The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-12-15
A SHAFT BY CUPID.

man to generous communication anu
binds his tongue hard and fast to common
place.
Corned beef, crimson to the core with
saltpeter and fanked by underboiled onions
and 6abby cabbage, will make the customer
see in the host or guest an enemy lying in
wait for some unguarded statement or care
less admission of which he may take advaD-
tage.
81 never told you about my old girl back
in New Hampshire did II" asked the en-
gineer, knocking the first feathery mar
gin of ash from his cigar and stirring the
Jumps of sugar in his coffee.
New HampshireH repeated his friend
"No, don't believe you ever did, Hold on,
Thoughts Dernersport in New Hamp.
shire? You told me about a girl there
once"
MOI. did I? What, about Polly Peter
son"
THAT wasn't the name. It was Mabel
something-Mabel Nichols-that's what il
was"
"Why, yes" said the engineer, smiling
rather foolishly, your memory is better
than mine. Mabel, OF course; Polly was
now let me see, where the dickens was Pol
ly? Well, it doesn't matteranyway. Neither
of them has anything to do with my New
Hampshire girl. Dernersport is in northern
Pennsylvania. No, this New Hampshire
girl was the real and only. 1t wasn't any
ephemeral, light weight, buggy -ride-and-
cream-soda attachment; II was fierce un-
reasoning Ella Wheeler Wilcox passion-a
burning love that has left scars Honest,
Mosely, if had married that girl | would
have been better man."
That's what you said about Polly. She
Scared you up some, too, If / remember
right"
II shouldn't wonder if she did" said the
engineer, "and might have been better
man il / had married her. I'm not cen
tending that I'm absolutely perfect now.
Say! Women are remarkable things, Nose
ly. Did you ever stop to think of it in that
light%
"Quite frequently" said his friend
"What was this ones name? 1t isn't i'm.
pertinent curiosity. l just wanted to get
her placed to avoid confusion"
"Her name was-no. I'm not going to
tell you that. There are some things that
are too sacred to tell even to friend like
you. 1t wouldn't do you any good to know
her name."
az / had any way of proving it I'd bet
five dollars you've forgotten it."
"Have it your own way" said the engi-
neer. 'I loved her just the same. If she
had wanted me to I'd have laid me doom to
dee, like the fellow in the song, at any
stage in the game. l think may say that
she felt the same way about me. How is it
we never marry the girl we passionately
adore, Mosely?"
eve do. The trouble is it wears off and
then we get to thinking that the one with
the blue eyes was the l9-carat Fair limo.
gene. 1t works that way every time. Did
she pass you up or was it the other way"
81 guess it was a little Of both. 1t was
too hot to keep. There was something
fated about it from the first, and we oftel
talked the matter over after l had de-
clared myself 1t wasn't week before she'd
yet up to the piano just about the cleaning
and sing:
Perchance II we had never met,
had been spared this mad regret,
This endless striving to forget,
Forever and forever!
"That shows how it stood. We each had
presentiments, don't you know. What
dyou think she called me, Mosely?"
'Baby?"
NO. I'm not fooling."
"Was it My king? How should l know
what she called you? / give it up. i had
girl call me 'Pigsey' once but you can't
prove anything by that.
The civil engineer sighed heavily and
picked out fresh cigar. ~ guess | won't
tell you that either" he said, 'but can
one They don't thrill me in the same way
any more. can sit down and hear girl
sing Sweet Alice or something like that
and it never feazes me-"
1T does me-" remarked the friend. "Ex-
cuse me when they sing Sweet Alice"
at was funny thing about U.S." returned
the engineer. eve didn't have to talk much
to make love. We understood each other
SO we'll that words would have been an i'm
pertinence. 1t was enough for us to be
near each other-perhaps to clasp hands
and look into each others eyes"
"Holy smoke" CALCULATED the friend.
al went to see her about year ago-the
| first time in six years"
"She had grown fat, suppose, and had
| seven children and an incompetent dress
| maker"
"She was little stout, but not enough
| to hurt, and only had four children. / was
| naturally rather agitated at the thought OF
meeting her again, and / anticipated some
| slight degree of awkwardness, considering
everything. ! needn't have worried about
it, though"
'Did she turn you DOWN."
mo, not by any means. She seemed
quite pleased to see me when explained
who was, but it seemed to bother her al
first to place me. She said she recollected
my father and my cousin Joseph quite well
! however"
| "That was something"
at was. We talked about Cousin JOSEPH
and my parent for some time and then she
asked me if / had ever met her husband
| 'I called her bluff. told her that hat
never met him, but had often heard my
cousin Joe speak of him. That husband o
hers was the boy we first quarreled about
was little hot, she was SO comfortable
and unembarrassed about it, and asked hel
if she remembered that little slippery horse
hair sofa in the back parlor.
at never touched her, though. Sh
laughed and said that she remembered i
well. Then put one or two others to he
straight from the shoulder. One was abou
a, certain moonlight night coming hom