The Philipsburg mail., 1901-09-13
CECiLIA'S ROMANCE


81 ALWAYS thought that fate had re-
served me for better things" sighed
Cecilia Maynard, as she sat on the
Spa at Seamoor and watched the fash
ionable crowd drift idly to and fro, land
now-and now"
And now," said her friend, Mrs. Mel
vile Graham, putting the obvious finish
to the broken sentence, you know
it,"
Cecilia Maynard was the beauty of
the family That is not saying much
for her, but she thought it was, and so
did the family. People are apt to set
fancy value on themselves. AS mat
ter of fact she was a pretty girl
neither more nor less-but her family
thought her beauty, and never tired
of impressing the fact on her and on
their friends This pleased them and
amused their friends, and hurt nobody
but Cecilia. 1t is not wise thing to
persuade a girl that she is altogether
superior to the state of life into which
she has been called; but people are
at times very unwise in their genera
tion.
| 1t was sacred and jealousy cher
ished belief in the Maynard family
that Cecilia would make brilliant
match. They looked upon it as GER
tainty. They always said, "When Ce-
ella makes her grand marriage, we
shall do so and so;" not IF Cecilia
makes her grand marriage, ETC., ETC."
Cecilia shared their belief, and wasted
hours and hours in idle dreaming of
the life that she would lead when the
fairy prince had rescued her, like Gin
derella of old, from her present sur
roundings.
Now at last the fairy prince had ar
rived on the scene, and this is the his
tory of his coming.
Every year the Maynards were in the
habit of spending a month at some
fashionable seaside place. and this year
they had chosen Seamoor, and estab-
lished themselves at the Regal Hotel,
which is, as everyone knows the most
select in the town. Cecilia had six
large dress baskets with her, and ar
rayed in cir contents, she (lazzled the
Seamoor world-or imagined that she
did 50, which, after ALL was just as
gratifying to her vanity. Imagination
is fearful and wonderful thing She
imagined herself the cynosure of all
eyes, and the admired of all beholders,
tn,
one nor the other If she had known
that she would have been miserable:
but she did not know it, and so she
was happy. This is a. strange world!
When the Maynards had been at Sea-
moor a week, a fresh arrival threw
the Regal into a state of great excite
nent. AS rule, fresh arrivals were
not much thought of there, for people
, We're always coming and going; but this
particular fresh arrival was something
, quite out Of the common run. He-for,
, of course, it was he-really deserves
+ descriptive paragraph all to him.
self.
To begin with, he was a very remark
, able looking man, 6 foot t, and broad
in proportions; magniticently built
, specimen of the human race. Then he
. had a most insinuating manner. He
, did not say so very much, but he look
, ed volumes, and he had trick of drop
ping his voice and murmuring contiden-
: TALLY into his neighbours ear, that
- wrought great havoc in the ranks of
| the opposite sex. Added to that, he
. had certain amount Of swagger on,
3 and threw his money about right and
. left with a lordly disregard for the
principles of economy. His name was
so fascinating, too, Auriel de Vismes
What woman could withstand such a
8 name? 1t was all very we'll fol-
e Shakespeare to write:
: What's in a name? That which we cal
v BY any other name would smell as sweet
e But either Shakespeare left women Out
f of his calculations or times have chang
S ed since his day. Auriel de Vismes
L would not have been half so interest
r ing parsonage if he had been called
e John Jones. Auriel de Vismes! 1t was
l. so poetcal, so refined and so mysteri
Gus. Who We're the De ViEnes, every