The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-04-12

mentioned to you how much the boy
looked like his sister. Perhaps he does.
You and l have never seen Miss La
moine'
.Derringer,'' said l, you are becom-
ing hysterical What is this nonsense
supposed to mean?"
The simplest thing in the world ne
replied. Let me review the matter
l met the young lady whom we have
known as Miss Lamoine in New York
few days before your arrival. The
effect upon me | have described to you.
1t is the rankest folly to say that she
saw anything in me worth loving. and
yet l can't help believing it. Heaven
forgive me. Then you came. and what
ever impression l had made was utter
ly effaced.'
"Oh, see here. Derringer," said l,
"she never cared penny for me.
Don't disturb your mind with wild
Authorizations"
My friend, have her own word for
it,
He spoke with convincing earnest
ness, and l was staggered. My mind
was still confused by his previous per
picking statements, and this upon the
top of them was too much for me.
Let me try to get this straight"
said L. do l understand that you
asked her to marry you and she said
something which led you to believe
that | stood in your way?'
81 did not commit that absurdity." he
replied ''She read my heart. She knew
that she need only lift her finger to
bring me to my knees before her meta
phorically or literally, confound it. any
way she wanted! And instead what did
she do? She told me a very pretty sto-
ry about a girl who was an orphan and
had been brought up under the care of
one who had been her fathers friend.
AS soon as she opened her lips | knew
that she was speaking of herself. This
guardian of hers was th> finest man in
the world She would die to please
him."
"She?' 1 cried. Miss Lamoine?"
ct pleased the lady to omit Names"
he replied. ''She was telling me the
story of a friend. 1t appeared that the
guardian had a son who had been
much away from home. abroad during
the last few years. He was returning,
and it was his fathers best wish. his
dearest hope, that there should be a
wedding"
The perspiration from my forehead
ran down into my eyes, and it was
cold.
He was a dutiful son, by all ac-
count" continued Derringer, land
would undoubtedly marry to please his
father even if it broke his own heart
and the girls. Happily, however. there
would be no such double catastrophe,
for the girl loved him.
"She loved me?" | exclaimed. f'Sibyl
loved me? The thing isn't possible.
Why, man. | was a brute to her. The
only shadow of kindness l ever showed
her was to sing sad songs to make her
cry"
1.-THE girl loved him." said Derringer
firmly. "She couldn't remember a time
when she hadn't, and. being the right
sort of girl at heart, she was afraid
he would pretend to love her In order
to please his father. The idea became
a nightmare with her-a night and day
mare. So she hit upon a plan in the
midst of her desperation. 1t seems that
her looks had undergone a remarkable
change since girIhood. so that she felt
recognize her. He had never paid any
attention to her when she was a child.
and, besides, there's a sort of family
popularity didn't quite understand
about it-defc:ency of vision or some
thing like that. But you seem to see all
right
4 see too we'll" said l. Its the
same with my father 1t was so with
his father. We see q face precisely as
it is, and if it changes in the least 1t
is another face to us. We do not carry
with us the vague and varying images
of those we know, which serve best
for purposes of general recognition.
We hold one accurate picture. and it
either fits or it doesn't. Do you un-
derstand? | probably know more
about your real looks than any other
fellow who ever saw you. But if you
should dye your mustache a shade
lighter | might pass you on the street
without notion shat | had ever set
eyes on you before"
Il think the young lady endeavored
to express some such idea" said Der
ringer. You may readily believe that
was in no condition to grasp COM
plicated subject. However, be the ex-
PLANTATION what it may. the young lady
was perfectly convinced that the gen.
tleman in question would not know
her. She had resolved to play a strange
comedy with him. Well, she played
it in New York and was not satisfied
with the result. At least that is the
rational inference So we have had
the second act with a changed scene.
and the romance has come to a perfect
conclusion
ut has:" | cried. "Why, man,