Evening journal., 1904-08-29
Last Of the
Cwelve
Lucy G. hampton
Copyright, 1901, bu Luep f. Hampton

forward TO greet me.
IF you were any one else, wouldn't
be a bit glad TO see you, Dick" she
began, because I'm most terribly un-
pleasant tonight. You don't mind not
having the lights, do you? I'm so much
more comfortable 10 be miserable in
the dark, don't you think soi'
"Oh, come. What's the trouble? This
cheerful fire is too cohy to have any
thing like unhappiness near. Tell your
oldest counselor what's gone wrong
today, won't you?"
"No, because you will only laugh,
and / don't feel like being laughed at
tonight" A smile came in spite of her
effort to hide it, and then a sigh.
ITS strange you should have forgot
ten it. Dick. when you always do re-
member it. Oh, mean my birthday,
if you can't guess. You know, Dick, to-
morrow is the Sth"
"By Jove, little girl, so it is! But 1
would have remembered, Of course.
Have / ever forgotten
She smiled again and leaned toward
me.
"You know l don't mean about the
roses. You'd never forget them, be
lieve. II l lived TO have a thousand
birthdays. It's always very sweet Of
you too"
must explain that ever since Eliza
beth was a graceful little fairy Of
twelve and I an ardent admirer Of,
well, several years her senior had
sent her a bunch of American Beau
ties, her favorite flower, one for eve;y
year she was old on each birthday.
Lets see, how many is it this time
-twenty-three, twenty-four. Why,
Bess, it will be an even two dozen
this time, won't it,"
"Hush-hush--don't tell-will you
That's what l meant awhile ago about
your not remembering. l hope when
l keep getting older and older some
time you may forget just how many
years old l am. I'm ashamed even
now to have any one know I'm SC
ancient l can trust you not TO tell
l know"
She was so serious l did not dare
TO smile. so l sat wondering just how
long this mood of hers would last
Usually she finds it hard to be serious
longer than five minutes at a time. A:
she sat there, her bright head in th'
shadow, her eyes half closed to con
ceal something she did not care t.
have me see, / knOw-whether mis-
chief or something really serious
couldn't tell couldn't help thinking
well, Of many things l have no righ
to think since one winter several year
ago when Elizabeth decided we wer
TO be only friends, but the very bes
/ friends that ever were. And so W
are.
You don't know how terrible 1t is
Dick, to be a girl and to have a twenty
fourth birthday so near. Don't laugh
Aunt Alice says she believes 1 am go
ing to be an old maid"
In spite of her warning / had t
laugh now, trying to think Of her a
an old Elizabeth the beautiful
as she was called; Elizabeth the be
. loved of all who ever knew her; Eliza
beth the envied of all the girls. ant
] Elizabeth as an old maid.
My mirth received a check when sh
remarked next in the most cheerful
way:
5 "Nir. Harrington was here last night
E Another silence, not so pleasant a
the last. l do not like Mr.. Harrington
and Elizabeth's Aunt Alice does. BE
sides, Mr.. Harrington is considered YER
desirable. He is rich. he is well liked
by mothers and aunts at least, thoug
am frank TO say l do not know VIII
exactly-and he is very fond of Eliza
beth. For this admire his taste, bu
/ ii does not tend to make me noticeabl
= fond of him.
a poor old dufferl Did he-er-propos
= again for the third and last time, ell
Bess?"
"He isn't so old. and you don't nee
r to call him names, Richard Wells! Fl
t doesn't need so much sympathy eithei
> perhapsg' She flashed a look at m
3 and drew herself up in such haught
manner that l Immediately subsideC
What did she mean? Surely she-sh
, couldn't have
1t was my turn TO be serious now.
e please, Elizabeth" began-'pleas
S look at me and tell me you refused tbs
e man for the last time You know 70
s cannot love him"
"Why, you see-well, I'm ashame
to tell you what have been thinking
d / don't care enough for him to MARI
n MIN, I'm afraid But he happened to
e the last-well, I'll call him the last {
twelve"
e "The last of twelve - whatT' d
y manded. "You don't mean to tell m
~ Elizabeth Denton. that you have ha
o twelve separate and distinct lovers
your short life Of twenty years"
e Most Of them did not count. the
g were so long ago; but they were jui
y as serious as the others while the
is lasted. You cart guess who was m
'e first lover. Dick. Billy Trentonl 4
proposed 10 me one night at a part
/ was only fourteen, think. I remen
: Der we had some sort Of games, and
&c one OF them he chose me as the one
loved best, and afterward came Il
declaration in the conservatory. on
? short time after this Cousin Fran
d proposed. You never knew he was OF
OF my old lovers, did you? He WI
a. very desnerate for n month or so al