The true northerner., 1900-07-04
! MQdge hQTDuy'S Message f;
Summer Romance
In a City.


mo, I'm tired of seaside romances,
so l propose 10 stay here and see what
sort of romance a summer in New
York has 10 offer"
Sam StorrOw jumped upon a north
bound electric car as he spoke, leaving
the man TO whom he had announced
his plans In speculative mood.
"I'll bet" murmured Ralph Ralston,
us he hailed the next south bound car,
''that Storrow's had q row with Madge
Marbury."
Since the date, just four years ago,
when they had left Harvard, neither
Sam Storrow nor Ralph Ralston had
settled down to any serious occupa-
ton. They had devoted themselves
to the somewhat indefinite pastime of
looking around"
II had been the kind OF looking
around usual with idle men of private
means-moderate dissipation and love
making, or the pretense OF lovemaking,
with women who We're rs well off and
as idle as themselves.
But 1t must be admitted of the two
Storrow's life had been much the more
innocent. and his affair with Miss
Madge Marbury might have resulted
In matrimony ere this were it not for
the frequency of their petty quarrels,
none of which might ever have occur
red if they had not had SO much idle
time to quarrel in.
The excitement OF these little tiffs
had begun 10 pail upon him, and when
the last one occurred he decided that
he would stay in town when Madge
went away. In fact, he was hard up
ror new sensation.
The electric car whirled him rapidly
UP Madison avenue. He looked at the
monotonous array OF drawn shades in
the house fronts-inevitable symptom
of the summer seasOn-and the thought
came TO him of the darkened, silent re-
ceptlon rooms so gay with beauty and
fashion in winter time. But the butter
flies had fed TO shore and mountain,
leaving Madison avenue TO console it
self until their return. Miss Madge
Marbury had gone 20 Bar Harbor.
"Goodby, Mr.. Storrow," she had said
W MN just DtAOlt lltg lidANNAls
hope you'll find some romance in the
city 10 compensate you for your self
imposed and solitary martyrdom."
These words came back TO him now,
and the recollection made him feel
more than ever resolved to find his ro-
nance during his summer in town. He
would not have Madge Marbury chaff
him on her return.
Ralph Ralston thoroughly disagreed
with Sam Storrow rs TO the relative
charms of city and seaside in summer.
This was natural, for the two men had
never agreed upon any question since
the day they first met, and neither bore
much love toward the other.
SO few days after the meeting with
Storrow Ralston was in the vortex OF
Bar Harbor's gay life, troubling him
self very little about romance and con-
tent with agreeable realities.
There was no more agreeable reality
than his present proximity to Miss
Madge Marbury on the veranda of a
cottage that nestled picturesquely up
among the pines.
They were enjoying the beauty of
the cool Maine night. The intense blue
of the heavens gave that suggestion Of
illimitable vastness which, though the
suggestion may be always there, is
only borne In on us under the spell Of
certain moods; the song Of the pines
kept time with the more distant music
Of the incoming tide, and the breeze
came laden with n mingled fragrance
of balsam and odor Of ocean brine.
"Can you imagine, Miss Marbury,
more fantastic notion than his staying
In town in search of romance when he
might be hereY'
Ralston had been expatiating upon
the eccentricitles of Sam Storrow.
II. don't know" she said 1--WE may
find our romance In the most unexpect-
ed places"
Il rather imagine that Storrow some
how is not without some definite idea
of where to find his romance"
She began TO think. If that were so,
why should he not find II near her?
Her vanity was piqued, and Ralsten,
being a good tactlcian, tried to follow
up his advantage.
"Of course, Miss Marbury, l am not
In Sam Storrow's confidence"
But 1t takes a very wise man to head
off the sudden turns Of a feminine
train Of thought, and his words had
just the opposite effect to that he had
intended.
She said impulsively: ''No; If you had
his confidence, you would probably tell
me more"
The next moment she regretted her
impulsiveness, for It was no part of her
policy openly to antagonize him until
she had more fully made up her mind
as 20 which of these men
Well, the thing was to repair her mis-
take.
''You take me too seriously, Mr. Raj
-Es..eassrr-s-Ea.