The evening Republican., 1902-09-22
CUPlD'S SUM-
MER SCHOOL.

"
this was nothing unusual, for Thorn
as was 80 frequently, SO variously
and so obviously in love that no one
at the Sea View House took him at
all seriously.
If Jack Harding sat out two
dances in the moonlight with Eu-
nice Vane or George Topping stroll
ed on the sands with Alice Temple,
the chaperons of Rocking Chair
row had food for gossip the next
morning, but if Tommy fagrantly
held the band of the prettiest girl
at the hotel for full half an hour in
broad daylight it was pronounced
merely one of his little pleasantries,
Tommy was once heard to remark
that his heart was larger than the
hotel since it housed SO many more
girls than the inn could accomo-
date.
In other words, Thomas was
wholesale f1irt who conducted his
compaigns So 0openly that had he
sat III solitude for an hour the en-
tire summer contingent upon the
island would have remarked upon
the strangeness of the pro-
ceeding; not that such an event
was probable when there were
81 attractive and tractable
young women at hand--that is, all
were tractable except one. Tommy
frankly admitted that he had been
rejected by 26 out of q, but when
urged to go ahead and make his
volume of reflections complete he
turned strangely reticent.
No one would have believed the
truth-that the 9th was the real
object of his adoration-and that
despite his vast experience in this
instance, he became oddly incap-
able of uttering the words that
would put his fate to test
With 26 of the "Sea Viewers" as
he dubbed them, he was brave to
the point Of audacity, and not one
of the girls. felt her heart touched
by the turn of so much as a feath-
ers weight; but with Janet Mars
den All, that was different! She
might not take him seriously either.
If one or two Observing danes
had noted his evident embarrass-
ment in Miss Mardon's presence,
they naturally supposed that the
somewhat reserved young lady from
Philadelphia had resented Tommy's
easy assumption that young woman
hood in general had been provided
for his special entertainment and
had administered some singing re-
buke, which, coming from her gen
tie Cupid's bow lips, would carry
unexpected force.
Never for an Instant did they dream
that Tommy really loved this quiet,
contained girl or that his tongue
stammered and grew slow when he
tried to tell in all seriousness what
he had ofttimes spoken in jest. In
spite OF his mercurial temperament
Darling was not fllrt in the com.
mon acceptation OF the word. lie
TESTED lightly with Dan Cupid and
made rlayfeIuw.
II the world of women refused to
take him seriously. why should he
show them the serious side Of his
nature? Yet beneath his gayety was
hidden strong. manly nature that
seldom manifested itself. Perhaps
all unconsclously he had shown this
better side TO Janet, for he felt in.
stin ctively that tlippancy in her
presence was dissertation OF the
love lie nurturel far below the sur
face.
The weeks sped by. Pretty girls
came and pretty girls went. Moon
light sails and rides gave way to
hops and amateur theatricals on
dark nights. There We're Grabbing
on the lake, clam bakcs beyond the
point and picnics in the woods
across the inlet, and of all these
Tommy was the life the bright and
guiding star. Janet Masden was
there also, sometimes in the fore
ground, oftener in the background,
the latter especially on the parties
w viz "t.ti, NuCil olIt Sttlllcu
content in a quiet corner, studying
the beauties of distant land and sky.
But tomorrow it would all end.
Janet was going home. Tommy !
gazed moodily toward the point of !
rock around which she had dissap- |
peared. Seven wasted weeks! He |
was an idiot, Ia
Tommy kicked over a camp chair |
that stood in his way and strobe
down the steps toward the beach.
He found Janet with her new mag
azines perched in a shady, sandy
corner. Her head was bent, and
her golden hair CLEANED above her
sailor suit of dark blue linen, Tom
my picked up her parasol, which
had rolled down the slope, and threw
ather side.
Your mother tells me you leave
for the mountains tomorrow. 1t
seems as if you'd been here such a
very short time"
Thanks replied Janet, holding
her place in the magazine with a
slender forefnger. A faint smile
hovered tantalizingly about her lips.
Tommy was digging holes with
the point Of her parasol.
Pm tremendously sorry you are
going.
His voice was genuinely tender and
md earnest. The smile died on her
ips, and her eyes softened; but, after
III, his record was against him.
"Are you clever at Ggures?' she
inquired.
She had the parasol now, aud Tom.
ny followed what she wrote in the
and: /
t.O7 90 o.