Perth Amboy evening news., 1907-02-13
/ WHAIT A BIT or
| COQUETRY COST

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Tracey Ashley, a young northerner'
spent winter in New Orleans. where
, he met ghd wooed Rosalind st. Leger
] resident of that old southern city,
Miss st. Leger was belle and had no
end of suitors, among them Julius
Warfeld, born and bred in Louisiana
and heir to large sugar plantation
Ashley was an ardent wooer, while the
southerner appeared to be rather IN
different.
Mardi Gras was coming on and with
il preparations for unusual feSfivities.
Ashley, whose engagements at home re
auired him to leave New Orleans with
the advent OF Lent, begged hard of the
lady to give him an Affirmative answer
to proposition of marriage he had
made her, but she would not.
Meanwhile the Mardi Gras opened.
On the last evening of the festivities
Ashley put on domino and mingled
with the masqueraders. Among the
throng he noticed a feminine figure in
"a green domino on the arm of man
dressed in n red one In the former
was something familiar to the young
northerner. AS he passed them the
woman fiIrted her handkerchief at him.
He followed the couple and at last
made up his mind that she was Miss
St Leger Then he purchased bou-
quet from street vender hnd, ap-
preaching her, offered it. She accepted
| it and slipped her hand within his arm.
Her attendant fell back. Convinced Of
her identity, Ashley took fancy to
press his suit without revealing the
| fact that she was known to him.
but supposing," she said in voice
thinly disguised, "tbat l am not OF
your class"
"That cannot be-" he said. "One to
In disguise"
81 may be homely."
"That will risk"
you haven't seen my face"
'I have seen your figure. have
heard your voice. Neither could be-
long to any but beautiful girl. But
were your face pockmarked. were your
eyes green, your nose beet, still would
love you"
She was silent. he felt her hand
! tremble on his arm.
| "Oh, to have lover like that" she
responded presently--"to be loved for
oneself by one who loves so well that
lack of beauty. blemish, has no
weight to turn his lover
'You will find me such. You are
beautiful. know it. But supposing
some accident. some illness, should
convert that beauty into uglIiiess, still
would love YOU
eff you only would"
Il know I would"
"But suppose you should find my
face.j which you insist on believing
beautiful, to be hideous."
II would love you.'
They had passed beyond the crowd
| of merrymakers. The torches fiickered
the footing of horns, the tread of feet,
came confusedly. Ashley, iTnclasped-
the hand from his arm and pressed 1t.
TEL me, sweetheart" he said, SIS it
yes?'
"You do not know what you are do. !
ing"
= 81 know this--that love you"
"When you see my face you will
spurn me-"
"Neverr
Gwen il you should wish to keep |
your word would not permit you to |
make the sacrifice. A hero once loved |
beautiful woman. She refused him. |
Smallpox destroyed her beauty. They |
met again, and she accepted him. He |
married her. They lived a wretched
life"
"It would not be so with me- ,
Il wonld not trust you.',
II beg Of you. do not hold me off |
longer. am becoming beside myself.
Send me away from you, and / will |
bury my snef under the bosom of the
Mississippi"
'You don't mean it."
ST do"
'You will surely die il deny your"
'T will"
''Then | must yield"
Removing her mask. she turned to-
ward him the face OF full bl0oded
African negress. He started back.
''Reckon yo been mistaken. mars"
sine said in broad negro dialect,
Ashley drew forth well filed wal
let and was about TO open ii when the
negro snatched it
II want 1t all. Mars Ashley. Ef yo'
dom gib it TO me I'll tell Missy Rosa
lind"
"You know her?'
Il ought to. I'm her maid"
Keep it, and If you keep the secret
RS well you shall have more" And,
turning on his heel, he rejoined the rev.
elers.~
An hour later Ashley again passed
the green and red dominos. The wo-
man shook his wallet at him trium-
phantly He was about to turn his back
upon her whenssh lifted her mask and
showed the features of Miss St I,eper