Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-02-05
SWAPPING cONFlDENcES.
One Girl Wastes Sympathy on n Man; An.
other Makes Six Men Waste Theirs.

oiHcF hakes 6iA nheh Aiieho'
"I'N never be even civil to man
again." muttered the brown eyed
girl.
The blue eyed girl shrugged her
shoulders incredulously. "Haye your
unsophisticated affections been trided
with"
'It is worse than that. \ man
don't even like thinks 1 am in love
with him."
Did you give him cGuse:'
"Indeed l did not. Only conceited
prig could have mistaken my con-
duct. You know, l have just returned
from Cousin Mans cottage. There was.
bachelor next door. l don't know
how long ne has been bachelor, but
long enough to be utterly selfish and
uninteresting. He ran in every day,
and 1 told Mans husband that it was
better to be lonely than TO be bored.
Then in some uneXplGin2 ble way l
got it into my head that ne had been
il love with Cousin Nan, and was still
true to her memory"
"You-a Chicago girl, and thinking
that? You are queer" commented The
blue eyed girl.
81 know it, but it made him interest
ing. His stupid expression seemed
soulful, and when he shook hands with
Cousin Nan 1 fancied that l could see
wistful expression, and when he
kissed her children l felt sure that
only a strong will was keeping back
his tears. l thought him so noble, SO
uncomplaining and 1 tried TO enter in
to all his moods. Ii wasn't very thrill
ing, but as there We're no other men
around, l thought it wouldn't hurt me
tG be good to him and cheer him up as
much as 1 could. We rode and walked
together in sympathetic silence, and l
felt sure that he understood, for he
told Tom that | was such Il restful
girl. One evening we stocd on the
porch, and 1 thought Of the years of
loneliness before him, and my heart
ached. Picking up his hand held it
for Il second against my cheek, said
Good night very abruptly, aEd Went
into the house"
mo wonder he thought that you
were in love-" interrupted the blue
eyed girl.
Nonsense! II man picked M
girls hand she wouldn't thinl: that he
was in love-she would know ihat he
was simply affected by the moon or
something that he had eaten for din
ner."
"Of course, he proposed?'
Hardly. This story isn't in any
story book. He was frightened 10
Death and never called again. 1
found out afterward that he had never
been in love with anyone except HIM
seif-conceited prig"
The blue eyed girl looked thought
ful. ''If you want to be awfully popu-
lar I'll tell you how if you Will prom
Use never to breathe it."
'Ill promise anything"
"NYell, l will tell you my own ex-
rerience. Last summer there was only
one eligible man at the summer re-
sort, and 1 knew that my chances for
a good time were slim, Tor the other
girls We're younger and very attrac-
tive. Then some one who didn't
know told that man that the man l
was engaged to had died, and since
that time l had been indifferent to
men. It was better to have him think
that than to know the real unromantic
truth, so l dropped several remarks
which would confirm his opinion. lie
hadn't even looked at me before, but
after that he began studying my face.
and he thought it so wonderful the
way / hid my true feelings, for though
ny heart was broken, only a very
close observer would have guessed it.
To make a long story short, ne decided
that 1 was very safe for q summer
girl, and he showered his attentions
on me, and l accepted them with an
I-understand-you air. 1t worked so
beautifully that l now have six men
trying to make me forget some deep,
unknown sorrow, for they all feel sire
that [ can't fall in love-
But co you think any o. them viii
proposc:"
II hope not. l don't want to have
q good thing spoiled"
Then the blue eyed girl began look
ing over her engagement book for the
Post.