El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-24

This sort OF game Is all very we'll.
but il il lasts much longer I shall be n
perfect wreck said Arthur Mason to
himself one evening he sat gazing
thoughtfully ut the fireplace. For the
past six months I have been head over
heels In love with Vera Fray and. what
Is worse not had the pluck to tell her
So But she il such n peculiar girl he
argued in self defense IF IL was any
one else. wouldn't hesitate mo-
ment"
Mason was "A man Of about % and as
full of passion and sentiment as a man
we'll could he. But he had been brought
up IN orthodox English style. with
many sharp lessons never to betray his
feelings These lessons had been so
hammered into him in his youth that
he fo1nd now that even against his
own wishes IL was almost impossible
to show what his real opinion was of
anything that affected his likes or dis
likes When he was most happy. peo-
pie Thought him sad. and vice versa
IL was perhaps on account OF the Pc
cuiiar way he had of looking at things
that he Invariably saw the funny side
FIRST, sometimes on the most serious &C.
casions.
His passion for Vera at times made
him laugh and when on the verge Of
proposing to her the thought would
strike him how foolish he would look
Tho truth of il was he knew too much
OF the world. and the love affairs of his
friends had appeared ridiculous to him.
One OF the chief attractions OF Vera
In his opinion was her passive nature.
and II was shat perhaps which made
him fa&ter. The idea OF her being in
love seemed absurd to him.
The week following the self COM
mun!ngs just recorded he knew that
Vera would be At n dinner party to
which he had also been invited. and he
determined. II an occasion arose for a
serious talk. to have the matter set
tied How he would manage it he did
not dare to decide. Chance. he thought.
would have To be his guide.
Mrs Fairburn's dra room WAS
packed on the night OF the dinner. SO
much so that poor Mason's heart sank.
II Vera did come. his opportunity for
tetc tete with her appeared small.
She was n popular person, and ne
knew she would be dragged Off to en-
terrain some of the Lions" of the even
ing
The Fairburns' house luckily boosted
orr IL the finest gardens in Sussex. and
II he could persuade his idol to go for a
stroll N that garden he meant to do So
At dinner Vera sat directly opposite
him. and he inwardly blessed his host
ess for not crowding the table with
flowers, ferns or ornaments. which
would have hidden her charming. clear
cut features from him. When looking
at her. a calm always came over him
that he could not explain Even when
absent from her he generally pictured
her as a iimpid spring from which
peace was always flowing. Nothing
on earth. ne lima gined, could ever ruffie
her
Tue dinner passed of perfectly All
seemed Thoroughly pleased with them
selves and the world in general.
Il was an hour later. and he was sit
ting by Vera's side in the drawing
room They were enjoying an animat-
ed discussion on some topic of public
interest and no chance had so far pre-
scented itself. At last, in pure despera-
tion. Arthur blurted out during a slight
fall in the tide of argument: This
room h terribly close. Shall we finish
our little controversy in the sardenY'
Vera was nothing loath-
Ii was a lovely night. The sky was
a mass or twinklinc stars, and the
moon gave a light that one could easily
read by. Such a moment seemed spe-
ciaIIy ordained for lovemaking- Love
whispered In the trees and echoed in
the bushes. And yet these two still
continued to disagree. as If such ro-
mantle evenings were intended fo7 the
battledore and shuttlecock of social
commonpIaces.
They bad by now wandered to an ar
Dor. and without either OF them draw
ing attention to 1t they entered and sat
down in the two deck chairs ii boosted
Vera tried to continue the subject at
issue. but Arthur remained silent In
this wise the conversation stopped, and
each became absorbed for the first
time In the beauty and the stiffness or
the night. Presently, with startling
ab7sptness. the silence was broken
upon.
Vera said Arthur. turning toward
her, would you care to marry me-?
II was not by a long way the first
time she had received "A similar re-
quest. for she had been vainly courted
by the richest and highest in the coun-
try-so vainly, indeed. that people were
even beginning to hint of the shelf
when speaking of her-but whether il
was the suddenness of the request or
the personality OF him who made II
for the minute her confusion was OBJ
vious, though luckily for her the friend
ly moon did not light up this little ar
Dor. Calming herself Immediately and
looking quickly up at her companion.