The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-05-26
4 MIDNIGHT TRYST.

1.-THE age Of miracles is past" re-
marked Charley Ingram, giving a
meditative glance 10 his long legs, as
II they were somehow responsible for
the present dearth of miraculous oc-
currenceS, and thus kindly, if uninten-
tionally, affording me an opportunity
to admire his resoilte profile, the boy
ish freshness of his complexion, and
other details that went to make a
picture of earnest young manhood.
"The age of miracles is past. Ravens
or other thoughtful birds no longer
fly about DESTROYS of feeding the de-
serving poor. l mist go to work"
In other words. he must tear him
self from my enthI alling presence ard
betake himself to distant state, there
to embark in a mining venture-a plan
Of ancient date in his life, and upon
which we built our Utopia of future
bliss.
81 am Aaing, Rose, soon"
/ suppose | looked like Grief on a
monument turning up her nose at Pa
tence, for he said:
oh, you'll get along all right. The
dust of my footsteps won't have been
blown by the wind before Tom, Dick
and Harry will be spooning here"
left his side ard walked to the tall
glass suspended between the end win
dows of the old parlor that had wit
messed so much Of our love-making.
It seemed worth while to take a fresh
Inventory of my charms, in view of the
imminence of my conquests.
Was it mad?" he Knocked, coming
behind me and trying to meet my eyes
in the mirror. you see, envy them
8-confound EN-! See here, suppose you
go into nunnery till l come back"
Thanks! not even to oblige your
] Sultanic Majesty. I'll compromise,
though; I will go into nunnery, if YOU
4 don't come back"
will your" encouragingly. 81 will
give you five years Of graceless free
dom, and if don't come back in that
tme, make your VOWS lin an austere,
sepulGhral tone), and, coifed and clois-
tered, pray for the repose of my rest
leSs soul; for if | don't come back it
will be a very restless soul"
He brushed my cheek with his soft
mustache, which, despite his assured
carriage and his fierce self-assertion,
gave him such naif, adolescent air.
Then slipping his arm around me,
end surveying our prepossessing fig
hres.
What strikingly handsome couple
I pc are! You have a way of drawing
PIE to this mirror to harrow my soul
with that picture
If you could only conjure this old
nirror-fix that image there, visible
70 me only could steal in here, and,
Cooking at it, persuade myself that
maybe you had net laid your gold mine
~ the feet Of
81 | paused from deficiency of informal
bon, not knowing whether senoritas or
gentle savages predominated in the
gold mine regions.
What lots of fun we had at this
nrror Halloween, year ago-don't
You remember? See herewith a sud
Yen change of manner-"are you in
Earnest about my showing up there
some time in the future?"
4 All right; l will make an engage
nent with you. Let's see-this is Jan
Hry-say next Halloween, the night
q nights. If you want to see me, and
YOU have not forgotten me, look in this
gass next Halloween, and my face
VII appear there as sure as fate"
/ "NOnsense!"
ning about it. Why, had grand
bother who could do the queerest
pings you ever heard Of You just
Pme in here on the night of the 31st
q next October. Come alone, at mid
Mght; come in the dark, remember
Aand here, strike match, light the
Rndle you will have with you, raise
above your head, look right in there,
@d-can you do anything as heroic as
Aat?"
rob, yes, il that's ALL" l said, flip
unity.
TAI right; dance, fiirt, break as
Rny hearts as you please; but if in
Ae meantime you do not join the great
mRJority-I mean that big majority of
y4ur sex who are inconstant-come in
NC on the 31st, at midnight, and
there is a bathtub in Boonville,
NAlnese laundry, a barber and haber-
her, you'll see me right there
kNpinting), fresh as a daisy. and
airing the handsomest four-in-hand
N Boonville. You promise?"
promise; but supposing you have
a0f inherited your grandmother's skill
Il necromancy?"
But have; l know it; am certain
y. You must think about me, OF
Use; have faith, above all; obey di.
ions implicitly, and-you'll see
you'll see!"
generally do" said, sapiently.
few days after our memorable
Fersation Charley bade me good.
and full of courage and hope. and
!. many promises and assurances for
* future, set out on the long journey
Is distant field of labor and enter
Silence fell between us. for my
nts objected to any correspon-