Middletown transcript., 1902-01-11
The Heart of a Girl :.
BY FRANCIS WILSON,

tips p'
Sanford nodded his head understand.
ingly.
'sShe was a trife too much upon the
Sweet Alice style," Miss Wentworth
resumed candidly, "and yet with all her
absurdities, / myself was rather fond Of
her. OF course you have guessed before
this that there came man" Her voice
dropped into tragic whisper. Then she
burst into a merry laugh, in which her
companion Joined somewhat consciously
'tMethinks the air grows icyl ] feel
the approach of the villain of the storyP'
he announced.
"Not at alp protested Miss Went
worth in an injured tone. "He was sim
ply 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 q
god"
She looked at her companion with in
nocent eyes, but the wicked little gleam
that lay away back in them did not es-
/ cape 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 baf-
fling answer. "You must let me tell my
story in my own way. To proceed"
ga girl of this stamp is likely to ideal
ize good deal, and you would have been
yes, you would have been highly ed
flied could you have heard some Of this
ones rhapsodies. "A head SO noble, 'sshe
would say exultingly to herself, was
never seen before and 'Wers- ever eyes
so spendidly commanding?' silly, wasn't
it? But it was the outcome Of her con-
viction that god among men had deigned
to hold out his hand to her. And when
he opened his lipsr'
Miss Wentworth paused with rapt,
listening look upon her face which con-
vulsed her hearer who laughed rather
foolishly.
'fOf course the man read the secret of
the girls heart, and her naive worship
amused and hattered him. So he devoted
a good many Of bis spare moments to
deepening the impression he had made
and the girl used to listen breathlessly.
Their eyes met, Miss Wentworth I'll 's s
brimming with mirth, while Sanford felt
that he was guilty of grin. Then she
shook her head at him and continued
with severity:
Gas I was about to remark, the girl
listened to the pearls of wisdom which
dropped from the mans lips and believed
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 high-handed,
negligent sort of way did 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 r'
A reminiscent smile hovered about Miss
Wentworth's lips, and she looked of
across the lawn as if she had forgotten
her companion.
'Girls are not usually $3.50 impres
sionable," he hazarded in defensive
manner.
"This 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 ex-
pected it, and it came like thunder-bolt
from clear sky. l won't 60 into details.
He had wearied of his plaything. Then,
there was lady with fair hair and the
eyes of a saint-and what was a girls
heart that it should stand in the way of q
mans fancy ?"
'Miss Wentworth's small head rested
against the tips Of her fingers, and her
great eyes looked calmly into Sanford Is
as she asked this question with the i'm.
partial air of one who seeks abstract
truth.
He shook his head.
''The girl was heart-broken-horri
for in the innocence of her heart she
thought that she had made terrible, i'm
modest mistake, and that he never had
made love to her-reallyl Her face used
to burn at the thought, and she would
have given her head for a chance to con-
vince him that she, too, had only been
amusing herself. She was wounded in
her pride and in her heart alike-and the
nights were dreadful r' She finished in
cohelently.
II see the moral looming up in the
distance" murmured her hearer plaint-
lively. 'Tt casts long shadow and the
tip Of Of it it points points 70 10 ne ne u
''But it's only fairy tale, you know"
she said with shrug, and then contin-
ued:
''The girls family went abroad, and
she was dragged from London to Paris
and from Paris to Rome; but her stub
born fancy clung to the man and refused
to let 60. She looked upon the sunlit sea
at Cannes, and thought of him! and
stared at the midnight sun-and thought
Of him! There was never a moment
when she would not have jumped at a
chance to return to that pokey, little
Western city, 0. S. A., just because he
was there. What did she care about the
ylories of the world2'
"She used to awaken in the morning
how she would get through
lhe day and longing for night. For,
though she was wretched, she was young
and strong, and so she slept and some-
lines dreamed p
The last words were spoken softly-
,aressingly-and sent thrill along San
lords nerves.
"Did you-that is, did she really care
70 muchP' he stammered.