely by listening to a recital of his
own daring deeds. which were, doubtless,
very greatly exaggerated?
The young men at the big hotel I'm Thun
were clad mostly in k1ickerbockers, and
many OF them had alpenstocks of their own
terrace in front of the hotel during the
pleasant summer evenings and relate to
Bessie their hairbreadth escapes the con-
tinuous murmur Of the River Aarc forming
a soothing chorus to their dramatic narra-
tions- At least a dozen young men lowered
around the girl. willing and eager to conffde
IN hsr, but while Bessie was smiling and
KIND 10 them all, 1t was soon evident that
some special one was her favorite, and then
The rest hung hOpelessiy back Things
would go wonderfully well for this lucky
fellow for a day or two. and he usually be-
came 50 extensively concefted In his bea ring
toward the rest that the wonder is he es-
capped without personal vengeance being
wreak2f upon him; then all at once he
would pack up his belongings and gloomily
depart for Berne or Interlaken, depending
on whether his ultimate destination was
west or east The young men remaining in
variably tried not TO look jubilant at the
sudden departure, while the ladies' staying
at the hotel began to say hard things Of
Bessie. going even so far as to assert that