Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1904-09-22
BY SPECIAL
DESIRE q q
ALWAYS though. her a pretty girl.

1
her own account, there seemed to be
80 many people In love with her al
ready that thought personally
should do much better by merely main
tanning a friendly interest In her Be-
sides, | always knew that II ever l did
fall In love 1t would be with quite an
other sort Of a girl-some one who
would be much more prepared to rem
der me homage than to expect 1t 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 gave
her no possible excuse for thinking
| that | was one of her latest victims,
for the simple reason that had not in
any sense succumbed to her fascina-
lions, and never pretended to disguise
the fact.
had known her now for quite a
long time. l should say 1t was about
six months from our first meeting. At
our last meeting, which had been the
day before yesterday, I had introduced
great friend of mine to her-Bertte
Beauclere. He was tall handsome
fellow-no brains, certainly, but still
the sort of type that I 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 vas fairly
correct one. l judged her to be frivol-
GUS and shallow-a girl to be taken
with superficial show rather than a
woman to love man for his sterling
worth, which is really the only kind OF
woman I should ever feel inclined to
love myself, for don't set much store
by blue eyes and pink and white
skin. 1t is the beauty Of the heart
and mind that appeal to me far more.
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 upon her conquests.
invariably discounted half she said.
| didn't believe she had a 1.-THE Of the
success she made out. Here was I, for
one, quite unscathed 1t was really
astonishing to me to see the way Beau
clere made up to her, and l began to
think there might be something in her
charm after all. But then, III she be
not fair to me, what care l how fair
she be-"
All the same, I felt vexed I had in.
troduced BERTHE to her. didn't want
to see her make a fool Of my best
friend. / didn't want to see her make
fool of herself, either, and the way
she encouraged his idiotic complis
ments was a revelation to me. had
taken 1t for granted that she was
coquette, but had never actually seen
her In the role before, and | didn't
know how these things were done until
then. and learnt a good lesson that
afternoon. BERTHE fetched and carried
for her like dog and the other men
seemed to 60 down like ninepins, too.
I had really meant to look after her a
little myself, but realized my fore
thought was quite superfuous.
The next day thought would call
on her and have quiet chat. 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. suppose that she did
a few hours daily practicing and read
ing within its sacred four walls.
I always liked to find her in the
study. For one thing, 1t showed, If
not a 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.
sat down and, after having helped
her with a difficult problem-the same
problem, I was fain to observe, which
had tackled for her last time-I be-
gan to talk.
"You and Beauclere seemed to hit It
of pretty well. always thought he
liked a bit Of a bluestocking-in fact
preferred brains to beauty"
"You don't think me clever. thenr
she asked.
"I didn't say that exactly. I think |
you are clever In your own way"
"But you think my beauty is in ex-
cess Of my brains?"
I'VE won't say beauty" deprecated.
That is a word only applicable to
Greek goddesses. But you're certain
" sweetly pretty"
TO-" she said, with her eyes down,
you think me pretty, then?"
"I wasn't giving you my personal
opinion" replied, guardedly, but
what seems to be the generally accept
ID one"
81 don't know so much about that"