The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-01-15
Robcrta's Love Story.

| Foot 1t br;INCly--StTGng
| Trust i'll God. and do the right.
Robcrta's Love Story.
Dr.. Bond found his eyes weakening, and
| discovered that he could no longer. even
with his glasses, place before the printer
that fine copy" for which he was ;c-
nowned, and as his great work ON the
Mysteries of Science was not yet half
completed, nc advertised fora secretary
and from the long and seemingly never
ending train OF men-young. old we'll
dressed and Shabby-who for two weeks,
rang the door bell. and inquired if Or
Bond was in-sclcctcd one, delicate
young fellow named Burnet, with Il
pretty, IA her than Il handsome face. Il
coat that had dOnc service, and boots
that needed mending The secretary WAS
to board in the house. and partakc of
| the family meals; and Dr. Bond $ selection
which was supposed to be based entirely
on handwriting. was secretly biased a
| little by tie harmlcssncsS Of this Young
person. Dr. Bond had been widnwcr
for years, and had two daughters. Ne
tween whom thtir deceased mothers
large fortune was divided equally.
He had desired 10 engage Il foreign
looking professor. with wild hair. mis-
tache, and a great gift of speech. but be
thOu9ht him that he would crtainIv
make love to the girls y Young man,
who evidently thought himself like Il
portrait of Lord Byron, he rejected be-
cause he feared Bella might fall III lovewith
him. AS Tor Roberta, it never occurred
to him that she would. as he expressed
it. make Il tool of herself again. She was
thirty wears of age, had been engaged"
to somebody once, and they had quarrcll-
ed and parted, and Roberta had fallen i'll,
and it was not at all pleasant. lie be
lieved that Roberta would stay with him
always, and take comfort in the inde-
pendencc her fortune gave her.
She was ii handsome woman. and
greatly admired, but ii is to he doubted
il her father knew it But, at all events.
this small. slim, light-haired secretary.
with his retiring manner and solemn,
owl.like eyes, would not he a bait for
hearts.
So it proved when, having carried his
small portmantcau up stairs to his room,
the secretary appeared at the tea table.
He was so much alarmed when spoken
to, slipped his tea so gently, was So I'M
decided as to whether he liked sugar,and
ate his bread and butter so primly, that
Bella and Roberta, both large women
with decided manners, and a strong
sense of hurour. locked at each other
with glittcring eyes
oh is he not funny" cried Bella, when
once they were alone. And how we
Brighten him. felt like guying him. It's
so absurd for man TO be like that. |
hope he is not Il girl, and Will not turn
out to have applied for the secretaryship
to make love topoor papa, like the pretty
pages in the old romances.
Really, he is like girl, said Robcrtn
But he won't be at all in the way, and !
cant think even if you will tlirt with him
which is blessing"
However, Roberta was very much more
motherly in her emotions than was Bella.
and very shortly she began to pet Bur
net, as she might a boy on a visit home
from school.
He was very grateful, very amiable,
and returned her kindness in a thousand
Of those little ways that So please wn-
man. But whatever he did, whatever he
was, the young man always seemed Ia
be unhappy. Once or twice, when she
came upon him suddenly, she saw tears
i'll his blue eyes. 1t troubled her, she
him what it was that troubled him. Per-
haps he missed his home. 1t seemed to
her hard that so gentle, easily pleased
creature should have any secret woe to
brood over. Still She could not gul.s
what it was, until one day charce-But
let us see what chance did.
DR.. Bond, like most literary men, hated
to have his room "tidicd up" Still there
were periods when dust accumulated to
such depth on everything that his
daughters and their servants raidcd the
place in his absence. and. working in fear
and trembling, did all that broom and
buster and soap and water could do to
the neglected study, which their father
instantly set to work to throw into its
old state again.
Such Il day came The rush was made
Bella and Roberta worked with the ser
wants. At last all was fresh, bright ard
purified, and Roberta fingered behind the
Others in the study to arrange some
books more prettily on the shelves. Some
of these she set on Young Burnct's desk
for a time, and in doing so her eyes rested
on the large sheet of blottiug paper that
covered it. Certain words were reversed
upon it. Roberta looked, blushcd,
laughed little; replaced the paper with
new sheet, and cal ried the marked one
to her own room. There she held it be
fore mirror, and read these words:
Observation-Disclosures" written
over and over again. Then. "Oh, my
Roberta. if | only dared. il | only
dared" And after this. Never, never
Oh, poverty
Roberta folded the paper away III the
recesses of a private drawer, aud sat
down trembling and excited, to think il
all over. So this was the secret: He
loved her, and being poor. dared not tell
her. Lovers always did these things.
During the brief period of Encouragement.
did size not write her lovers name
Charles Observation-Disclosures she took Il
pen i'll her hands, And so it was this
this-and hcing this, she could make him
happy, drive away his sorry-Shc.
She resolved to endeavOr to like Burnet
enough to marry him and prlCipitatcd
his declaration, but to her amazemcnt
| and chaprin she discovered that it was a