Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-03-30
THE PARAGON.

invited
my dear" she said to her niece,
"you will meet tonight a great friend
of mine. He does not care for parties.
Will you see that he is not bored at
this one?"
why must he be assigned to me?"
she asked.
Il want you to entertain him, Lii
lian, because he is a stranger in town.
He is by no means bore. He ia
handsome, witty. interesting
What paragon, aunt" interrupted
Lillian. Il know ] shall hate him"
Il believe you WILL" exclaimed the
elder woman in despair. as she left
the room.
Lillian resumed her preparations for
what promised to be very disagree
able evening. Handsome, witty, in
teresting. That is a good description
Of some one / know she thought, as
she twined some flowers in her hand.
"He used to laugh at my fancy for
flowers
A tear rolled down her cheek. How
foolish she said, as she hastily brush
ed it away.
A pretty picture she made in her
white silk gown, with the flowers about
her head like q crown. when few
minutes later she descended 10 the
drawing-room. So thought q young
man who stood watching her as she
came down the stairs, and who held
out his hands to her in welcome.
This is indeed . surprise" he said.
evening"
Mrs. Hudson is my aunt, you know.
or, rather, you do not know. | never
mentioned her To you, | believe. l did
not know you were friends" she said.
Il am happy to say your aunt is a
friend of mine he said, as they moved
across the hall away from the drawing
room, where her aunt awaited her.
And the paragon? Lillian had for
gotten him.
You have changed" the young man
said, gazing long and earnestly at her.
You have grown from child to
woman"
You also have changed. she re-
piled, noting the sternness of the hand
some face.
Yes, although fortune has been
kinder to me than | dared to hope.
She has been kind to me tonight" he
added, bending over his companion.
She turned and looked from the win
dow near which they stood. The house
was large. the guests few in number,
no one molested them.
"How well | remember the last night
I saw you" he said. There were
flowers in your hair--ia isies-like you
wear tonight. One nestled in the curl
above you ear. | wished to take it.
l dared not ask for it. although one
flower more or less would mean moth
ing to you. You We're a mere child,
with no knowledge of the world you
were so soon TO enter, while ! had
nothing-neither fame nor fortune
Our lives were apart. bade you good
bye that night, but did not forget you
i could not
She did not move nor turn her head.
Il have offended YOU" he said con-
tritely
mo, no." Lillian answered.
"Oh. but | have" he cried in dis
tress. In my delight at seeing you
have overstepped the bounds Of po-
lteness. ] have been rude
You do not understand. | was no
child she said hurriedly, and she turn
ed to go.
A flower fell from her hair. He
stopped and picked it up.
Keep it," she whispered, moving
away
He took the flower, and with it her
hand. as if in that moment he had di-
vined the truth.
''At one time" he said, in tones that
trembled, If could have had flower
from your hair my happiness would
have been complete. Now my happi-
ness will not be complete without the
giver. May have her?" he whisper
ed Say yes" he pleaded.
VINO cOulu resist tHdi leHuef voice.
Not Lillian, who loved him with all her
heart. Her answer was low, but he
must have heard it. for he kissed the
flower.
THE paragon" Lillian said, few
minutes later, suddenly remembering
her aunt's commission.
Filled with emotion she approached
that lady, who smiled benignly upon
her.
why, you have been talking to him
all the evening" explained her aunt.
James, your paragon!" exclaimed
Lillian, in establishment.
He and are old friends, aunt. I
met him three years ago, when was
at the mountains with papa. Besides"
very demurely, "he is to be my hus-
band"
And Mrs. Hudson always declared
she made the match.
In n Primitive State.
The Papuans of the Malay coast Of
Nor, H,,;poo ORC eth in rho pnoct