The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-03-10
HIS DIVINITY.
BY GEORGE ADE.
BROWN HARPER knew in

HUDSON BROWN HARPER knew in
O moment that he had made the
mistake of his life in his unmistakable
attentions to Edna Roberts.
He realized that what he had con-
ceived to be an enduring love had been,
in truth, but an evanescent boyish
fancy. Boyish admittedly, for though
he was 18 and knew the world, yet, as
manhood is attained by experiences
and emotions, Hudson was obliged to
own that he had been lacking in its
fullness. Experiences he had passed
through until his jaded soul sickened
within him and he thought that he
had run the gamut of human passion.
Deluded fool! It was all as the pale
gleam of cloud-obscured moon to tie
blaze of the summer sun in its noon
day splendor-as the mild and vanilla
favored soda to that glass of stuff that
had scorched his throat and brought
the tears to his eyes, when in quest of
experiences he had gone with Ted
Bauer into Mick Donahue's place.
He had met his fate.
The Milwaukee excursion steamer
was crowded-crowded with an un-
thinking throng bent solely on trivial
pleasure.
Children chased one another along
the decks, screaming in an ecstasy of
delight, unheeding of the occasional
admonitions of mothers, who, COM
fortably seated among the capacious
lunch-baskets, were distracted be-
tween the joys of conversation and
care of their offspring.
Girls innumerable in shirt waists,
saucy skirts and sailor hats walked
about or flirted, their arms around
each others waists, or, hand in hand,
throwing furtive glances-not alto
gether of displeasure - at lounging
youths, who, attired in Sunday brav-
cry and smoking cigars with tenden-
cy to burn on one side only, audibly
and fatteringly criticised their
charms.
Lovers lurked in corners by the
boats and in the big saloons, and made
love with sublime disregard of the
outer world.
Rude, coarse men opened bottles of
beer, and with raucous merriment
pressed the beverage upon the maids
and matrons of their parties, who on
their part giggled modestly and par
took delicately.
There was music-a piano and a
string band in the saloon, a negro and
banjo on the upper deck and Scan
dinavian glee club cillating between
the upper deck and the bar.
It was all noise and laughter-emp-
ty, foolish mirth-and Hudson's soul
was not attuned to mirth. He had no
sympathy with the needless crowd;
they Jared upon him. Two or three
women with pale faces, who had
stretched out on the lounges ever
since the motion of the vessel became
perceptible, might have entered into
his feelings to. some extent. but his
malady was not of the body.
Yet a few hours before he had been
as one of those revelers and Edna had
never looked fairer in his eyes. She
wore a white gown with pink figures
on it and pink bows down the front
1t was true the skirt only reached to
the tops of her little shoes, but then
her yellow hair was done up instead
of hanging in its accustomed braids
and there was comfort in that. Alto
gether he thought he would not have
been ashamed to have Ted Bauer see
her in his company. What pretty
red and white complexion she had
and how trustingly and admiringly she
always looked at him with her big
blue eyes! Certainly she was the pret
tiest girl of her age in the wards
little young, perhaps, but then the
man ought to be little older thar
the woman.
AS they walked little in advance
| of Mrs. Perkins and the children ant
Mrs. Harper from the street car t.
the dock, he had ventured to speak O.
! the skirt, but Edna seemed offended.
"Oh, I don't know" she said, and
flushing as pink as her ribbons, tossed
her head and bit her lip, and she woult
not speak again until they got o,
board the boat. After that the,
promenaded the deck amicably to