Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-05-11

kinder to me than TO most men, but T
did not see that ii was by reason of my
absolute harmlessness and. / suppose.
because | was a vain fool | gradually
began to gather hope-which goes with
every vain mans love-and, what is
more. actually climbed to the very apex
Of idiocy and declared myself. I well
knew the infinite distance between us;
but. like every other man who came
within the circle of this charming load
stone, | lost my head and. in short,
made a greater fool of myself than I
naturally was, which is saying a good
deal for that time in my life, God
knows.
knew vaguely, but did not fairly re-
alize, how utterly beyond my reach in
every way she was until | opened the
foodgates of my passion, as l thought
it, and saw her smile and try to check
the coming laugh. Then came look
of offended dignity, followed by a
quick, softening glance.
Leave me one friend. | pray you,
Edwin. | value you too highly to lose,
and esteem you too much to torment
Do not make of yourself one of those
fools who feel, or pretend to feel, | care
not which, such preference for me. You
cannot know in what contempt wom-
an holds 4 man who follows her though
she despises him. No man can beg a
wOman's love; he must command it, Do
not join their ranks, but let us be good
friends. | will tell you the plain truth.
1t would be no different were we both
of the same degree. Even then l could
not feel toward you as you think you
wish, but can be your friend and will
promise to be that always if you will
promise never again to speak of this to
me-"
promised solemnly and have always
kept my word, as this true, gracious
woman, so full of faults and beauties,
virtues and faflings, has ever since that
day and moment kept hers. It seemed
that my love, or what l supposed was
love, left my heart at once, frozen in
the cold CLINT of her eyes as she smiled.
upon my first avowal, somewhat as dis
ease may leave the sickened body upon
a great shock. And in it's place came
the restful fame Of a friends love.
which so softly warns without burning.
But the burning! There is nothing in
life worth having compared with it for
all its pains and agonies. Is there?
Now, if you must love somebody"
continued the princess, there is Lady
Jane BolingbrOke, who is beautiful and
good and admires you and, think,
could learn to- But here the lady in
question ran out from behind the dra-,
peries, where, believe, she had been
listening to it all, and put her hand over
her mistress mouth to silence her.
Don't believe one word she saws, Sir
Edwin" cried Lady Jane eff you do.
l never will like you" The emphasis
ON the ''will'' held out such Involuntary
promise In case l did rot believe the
princess that l at once protested total
want of faith in a single syllable she
had said about her and vowed that 1
knew it could not be true; that 1 dared
not hope for such happiness.
You see, had begun to make love to
Jane almost before l was off nv knees
to Mary, and therefore had not been
much hurt in Mary's case l had suf-
fered merely touch of the general cpl
demic, not the lingering, chronic disease
that kills.
Then l knew that the best cure for
the sting which lies in luckless love
is to love elsewhere, AID Jane, as she
stood there, so petite, so blushing and
so fair, struck me as quite the most
pleasing antidote 1 could possibly find,
so began at once to administer to my
self the delightful counter irritant. 1t
was a happy thought for me, one of
those which come to a man now and
then and for which he thanks his wits
in every hour of his after life.
But the winning of Jane was not so
easy a matter as my vanity had
prompted me to think. l started with
a handicap since Jane had heard nv
declaration to Mary, and had to undo
all that before l could do anything
else. Try the same thing yourself with
a spirited girl, naturally laughter low