The Monitor-register. [volume] (Woodstown, Salem Co., N.J.) 1892-1972, 1897-08-27

me, are you not I6arful l6S6 prolonged
acquaintance should impel you to accept
me rs husband ?''
An expression of blank establishment
overspread Miss Berkley's features
then a fusi, ef pardonable Indignation
mantled her brow.
| 81 must confess myself dull observer
of human nature, MIR. Singleton, for dur
| ing the three weeks have known you,
was not aware that egotism was domi-
nant in your character"
| "Why not say confidence But no
matter-oall it what you will. Your
manner plainly indicates, however, that
you think the very idea of my being able
to shake your resolution is absurd. l
will prove it is not"
"How ?" asked Miss Berkeley, sarcastic
cally.
"By winning you for wife against
your will"
ooh, indeed r.
"The enterprise is unique. IN confess"
continued the imperturbable Singleton.
"Let us make it more so. You like
bon bons, do you not Well, | am
especially DESTROYS of having you select a
bookmark for me. Now | will wager q
box of bon bons against bookmark
that three months from to-day you will
| accept me as Observation-Disclosures, how
ayar RI oarta in conditions -
Sand the conditions, please ?''
The smile on Miss Berkley's lips
would in all probability have discourage d
any one else, but Singleton did not seem
to mind it in the least.
"First, that you con inue to receive me
as you have lately done; secondly, that
at the expiration of the three months
you will give me an opportunity to re-
peat my proposal, and that you will then
give me definite answer"
Every well; accept the wager and
grant the conditions.
Your hand upon it, Miss Berkeley"
They shook hands; then Singleton
withdrew.
AS Singleton left the room change
touched the features of Miss Berkeley; her
face flushed, she stamped her foot, and
clenohed her fists ia such manner that
the thumbs were between fingers and
palms-sn ominons sign in a woman.
'Why, impudent, egostistical wretohp'
she exclaimed. '"The-the-oh, but |
will humble himr'
To the credit of Miss Berkeley, be it
said, that she adhered conscientiously to
the terms of her compact with Mr..
Singleton. The gates and the doors and
even certain windows in the Berkeley
establishment yawned whenever he was
pleased to enter, and day by day the
SPIDERS parlor became more familiar to
the self-invited fly.
Miss Berkeley was not long in determin-
ing on her tactics. Slowly and laboriously
would Mr.. Singleton be permitted to
climb heavenward, then she would sud.
denly hurl him down. She therefore
began to manifest q profound interest in
poetry of sentimental nature. Single
ton, who as an excellent reader, rendered
his services, which Miss Berkeley gracious.
ly accepted. The young lady could not
deny that his voice was wonderfully
sympathetic; but then, she reasoned,
good as he was. there must surely exist
men who were better readers than Mr..
Singleton. So she listened, and he read
the poets - Browning and Swinburne
and Shelley and any number of others.
Sometimes, after having read canto or
two, Singleton would become fatigued,
then they would talk, and Miss Berkeley
usually contrived to find some pretext
that appeared reasonable, for disagree
ing with nearly everything in the form
of an aphorism that emsnated from Mr..
Singleton.
Thus through the long summer after
| poons they rowed together, walked
together, read together. talked together,
drowsed together, till at length Miss
Berkeley reached the conclusion that Mr..
Singleton was deriving more satisfaction
from her society than he deserved. She
consequently resolved to give him a pre-
liminary hurl into the abyss of blighted
hopes-just to see how be would be likely
| to look when the three months had
| expired and he lad the bon bons to buy.
About this time Lady PIympton gave a
ball in honor of the homecoming of her
son, Captain George, who had for several
years past served Her Majesty in a
military capacity in India. Singleton
besought of Miss Berkeley the privilege Of
escorting her to the function, and it was
accorded; but when he besought of bel
the further privilege of inscribing his
name on her dancing card in five or six
places, his hopes were dashed by the
intimation that he would be restricted to
two.
After their first measure they separated
Miss Berkeley was then appropriated by
the hero of the evening, Captain George
| Plympton, whose attentions to her for
the next few hours were conspieu ous
enough to excite comment. 1t was also
apparent that Miss Berkeley found the
young officer as fascinating as he found
her, and it was mooted question among
the speculative whether or not Miss
Berkeley had ever treated man sc
graciously before.
But where was Singleton?
Ga, Singleton was dancing with Mrs.
Colchester, charming widow-young,
handsome, witty and rich. He devoted
himself to her, and she reciprocated bis
manifestations of devotion. Each OF
them fairly revealed in the society OF the
Their. At last they disappeared. People
wondered, Miss Berkeley among them.
Captain George proposed to Miss Berk-
ley that they should sit out one of the
dances. He knew of such charming
place--a little Above upstairs-wouldn't
she come ? Well, she was little
fatigued, and thought she woodland
did But they did not sit in that little
aicove, for there they found Mr.. Single
ton and Mrs. Colchester. They all nodded