The Van Buren press., 1897-03-13

the boxes: hsye had 70 be content With
the dfess eirclen
But did gou never fan in love9" I
usked, with extreme bolaness
The pale blue eyes filed with tears.
! eyes. dear Madee. And I should Ike
10 ten YOU about IT, only there Is noths
/ ing to tell"
"ohf please tell ne as much as there
/ Is. even If there is nothing l eoaxed,
/ linegieallY.
sIf there were more to tel, I think
/ shouldn't mind 50 mneh,n said Miss
/ Sfubhs, sadly; I'D rather have a sad
story thah none AZ all Asitis, I haven't
even the right TO be unhappy; hat isn't,
Of course. equal 70 the right TO be happy,
which some fortunate women have, bur
/ if is better than nothing. Why. Madge,
ltav youth is over, and 1 have nothing
/ left to remember it by-not even a love
letter I think if had just one love
letter. that I could keep always and
read over and over again, / should be
content; for then I should feel that
! had one flower left ont of the summer
Of life
s.But do tell me what happened,'
urged
Nothing happened. I once met
some one whom loved very much, and
/ ] think he loved me; but am not even.
/ sure of that. l sometimes feel I'd give
everything I have If ] could only be
sure Of that but I'm not lie was a
Young man who had his way o inakein
the world; and my dear fathef-as
have told You before-thought great
deal Of our family and position, and
considered the man | loved was not
good enough for me. So he just pnf a
stop TO our friendship"
sAnd yen tameiy sabmitte1?.
e9Yhat else could do? Ny dear fa-
ther was a very stern man, and dared
not disobey him.
And as | ea7ed into the timid face
rtelized that poor Miss stubbs had not
reeded much coercion to mike her give
] uf1 her day dream at her stern fathers
command.
"What was your lever like2" asked.
aOhl my dear, he was the handsomest
man I ever saw, with such attfhetite
nenners," she replied
sWas he tallPn ] asked. (Being five
fcot-nine myself, had profound con-
teinpt for little menl.
Yes, dear, and such fine figure;
uiee broad shoulders, You know, and a
/ splendid carriage"
] could not help wondering how a
fire, handsome man could have fallen
in love with such a colorless 1lonentity
OF a woman, but--as have frequently
noticcd there is no accounting for
tastes.
J wars filed with pity for poor Miss
sti4bbs; it seemed so sad to GO through
life without ever really living, as she
had done; and thus IT was that my
great scheme occurred to me What a
good thing IL would be If Uneie James
would marry Miss Stubbs, nnd SO give
her some comfort at tire end Of her lifei
[ said comfort. because WINS afraid
Happiness was no longer possible 10
lci; that had Disappeared forever with
the vanished fairy prince Of her youth;
lut comfortable old age is not
ilhg to lie despised, and Al present the
little woman was poor and desolate. l
felt that Gncle james was al inade-
9uate Substitute for the lost hero whom
Miss Stubbs had described to me; but,
On the other liand, what man with the
smallest pretension to heroism would
throw the handkerchief to plain,
frightened, little spinster OF an uneer-
tain age2
tincle Jaines was mothers only BROTH
tr. He was a worthy, nlddle-aged
aeheioi'-rather short ard increasing
ly stout and was the apotlieosis Of
commonplace respectablity He pos
scssed a Kind heart and dognatic man
ner, and lie lived chiefly AZ Ills club, and
thought great deal too mitch about
things to eat. Tom said thet his high.
est feelings were aroused only IS pork
cliops but Tom was always rather Sc
we're on Uncle James When my uncle
didn't tall; about the food at the club,
I he talked about shares and Investments,
I 50 IL was no wonder that Tom and +
Thought him rather an Old bore, though
We were always Kind to him because he
vas a relation This, then, was the
victim I yearned to offer upon Miss
( SNibb's shrine, and I diyilged my
scheme to mother
Mother laughed II should be very
1 qlad for your uncle TO lnorry," she said,
"ns il worries me to think Of him all
( alone, especially when he is equity But
/ how could you expect him. or amy other
man, to full in love with that faded Old
mni59"
"0hi 7 don't expect him 10 fall Nv
love" T replied; "he's far too OLD. But
Il should like to see Miss Stubbs com
fortablv settled. and am sure she
would Be a good peaceful, hftle wife
Besides, Gncle James isn't exactly the
sort Of person to win beautiful
T princess for his BRIDE"
Poor James! And yet he had his
heautful princess once, like other
MN"
"rell me about il, mother You don't
moan that that prosaic old uncle Of
mine was ever IN lover
~ do, though; he was dreadfully IN
love once. years and years ago RE nsed
to zen me lot about the girl. AMI how
happy he would be If only he could win
her, though ne hardly dared 70 hope she
wonld ever look at him. never knew
eSactly what happened; but he wrote
70 me saying that me thing was finally
at an end, and begging me- never to mon
tion Annie Eorimcr's nan1e to him
again. And I never have done So
What a pretty name Was she pref
[ III. az.l1ss