The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-06-26
From Association.
by KATE NJ. KNOX.


asperity, there is one thing certain, il
Atmorc has added it's advice to the
dangers of the situation, YOU may as
well give up for lost"
Norton Cope had so supreme con-
tempt for his Cousin Atmore as usually
prevented him from get ting angry ut any
thing he said or did, but now as he saw
the same Young gentleman make his way
down the street, lie looked upon his re-
treating figure. his high collar. very long
neck, and weak, indefinite gait with an
unfriendly eye. Atmorc's was such a
negative character as to give the ap
p.;;:ance e; being held in solution by tic
Efforts of This tailor; for, whatever were
his uthcr dt ficiencics, lie came out strong
on clothes
Miss Garston, who was the only otl or
PRISON on the porch with Cope, now that
Atnorc lad gone, smiled at his remark.
But, MIR. Cope, do you really think
there is any danger ofthc horse throwing
M: Hourcousin says that though Satire
is spirited, she never h,scs her head "
"nid you ever know anything belong
ing 10 At;morc to have any to lose" he
remarked dryiy. Then he added, after Il
short pause. during which he gave one
or two puifs at a cigar he held in his
nj 3uth II most certainly will think it Il
miracle if you escape with your life. At
more knows absolutely nothing about
what sort of a horse is suitable for Il lady.
You had better continue with the sorrel;
h is a little too fat and lazy. but lie is
thoroughly safe footed"
'Still it was kind of him to make the
offer" said Miss Garston, going back to
the first part of the conversation.
Her companion watched with half
closed eyes the blue smoke curl upwards
from his cigar, and then remarked simply,
"Oh.--vcry."
Il fear you have not very high opin-
ion OF him." she said.
"Nn, he's tricky and is apt to bolt at
the first opportunity. In fact, he isn't a
beast that you or any other woman
would want to own
Eleanor Garston looked puzzled
"Whom are you referring to-Mr. At
more? was speaking of him.
"Oh. all" responded Cope, laughing,
81 thought you meant the horse. How
ever you can apply that remark rs well
to him. Yet" he pursued. as he carefully
licked the ashes from his cigar, zone
could after all arrive ut a very fair csti-
mate of what the perfect man should be,
taking Atmore as an cxample-or. to be
more eXact, as a warning. Sum him up
mentally, morally and physically, and
then by 4 process of exclusion You get
your result: whatever he iS-one should
not lie; whatever lie docs-avoid what
he tEinks-if you can ascribe anything
so comprehensive to him-isn't So To
conclude, he is Il born idiot; not that l
blame him so much for that, for
that is his misfortune, which he has,
however, exaggerated into a fault by
presuning upon the part he was APP
pointed to play i'll the world; and now
i'll suggesting that you ride Satire he has
simply broken his record"
Cope was fine-looking man of about
thrty-eight, with a rough exterior and a
hard twinkle i'll his eyes that attracted
some women, and made those who were
not attracted have confidence in him;
daughters to his care; he was so sensible,
and then his financial and social position
was so assured. In spite, however, ofhis
good hcartedness which showed itself
through brusquc mannerisn-a cloak
which natural shyncss long since out
grown and adopted-it is quite possible
that his reputation was better than the
man himself. Men stood rather in awe
of him, but, curiously enough, women
seemed to fear him, though one could not
say whether it was or was not from
their having i'll common with drunkards
that eminent unfitness for discriminating
between what is or what is not danger
Gus. There was once an account in 4
paper of an intoxicated person who sat
down suddenly on a red hot stove; to lie
sure he got up as suddenly, the stove not
warranting the trust put i'll it. Not that
this has anything to do with the story
in hand only as going to show the un-
worthincSs OF trusts i'll general, and
supcrheated stoves in particular. How
ever, though Cope might not have met
the requirements of his mother-in-law, if
he had ever been blessed with one, he was
a thoroughly good fellow anyway.
He had for years belonged to that large
and cvcr-increasing class of men who do
not care to marry; he could have married
any number of women he did not want,
and there had been one or two whom he
would have married but couli not. Hav-
ing been in love in the past, he did not
deny the possibility of his being in love
i'll the future. but that did not necessarily
imply that his habits of life need be
intcriered with. In his affairs with wo.
men, if there had been n flood tide that
threatened to carry him out to the matri
monial sea, there had always been al
cbb-tide that had brought him back be
fore lie reached it. He had therefore re-
manned unmarried through accident
rather than constitutional inclination OF
principle, though he nursed a fancy thai
principle entered largely into it, and hl
likewise expected to continue in singl,