The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-06-22
BY WORD OF MOUTH.
Story of a Telephone Reconciliation Brought
About by an Old Bachelor.

make UP my mind TO content myself
with any one Of the dear creatures TO
the exclusion of the rest: and as. un-
| fortunately. the custom OF the country
IN which We live does not permit a
man to be married to more than one
woman at a time. ! am obliged to re-
main a forlorn Die bachelor love too
much TO love exclusively"
Il think you put that rather nicely"
said Amy. refiectively; but isn't II
only a pretty excuse for a mans in
constancy?"
My dear young lady" said 1. laugh
ing, consistency is only another name
for narrow-mindedness. Suppose, for
instance. that had married. ten years
ago; h would have been my posi-
ton at the present moment"
Il don't quite understand, Mr.: Steev-
ems"
Miss Creswell is evidently
OF her own attractions" said /: there
is a marginal note. Destructive to pre-
vious attachments against your name
in the book of which / was speaking
You mustn't talk nonsense said
my little ~neighbor demurely: but, be-
tween ourselves, l fancy that she was
not particularly veXed at the innuendo.
What about men from a woman'S
point of View" she continued present
~. Are you men such paragons thai
we poor women must be satisfied with
a share of one of you?"
There are not enough Of you to go
round" l murmured.
Suppose, now hat we started the
/ theory that no man possessed more
than one or two of the many virtues
which a perfect man should possess"
continued Amy, ignoring my Interrupt
ton.
That's just the difficulty" sal l
We are SO sadly unequal TO the re-
Quirements Of the case. Either we are
too young or too old, too tall or too
short. too amiable or too exacting, too
ardent or too cold, too ugly or not
handsome enough"
Amy.
Pardon me: there is a subtle Diff
ference"
And you yourself, Mr.. S~teevens?'
Il fear said 1 with a regretful
glance at my pretty companion, that
in these days most aides consider me
too old for anything but a ~stop-gap."
And how do you yourself feel on that
point?"
Upon my word, when I talk to you
almost begin to feel that you are
right and that l am not so very old,
after ALL"
rs it a pleasant illusion, MI.
! SteeVenS?"
1T has its drawbacks"
Which are'-said Amy, raising her
prettily arched eyebrows.
My nephew is one of them just now
said ], glancing at Gerald, and in truth
the boys rueful cOuntenance did rather
take the edge off my appreciation OF
the situation.
He's horribly cross tonight said
Amy, and it serves him right"
Tell me-" said / suddenly, looking
full at my little %neighbor, does it give
you pleasure to max him unhappy"
Poor little Amy's lip quivered, but
she replied: He sholdn't have been
so horrid about Captain Lachmere."
Il have no doubt Captain Lachmere
is a very charming man." said I
Il hate him." said Amy pouting, land
if your nephew had any sense he would
know that"
"Of course, he ought to, especially as
you said that the gentleman was one If
| your particular friends and that you
liked him so much?"
You mustn't take everything which
a woman says about one man to an
other too literally"
1T is perhaps wise to allow a liberal
discount" 1 agreed.
At this Mrs. Willard gave
the signal for the ladies to retire, and
U conversation was brought TO an un-
timely end.
We men were left to enjoy our wine
and cigars. and as 1 puffed medita-
lively at an excellent Havana and
slipped Williard's unexceptionable port
/ really felt at peace with all the world.
Poor Gerald drank his wine in moody
silence. and When We joined the lai;e,
he declined ID notice the vacant seat
next to Amy and went to where that
wicked little f1irt May Walshe was Sit
ting and commenced quite a voluble
conversation
I fancy that the young lady in CUES
ton rather enjoyed her triumph over
Amy. for Gerald was an eminently pre-
sentable youth, and before Miss Cries.
we'll had appeared upon the scene he
had fiirted a good deal with this Miss
Walshe. And we all know :hat, how
ever amiable a girl may be, she does
not, a. a rule, regard with sincere cor
dialtiy the rival who has surplanted
her in the heart Of a man. And SO the
situation StOOd when it was time for us
to depart.
What a delightful girl that little
Miss Creswell is!" said 1 to my nephew
as We were driving home.
S you appeared to think" said
Gerald dryly. For my part, l hate all
women"
AT your age, my lea boy. such
sentiments are really Incompetent
sible."
Wait until you have been treated by
a m as I have" said Gerald
1 maintained what I still contend
was a most exemplary expression Of
gravity, and asked my nephew what
had occurred to cause him to TAX such
unfavorable view Of the SEX
She's a neartless little firt." re-
piled Gerald fiecely, and I've N
with her"
1T struck me that you were max
ing the running fairly freely with Miss
Walshe," 1 observed casually.
'Oh, that's quite a different thing"
replied my nephew, quite unabashed.
May Walshe knows that I am not in
earnest, but Amy must ENC that I
love her."
YOU have old her so, I suppose?"
Well, not exactly; but she knows it
as we'll as though / had done Sc"
oh, just So" said /; still. perhaps.