The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-01
BY SARA L. COLEMAN
THE SUCCESS OF FAILURE.

Sne was tiny creature, II seeHeo preeocicus for her :e be twenty yeas old; her hair curied wilfully on her neck and brow; in the dark-lashed graz eyes. in the nocking red mouth charm. rare. perverse. charm that transcsnded beauty lurked. She rode slowly up the mountsin trail. On every eide strange flowers shone mosses covered fallen logs; in the in- terstiecs of broken rock great pines grew; a stream in it's seaward rush leapcd and swirled over it's rocky bed.
 Lost in a mesh of thought she was brought back to the mountain trail by sharp blow on her face that. dis lodged her hat. Her steed, a mule, went on in spite of the desperate pull on his mouth. She felt herself being lifted from the saddle, her eyes stood out, her face blanched with pain; un- less something stopped the mules course the low-iying limb of a tree that had caught her hair threatened to place her in very uncomfortable position, for the party had gone on and there was no help in shouting dis tance.
 "Absalom. Absalom," laughing votee called, II am coming" and down the mountain path a man came run. ming at full speed. He threw the mule back and released the girl from her painful position.
 In radiant good humor with himself and all the world he looked up at her with laughing eyes.
 It was her fate to be seen by him at . disadvantage. There are people who always see one at ones best but the Professor came on the scene when Miss Peyton was least desirous of spectators. Not two hours before she had plunged from a rock into the Pro- feesor's long arms and he had laughed and said he knew she would fall just there so he had waited to save her a few bruises. The afternoon before when the male members of the camp ing party were fishing. she. at the en- treaty of the girls who knew her repu- tatfon for such adventures, had climb ed to the top of an apple tree. gone out on the limbs and tossed apples to the hungry girls. and in an endeavor to descend swiftly, warned by them that the men were approaching. had caught her dress which refused to tear, and hung in mid-air to be rescued by the Professor.
 Are you all right?" The Profes- sor's laughter had changed to solici- tude.
 "Yes." The haushtiness in her voice was born of humiliation.
 The Professor led the mule up the mountain side. breathless task. In spite of the young woman's protest he chung on to the bride. Finding con versation failure he relapsed into silence.
 Miss Peyton sat erect, flush on her cheeks. It would have been impos- sible for him to follow the train of her thought. It Is said that every bachelor Is secretly watched by some woman. Miss Peyton had known the Professor for several summers. Ills mothers cottage was not a hundred yards from her own summer home. There was a vague report that his mothers and his sisters avowed dis approval of matrimony had caused him to give up the woman he loved, Each year he grew more preoccupied, more wrapped in his studies. If one might judge from exterualities, the Professor semed drifting into perma- nent bachelorhood.
 Miss Peyton was young, pretty. She counted her lovers by the dozen, and she was not accustomed to have her plans miscarry. The Professors ili-luck depressed her-she believed his relatives had doomed him to un- happiness. She took things into her own hands. She filled her house with guests.
 The summer had been one round of frolic. which was to terminate with the week of camp life. The Professor had joined the party and had thrown himself into the gay life with an abandon and boyishness that had delighted Miss Peyton.
 There was a unanimous vote that the summer without him would have been a failure. He danced with Daphne, played cards with the men, Maud claimed him for golf. he rode with Irene, talked boks with Isabel.
 Friday. THE HEART OF A woM.