The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-28
A Lucky
Disappointment.


Began casting pretty eyes at you
right away, did she?"
NO, not a bit of it, Howard In the
words of dear old Goldsmith, it was:
The bashful maidens side-long
looks of love; not summer girls fir
tation."
How do you know that?" demanded
Tom.
Il found it SO when we became ac-
quainted."
And when did that happen?'
Half an hour after our eyes first
met. The landlord was showing
party of boarders about the country,
and Miss Moore and ! were in the
party, and of course mine host intro
duced us TO each other and to the
other guests as well. In the course Of
the trip Miss Moore and I conversed
enough to discover a similarity OF
tastes and sympathies, and of course
after that we soon became friends"
Then ! suppose" continued Tom
Howard, lit naturally followed that
both of you gushing young things fell
head over heels in love, and that one
was afraid TO tell it and the other
'darsent,' until finally the girl got dis
gusted and skipped out for home. Am
| right?"
"Wcll, almost, but not exactly"
BEG pardon, Brown" said roguish
Tom, Il suppose / left out the most
important thing, to you; such as the
strolIs you took beneath the silent, sill
Yer moon and stars, whispering sweet
nothings,' hand in hand; your delight
full tete-a-tetes on this veranda, your
ramblings Ger the 'vine-clad hills that
border this sweet valley your sails
on yonder Silver lily pond your strolls
upon it's beach, besides the talking
waves;' your songs, dances and reci-
tails and chats about favorite authors,
and plans to reform the wicked world
until it ali ended in a cruel sever
ance'-a yanking of heart from heart
and a return to something nearer your
normal condition. Am I right?"
Yes, if sincerity of spirit be discov-
ercd under your guise of humor," said
Ernest.
"Wcll, now, be frank" said Tom,
why did you love the lady?'
Because I could not help myself.
She seemed like my better self, more
gentle and refined"
WAS she big or little, or fat or
slim?"
"She was small and prettily formed"
And babyish, of course?"
Yes, at times: but she was a woman
of excellent mind and firmness Of
character"
Gould say no in a dozen different
ways and still stick to it, could she?"
IT never asked her. Tom"
Didn't ask? Saw you had no
chance and had sense enough to es-
cape-the humiliation of refusal, did
you?"
'1t wasn't that, Tom"
Then what was it? Did she have
too many other fellows, and were you
jealous?"
ono; she gave herself quite up to
me-"
Just lacked the natural gift to
speak then, did you?"
Not much! Did I ever refuse to
fight you, Tom, when we were boys?"
Cant says you did, but what deter
red YOU, anyway?"
"Well, it was just this" said Ernest,
as he "hitched" his chair up closer to
his friends. "She was a plucky little
school teacher, striving hard to edu-
cate her younger brother and TO sup
port herself and mother. The boy was
attending the little academy in which
Dora taught and the mother lived on
small but badly mortgaged farm
somewhere down in Indiana. The
place was the old homestead left by
Dora's father and the brave girl was
trying to redeem it and at the same
time care for her mother and help her
brother along in school OF course,
being well-to-do, 1 would have gladly
shOuldered all her little burdens, but
as soon as she learned that I was the
possessor of little of this worlds
goods she made me understand that
she preferred to meet her own respon-
siDilities unaided.
This, of course, shut off all possi-
bilities of my proposing marriage to
her, although I loved her and she knew
it, and ! felt that she loved me. Still.
her conduct toward me did not change
1t could not, for her every look and
action betrayed the secret of her heart
ana assured me that this beauteous
woman loved me as tenderly as l loved
her. 1t was plain that she was sac.
rificing herself for others. The two
weeks she was spending at Hotel Pleas
ant View was the only vacation she
had felt able TO enjoy since the death
of her father, three years before. clad
ly would l have taken her to NV heart
and made little home nest for both
of us and shouldered her responsible
ties Several times 1 actually an
preached the point of proposal, but
she always avoided coming to the point
so gently, yet firmly, that ! soon saw
she ala not wish to pain me with n.
refusal So l gave up in despair, cut
short my vacation and tore myself
away"
Yes, she said goodbye with tears
IN her eyes, and l believe I could have
kissed her then without the least on.
position on her part"
Why didn't you?"
Because 1 was not brute enough TO
take advantage OF that tender soul
IN an unguarded moment"
But what became of the Iady?"
i don't know, Tom; I've never been
able to get track of her ever since and
would go across the earth for a touch
OF her hand"
On you poor, poetic fellow! How
you must suffer when you take those
| spells!" '''se
We're you ever in love. Tom?"
Many a time"
Well didn't you feel the same
way?" S"''e
| Yes, but got over it,"
"How?"
| girl" 0'"e'
And what did you do them"
i repeated the process until the
symptoms OF the disease disappeared
Hello! What's this?-a telegram?"
| A boy apprOachnd and hnnhnh NJ.