The Wilmington daily Republican., 1899-08-31


"You speak like an anarchistw Then
he turned and quickly left me TO join the
young ladies'
Alone In crowd. Where Ia one ever
more alone than amid q throns Of
strangers2 ! painfully collected my
ideas, as scattered as a flock Of spar
rows after the report Of a gun. cry
escaped me:
"Ah, the womenp'
An old gentleman passing at the time
heard those words, saw the expression Of
my face, suppose, and spoke to me:
Believe me, my dear child, there's
Just as good fish in the sea-"
That man had evidently never suffer-
ed. l continued, but in suppressed tones,
and this time in furious monologue:
"Where am L? Darkness and horror
have invaded-my being. Rose to marry,
and not me--to marry that preposterous
looking man for his money! Oh, wretched
childw
At that moment I saw her seated apart
in little reception room. She had
hastened there, without doubt, from tho
heavy atmosphere of the other rooms.
Thereupqn remembered that had not
as vet presented my compliments to her.
and so u advanced toward her, dissimu-
latingI my, distress Of mind. She saw me
coming and looked with softness in her
regard that seemed like caress, and as
l watched her could almost read her
love for me In that sweet face. She
stretched out her hand to me, accepted
my courtesies with pleasure. There,
standing before her, had no longer the
courage to hate, her. All, far from that;
truly, very far from that!
We uttered words never to be forgot
ten. She said:
II really believe that there are over
200 people present this evening. 1t Is
suffocating. have headache"
replied: "At least 200, and all your
friends. Yes, 1t is very close. We are
having an early spring. There are some
leaves on one of the chestnut trees in the
Champs Elysees."
"Really?" she said.
absolutely" affirmed.
"Ohw
"Yes."
While speaking she toyed with card
case of light blue leather, and among
other things said, THAT Is very
pretty cardcase." Then Roses face sud-
denly frightened.
"If it pleases you." she said, do pray
accept it."
She held it out to me at the end Of her
gloved fingers, and l thought her hand
trembled.
"But may II"
ayes, desire you to-" she replied au-
thoritatively. "Take tit will be-
At that moment some people entered,
and we were forced to separate. had
the cardcase in my hand. l put 1t in my
pocket, thinking all the time Of Roses
generous nature.
All that evening Rose waltzed with
her old fiance, who SO awkwardly spread
his legs out when he turned. When l
reached my room, threw the little card
case in drawer, not dreaming for
moment of opening it.
Reason had triumphed. l had resolved
to renounce her, to go away and to try
and forget, and all this did.
Rose married.
Twenty years have passed since that
adventure, and now only the other day,
when was arranging some old, yellow
papers, | found little. light blue card
case that | had entirely forgot possess
ing In the bottom Of an unused drawer.
Perplexed, cndeavoring to remember the
incident pertaining to it, opened it. In
the right pocket there was folded pa
per. Then, mystifed, l read the follow
ing lines:
Theodore:
You are the one love. Do you care fer nef
They want to marry me to another, but II have
your love will refuse this offer and become your
betrothed II you are not indifferent, be In
front Of Trinity church tomorrow at o'clock.
II you do not come, shall understand, and then
! care net who marry.
1t was signed "Rose."
Suddenly 1t all came back to me. I
had ruined my life by not having exam
ined the little case. l cried for my lost
youth. Then l thought Of seeking out
Rose and, once finding her, to tell her
that still loved her, that ! had always
cared for her. However, l soon came to
my senses again. was As and she 40
years old. l made face, burned the
letter and cardcase, but while the flames
from my solitary hearth destroyed this
relics no doubt had heartbroken
smile upon my lips, the smile that a
vanquished hero has in his conflicts with
the unjust gods.-From the French.