The Opelousas courier., 1898-12-31
NY SIN.

L 81 " ONS
love, as young men generally do, with
the girl who came handiest. This par
| ticular girl happened to be Belle Bur
Ton, and l devoted myself to her, rode
With her. boated with her Gt was a
country place where we met, walked
with her, talked with her, begged her
for the roses she wore in her hair and
! tried lin vain), for l was no poet, to
make sonnets not only to her eye
brows," but to her hair. her cheeks
and her lily white hands. In fact, |
went through the pretty dream Of first
love as most young people do, and it
ended, as it generally does, in an I'M
pleasant awakening.
One day a stage arrived at the hotel
with a dozen dashing New Workers for
passengers. The next, one of them OBJ
tanned an introduction to Belle Burton.
| There was no doubt whatever that he
was handsomer than men usually are.
or that his grace and accomplishments
were equal to his personal charms.
Handsome Arnold he was generally
called, and girls went into raptures
! over his large, long-lashed eyes and
blonde mustache, and men feared his
broad shoulders, deep chest and splen-
did proportions. For my part, l hated
him from the first, for no sooner had
he appeared upon the carpet than
Belle seemed utterly to forget my very
existence.
1 suppose she had never cared any
Thing about me, but she had firted
With me while there was no better fun
10 be had, and | was old enough to
know that the man she loves is the
one no woman ever firts with. With
Arnold she was rather grayer than
with most men, but her eyes sparhleI
as he approached her. She blushed
when his name was mentioned, and
Jared for nothing in which he had not
ONE share. In fact, it was as plain
that she was in love with him as that
he was devoted to her; and there was
no doubt in any ones mind that all
this would end in a wedding. 1t was
a good thing, said the old people, for
poor Belle Burton chad nothing" For
my part, it seemed to me that all the
luck was Arnold's.
l had never thought myself very i'll
looking before, but now | was wretch
eddy conscious of all sorts of deficien-
cies. 1 looked in the glass many times
O day. 1 spent half my time critics.
ing my ~countenance, and longing vain
ly for the charms of handsome Arnold.
I could not hope to possess them, even
should I use all the hair oil and cos
metics Of the advertising columns Of
the daily paper, and bride to my aid
the tailor who best understood the art
Of padding shoulders; but next to nav
ing a fairy transformation effected for
my benefit, I should have been pleas
ed to see Arnold lose his beauty. I
hope I've been forgiven for it. !
scarcely can forgive myself, but I
could have prayed that some ban
might fall upon him-that he might
break his limbs, or catch the smallpox
or somehow spoil his complexion or
figure.
I was not a wicked young fend by
nature, but love, which, when it pros
pers, is the most humanizing emotion
of the soul, is most likely to develop
all the evil emotions of ones nature
when it comes to grief.
1 should have taken my departure
and put myself out Of the way of
hourly torture, but | did not do SO
wisely. l fingered about the place
and did small things to spite the hap
" pa%ir-intruded on their tete-a-tetes,
managed to force the society Of some
excellent and loquacious matron OF
some troublesome child upon them,
looked daggers of contempt at him and
forgot to pass the butter to her. At
last a grand chance for annoying him
occurred. He was a good rider and
proud of his accomplishment, and he
had a FESTIVE, nervous animal which
he boosted no one could ride but him
self. / had heard him declare himself
perfect master Of the creature, who
had never given him serious trouble
save once, when suddenly brought into
the presence Of an artist, who was
sketching under a white umbrella.
''That," said handsome Arnold, was
something Prince could not understand
and it made him forget who held the
bridle."
As he came prancing up to the gate,
OR rode away with an air, l used to
wish for an artisf with a white UNI
brella. I desired to see that fellow I'M
seated and ingloriously turned into
the mud. That would have made me
happy; and nee when he had offended
more than ever by his gallant style
OF riding, / sauntered out into the
fields-cursing him in my Utmost soul
when what should l spy in the mid