Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-01-23

| Miss Wentworth settled herself more
| comfortably in her chair. Then, look
ing at her companion in speculative
manner, she began.
TITS a sort of fairy tale, and it's
about a girl. She was neither very
beautiful nor very interesting, but 1
think l may say truthfully that she
| was nice sort of girl, with a warm
heart, boundless enthusiasm and an i'm
plicit belief in her fellow-creatures.
| shall have to confess, though, that
| she was one of the kind who blush
furiously at the slightest provocatlon-
you know the type-and that she was
earnest and serious-horribly so-and
a hero-worshipper to her finger tips!"
| Sanford nodded his head understand
ingly.
"She was trifie too much upon the
Sweet Alice STYLE" Miss Wentworth
resumed candidly, "and yet with all
her absurdlties, l myself was rather
fond of her. OF course you have
guessed before this that there came a
mani" Her voice dropped into a tragic
whisper. linen she burst into merry
laugh, in which her companion Joined
| somewhat consciously
"Methinks the air grows icy! I feel
| the approach of the villain Of the
| story" he announced.
mot at ALL" protested Miss Went
worth in an injured tone. He was
simply a nice, agreeable man of the
world-such as one meets often enough
to make life pleasure. He was many
years her senior, and the girl mistook
| him for god.'
She looked at her companion with in
nocent eyes, but the wicked little
| CLEAN that lay back in them did not
| escape him.
Did the man do anything to give
| rise to such a-er-delusion?"
There was an unmistakable challenge
in the inquiry.
mo questions allowed" came the
| battling answer you must let me tell
my story in my own way. To pro-
| ceed."
"a girl of this stamp is likely to
| idealiZe good deal, and you would
have been-yes, you would have been
| highly edited could you have heard
some of this ones rhapsodies. "A head
| so noble she would say eXultingly to
herself, was never seen BEFORE and
Were ever eyes so splendidly COM
| mending?" Silly, wasn't it? But it
| was the outcome of her conviction that
a god among men had deigned to hold
out his hand to her. And when he
| opened his lips!"
Miss Wentworth paused with a rapt,
listening look upon her face which
| convulsed her hearer. who laughed
rather foolishly.
''Of course the man read the secret of
| the girls heart, and her native worship
amused and flattered him. So he de-
voted a good many of his spare mo-
| ments to deepening the impression he
had made and the girl used to listen
| breathlessly
Their eyes met, Miss Wentworth's
| brimming with mirth, while Sanford
| felt that he was guilty of grin. Then
| she shook her head at him and con-
| tinued with severity:
las | was about to remark, the girl
| listened to the pearls of wisdom which
| dropped from lne mans lips and be-
leved in them as she did in holy
things, and her foolish heart was
| thrilled by the joy of the love which
she thought was hers. Certainly the
man, in a high-handed, negligent sort
| OF way aid manage to give her some
such impression. How she pitied less
fortunate girls, and how full of plans
| she was to make herself worthy Of
him!
reminiscent smile hovered about
Miss Wentworths lips, and she looked
off across the lawn as if she had for
| gotten her companion.
| Girls are not usually $3.50 impress
sionable," he hazarded in a defensive
manner.
mis- one was" she responded sue
cinctly.
Experienced people like you and
me-" she went on, continuing her story
once more, 'can see that there was
trouble brewing for the girl. She never
expected it, and it came like a thun-
derbolt from a clear sky. l won't go
| into details. He had wearied of his
| plaything. Then, there was a lady
with fair hair and the eyes Of saint
| and what was a girls heart that it
should stand in the way of a mans
fancy?"
Miss Wentworths small head rested
against the tips of her fingers, and her
great eyes looked calmly into San
ford's as she asked this question with
the impartial air of one who seeks
abstract truth.
He shook his head.
THE girl was heartbroken-horri-
fed; for in the innocence of her heart
she thought that she had made a ter
rible immodest mistake, and that he
never had made love to her-really!