The Portland daily press., 1900-08-28

The girl WnOn DOudlu 4ONeu ldSI year
was christened Frances, and he used
to call her Fanny Also, he addressed
her by various endearing terms, but
that is Of no consequence. Such words
apply to the new love as to the old. A
fellow may call a girl sweetheart as
the result Of a habit of speech ac-
quired before he knew her, and she
cannot detect the crime, but if he per-
sists in calling her dearest Fanny
when her name is Helen she will in
dict him for perjury.
1t is painful to speak evil of a
woman, but candor compels the state
ment that Fanny was a dressmakers
dummy animated by a soul that would
have been considered mercenary in a
pawnbrokeF Donald could not per
ceive it, Everybody else knew that
her desertion of him and her marriage
with a man old enough to be her
grandfather ought to have been pub
lished by the press under the head of
"Financial Transactions. But Donald,
who was a highly imaginative person
and had always surrounded Fanny
with mist Of illusions, believed that
the occurrence was one of those subtle
mysteries of love which, in the words
of Lord Dundreary, no fellow can find
out.
A man of simpler mind would have
sent up a strong prayer of thanksgiV-
ing for a great deliverance, but it
pleased this dreamer to imagine that
he had suffered a loss.
Fanny was a young lady with con-
siderable social pretensions, and after
she turned her back upon Donald, he
turned his upon society. He wander
ed into artistic Bohemia, and there he
met Helen, who was regarded in that
region as an infant phenomenon AS
a matter Of fact, she was % years old
and had worked hard under the very
best teachers since the earliest day
when such instruction could proftably
begin, but she looked like a girl Of 16
who had never done anything more
serious than chase butterflies in the
fields. Hence Bohemia, which judges
by appearances even when the facts
in the case are perfectly we'll known,
persisted in holding her to be an in
spired child.
Donald was more shocked than
pleased when this ideal of maidenly
innocence invited him to come to see
her any time, adding the information
that she was living in a big building
full of bachelors of both sexes, in a
little suit that was all her own Her
quick eye caught the expression that
fitted across his countenance, and she
was amused, perhaps q little piqued
also.
81 am chaperoned by a large bull
dog" said she, 'and when you see
his teeth you will admit that the
strictest social code could require no
more"
At an early day Donald made the ac-
quaintance of this novelty in chaper-
Ons, and he was forced to confess that
the animal was competent to preserve
the decorum of any company accord
ing to such ideas as he might have
on the subject. Yet the young man
was still Of the opinion that the me-
mage left much to be desired He was
so much older than Helen, having just
turned 30, that direful milestone at the
end Of youth, that he ventured to give
her advice.
you're going to be famous some
day" said he, land in my opinion it
will be pretty soon. Then you'll want
to get into society, and this sort Of
thing will be against you. If you only
had an aunt or something like that
"Why in the world should want to
get into societyY asked the girl.
Everybody wants to get into So
ciety," said Donald. That's where
the money is, and, of course, your
ultimate object in painting pictures is
to sell them for the best possible
prices. Moreover, though you are too
young to think of it yet, there is the
question Of matrimony."
II meet a man or two, now and
them" said Helen, "poor, but honest,
most of them, and yeti
my young friend" rejoined Donald,
F'neyer marry except for love, but re-
member, as an artist that you can
view great deal more scenery from a
steam yacht than you can from the
Jersey City ferryboat"
"Cerberus," said Helen to the dog,
edo you hear what the young man is
talking aboutp
Cerberus growled.
'You do not practice what you
preach" continued the girl. "If you
did, you would not be here"
ooh, it's all over with me-" he re-
Joined. ut makes no difference what
do now. OF course, you're not to
take offense at that. come here be-
cause I wish most earnestly to be your
friend; because you teach me many
things; because 1 am happier here than
elsewhere. When I say it is all over
with me, I mean that 1 have had a
bitter disappointment which has
changed the course of all my ambl-