Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-09-08
BY SPECIAL DESIRE 4 4
Bv 11. K. BELLEw

I ALWAYS thought her a pretty girl and sweet and charming; but, from her own account, there seemed to be so many people in love with her all ready that 1 thought personally should do much better by merely main taining friendly interest in her. Be sides, always knew that if ever did fall in love it would be with quite an. other sort of girl-some one who would be much more prepared to ren- der me homage than to expect it as her own due, which was Miss Courte- nays way of going through life Still, in spite of her many airs and graces, which rather amused me than otherwise, we remained good friends on the whole, and I am sure I gave her no possible excuse for thinking that 1 was one of her latest victims, for the simple reason that had not in any sense succumbed to her fascina- ttons, and never pretended to disguise the fact
 had known her now for quite a long time. I should say it was about six months from our first meeting. At our last meeting, which had been the day before yesterday, had introduced a great friend of mine to her-Bertte Beauclere. He was tall, handsome fellow-no braias, certainly, but still the sort of type that felt pretty sure would appeal to her. She really did seem to take an ardent fancy to him, which was another proof that my es- timation of her character was a fairly correct one. I judged her to be frivol- ous and shallow-a girl to be taken with superficial show rather than a woman to love a man for his sterling worth, which is really the only kind of woman I should ever feel inclinedt to love myself, for I don't set much store by blue eyes and pink and white skin. It is the beauty of the heart and mind that appeal to me far more.
 l think, as matter of fact, that there are a good many men like my self, so that, when she used to enlarge to me sometimes upbn her conquests, I invariably discounted half she said. didn't believe she had tithe of the success she made out. Here was I, for one, quite unscathed It was really astonishing to me to see the way Beau clere made up to her, and began to think there might be something in her charm after all. But then, eff she be not fair to me, what care I how fair she be ?"
 All the same, felt vexed I had in troduced Bertie to her. I didn't want to see her make a fool of my best friend. I didn't want to see her make a fool of herself, either, and the way she encouraged his idiotic compli- ments was revelation to me- I had taken it for granted that she was a coquette, but I had never actually seen her in the role before, and I didn't know how these things were done until then, and learnt good lesson that afternoon. Bertie fetched and carried for her like a dog, and the other men seemed to go down like ninepins, too. I had really meant to look after her a little myself, but realized my, fore thought was quite superfiuous.
 The next day I thought I would call on her and have a quiet chat I found her in what she was pleased to term her study Not having left school long, she kept up an amiable fiction for the benefit of fond mother and a dOting father. l suppose that she did a few hours daily practicing and read ing within its sacred four walls.
 always liked to find her in the study For one thing, 1t showed, if not serious bent of mind, at least an effort in the right direction: and, for another, her family never ventured to disturb her there. She said it in terrupted her train of thought
 I sat down and, after having helped her with difficult problem-the same problem, was fain to observe, which I had tackled for her last time--I be- gan to talk.
 t'You and Beauclere seemed to hit 1t off pretty we'll always thought he liked bit of a bluestocking-in fact, preferred brains to beauty"
 ''You don't think me clever, then ?'' she asked.
 t'I didn't say that exactly. think you are clever in your own way"
 "But you think my beauty is in ex- cess of my brains?"
 'fWe won't say beauty" deprecated.