The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-11-30

, VOf.
Dick growled. What is tho better
part of valor?" said lie.
Discretion. responded tho liter.
ary member briskly, youth who
had won that proud distinction by
reporting ball games anu yacht
races and now felt MI tho mental
elation OF witty rerartec.
Exactly, - agreed Dick, "and
"hcrc woman is concerned one
cala { be too valorcus or tUo discreet.
1he question is, Are wo ready 10 ho
sealed III the bonds Of natri1nony. or
arc wo not:'
we arc not. The reply was
unaLlmous, coming from the much
pToposod--'o 10 loudost Of all--from lit
tie lo'.'s half hcartcdly
Tho rnys havc IT," And Dick
rose 10 hia feet. Il gallant nguro in
MS homeSnuns. \ melancholy
lrown Mustache effectively hid
whatever expression might steal into
tho lower rnli Of his face, and his
eyes woro by turns sharp, quizzicnl
and kindly as tley fingered row on
this lad, now on thar, always re-
turning lovinglSto tho meerschaum,
which he often declared was tho
only thing that had stood by him
faithfully in life. He held it in his
hand, and his fingers closed upon it
with sudden energy as leaning
against post ho presently took up
tho themo again i'll a convincing, lazy
drawl.
Il am no orator as Erut,is is, but,
boys, ! know what ! am talking
about. They're q poor lot-girls-
! and they're after us like pack Of
hounds. AS Reggie thcro says, it's
leap year, and mighty preparations
nro making. Silks and muslins and
| hTmniadildlcs wo arc proof against
these. for we know them uE'old, but
! this now woman who rides after rs
Oh bicycle and takes the courting
| into her own hands, tell you am
afr2id of her. II seems to mo thero
IS just ono safe course to pursue. -
Tho others waited, not quito sure
how much Of this was chaff and how
much earnest, Reggie pitching the
end OF his last cigar out on tho sand
and stretching his mighty frame
preparatory to blowing up his tires.
We must f1y from tho enemy
retreat rs sho advances. That is not
manly, but it is discreet. If we
RI fN 1,n .l,<
keep out Of reach of the Dollys and
DOras, or, hing it all, they Will have
US. What do you say?"
Half laughing, 10 ladgcred and
bantered and persuaded, ill more in
Jest than i'll earnest tic Comet Cy-
cling club found ii: :~ii actually en-
gag,ng to renounce fer tho Summer
what tho great lexicographcr calls
tho eEdcaring elegance Of fcMalc
friendship, and not 10 risk willing
ly tho temptation Of nocnlit nights
on mountain or sea, picnics, straw
rides, toto-a-tetes, wheeling parties
or any Of the lures the sirens COM
monty practice.
Poor Louis. indeed, felt dismal
forebodings that the sacrifice would
be moro than he could make, seeing
himself in no distant future a per-
jured villain; because, being still in
that sweet, foolish youth which
breads nothing so much as being
thought Young. Ifs and "buts''
atuck in his throat and would not bo
II In !,
tured to murmur:
Would it not TO moro Christian
to love our enclnics?" And tho hub
bub of his discontinue broke up tho
meeting with most admired disor-
der. They picked up themselves and
their wheels. making ready for tho
spin back to town, casting last
glances at tho beautiful prospect
spread out before them.
At tho left of tho little cove q
thickly wooded point ran out into
the bay, the roofs of several largo
and pretcntious mansions showing
among the trees here and there, and
paths emerged from the aristocratio
quarter upon the Leach, where rows
Of we'll kept lighthouses suggested
that tho grandees condesccnded to
tako an occasional dip in the surf. It
was SO early in the season that mono
of the cottages showed any signs of
occupancy, and great was the sur
prise of the young men as three peo-
pie suddenly appeared at the ond
of ono of these paths, an old gentle
man and lady and a tall, slight young
woman in bicycling suit of covert
cloth. With equal astonishment the
newcomers renewed the gaze till the
girl, about whose good looks the club
had instantaneous]y agreed to
man, gave "a startled exclamation of
recognition, and Mir. Richard Whis-
ney, cynic and woman hater, hurried
eagerly toward her with wave of
color dying bis sunburncd fucu.
What followed was III pantomino
to his comrades. Handshaking, q
few broken 0nd an, ,bhrracco6 cor