The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-24
PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
BY WILLIAM - QUEUX,


"Whoever she is I shall, suppose, be
REQ uired to offer her marriage even If she's
! hideous old bag My father was GER
tainly determined that / shonld be sufi1-
GENTLY punished for my refusal to comply
with his DESIRE" George observed, smiling
bitterly.
"Why regret the pasts'' Harrison asked
SLOWLY. referring again to the blue FOOLS
CAP by the titful light of the fire. 1.-The
inquiry has, up to the present. resulted in
the calculation of only one definite fact;
nevertheless Rutter is certainly on the
right scent, and as he is now extensively
adj vertising In the principal papers
long to report something more ksatisfac-
tory"
SIT will bessno satisfaction whatever to
me II she is found" observed the young
man grimly.
"But it is imperative that the matter
should be cleared up" the solicitor pro-
tested. "When we have discovered her
you will. Of course, be at liberty to offer
her marriage, or not, just as you please: !"
"It is a most remarkable phase of the
affair that the only person acquainted
with this mysterious woman was poor
Nelly" the young barrister exclaimed at
last. "You will remember that In the
letter with its slang of the slums,
Liane's name was mentioned. Well, l
have written asking her whether she Is
acquainted with any woman of the same
signed, but she has replied saying that
neither herself nor her father ever knew
any such person, and they had been quite
at a loss to know how poor Nelly should
| have become acquainted with her: Here
| ia her reply; read for yourself. land nom
his pocket he took several letters, and
selecting one, handed it to the keen laced
grey haired man, at the same time strik-
Ing q vesta and lighting the lamp stand
| ing upon the table.
| aYou don't seem to mind other people
reading your love-letters, the cd solici'
tor said, laughing and turning towards
the light; when I was young KEPT
carefully looked. i" the legal Instinct sup
pose," he said. Then he added with 9
Slight touch of sorrow, "Thers are not
many secrets in LANES letters"
The shrewd old man detected disap-
pointment In his advice, and after glanc-
] Ing at the letter, looked up at him again,
saying: 1.-THE course Of true love is not
Nice, see."
"Yes, Harrison, 4" he anwered gravely,
leaningiagainst the table with head slight
" bent. "We are parted, and fear that
after all, have acted foolishly."
"You will no doubt remember my ad-
VICE on tQo udy Va yUuE AouuoI 0oouhs
81 d." George answered huskily. "At
| that time fondly believed she loved me,
and was prepared to sacrifice everything
| in order that she should be mine. But
now"
"Weuf"
"Her letters have grown colder, and
have q distinct and painful belief that she
loves me no longer; that she has, amid
the mad whirl Of gaiety on the Riviera,
met some man who has the means to pro-
vide her with the pleasures to which she
has been accustomed, and whom she looks
upon with favour. Her letters now are
| little more than the formal correspondence
Of friend. She has grown tired OF wait
sAnd are you surpriseds" Harrison
asked.
~ ought nos to be, suppose" he
said gloomily. 81 can never hope to
marry her."
"Why despairr' the old solicitor e1-
talent, and many influential friends,
therefore there is no reason why your sue
CESS at the Bar should not be as great as
other men's."
/ cor as small as most mems" he
out good spirits IL is impossible for one to
do ones best. Those don't possess Jrst
now"
"WeII, II because you are parted few
months the lady pleases to forsake you, as
you suspect, then all can say is that
you are very fortunate in becoming aware
Of the truth ere it is too late" the elder
man argued.
"nut Icy. her." he Dlurtsd forth. 81
"Thsn under the circumstances l would.
II were you stick to my profession. and
try and forget all that's past. Bitter
memories shorten life and do nobody any
good"
"Ahl only wish could get rid Of all
fxsdIy into the fire. ,,You are my friend
and adviser, Harrison, or I should not
have spoken thus to you"
The old man, with his blue foolscap
still in his thin bony hand, paused, re-
garded his clients son with q look Of sym
pathy for q few moments, and sighed.
"Your case," be said at last, sis only
one of many thousands All Of us, in
| whatever station, have our little romances
| in life; we have at some time or another
i adored woman who, after the first few
months has cast us aside for newer and
perhaps richer lover. There are few
among US who cannot remember sweet
| face Of long ago, voice that thrilled us,
soft caressing hand that was smoothas
satin to our lips. We sigh whom we recol-
| lect those long-past days and wonder
| where she is, who she married, and
whether in her little debauches OF melan.
oholy she ever reoollects the man who once
vowed he would love her his whole life
through. Years have gone since then, yet
her memory clings to US as wildly as If
she were still reality in our lives We
still love her and revere her, even though
che cast US asids; even though we are not
certain whether she still exists. The
reason of all this is because when we are
young we are more impressionable than
when we are older, with wider and more
mature experience of the world. The
woman we at twenty thought adorable VS.
should pass by unnotioed if we we're forty
thus it is that almost all men cherish in
their hearts secret affection for some
woman who has long ago gone out of
their lives, passed on, and forgotten
| Them"
| George smiled bitterly at the old mans
philosophy.
care you, then, one of those with a
romance within your" he asked, bis face
suddenly becoming grave again.