Connecticut western news., 1910-09-08
Retribution
 By BERTHA D. ALSOP Copyright. 1910. by American Press Association.


 flowers and invited them to have ices with him. They were not old enough to quarrel about him, but they dotted on him all the same. As a youth he resembled a young Byron with his large blue eyes, his negligee faxen hair and round white throat. Then came young manhood. By this time he found more zest in his attentions to girls, though fewer pleased him. He and they were still young enough to feel the sweetness of a filtration, and occasionally when the denouement came he was obliged to admit to him. self that he had been singed.
 He had no thought of marriage, a home, children. He didn't consider himself old enough for that. When he reached twenty-seven he began to look forward to 1t as something that would naturally come about At thirty-fiVe he wished that it would come about At forty he began to fear that 1t would never come Then 1t occurred to him that he had better try to bring it about.
 But by this time young girls had be- gun to consider him an elderly man. And, as for those near his own age. he had no use for them. He knew that men of forty have on rare occasions married girls half their age and both husband and wife been very happy in each other Why not be? He re- solved to make an effort.
 An effort in love. He had glided naturally into so many affairs of the heart that to try to get into one seem- ed repugnant to him. Why had he not taken advantage of some one of these affairs to preclude the possibility of the lonely old age that was overshad- owing him-why? He knew well enough why. He had always consid- cred the game. not the reality. To have taken one of the girls he might have had would have been to give up a conquest At least so he had regard ed it at the time s..#z .-
 Having lost his position at home of a young man and consequently not being thrown in with young girls, he determined to go elsewhere. It was the season of outing. and he determin- Cu u kO WAAC Oy LAG cCus AAC had made many conquests there. Moon light shimmering on the dancing waves had called out that which had moved many a girl to love him. True, now there were gray hairs in his moustache. and his Byronic forehead was higher than 1t had been. but he thought with the same surroundings he might do the trick as be had often done 1t before.
 It was sad to see a young girl pass him without looking at him. whereas twenty years agone another of her age could not have refrained from, q glance. He became acquainted with several of them. but somehow there seemed gulf between him and them that he could not cross. These were half, or less than half his age. Finally he met one between twenty-five and thirty who caught his fancy. There was this. too. about her that he did not find in the younger on@F-they surprised him by acting and talking in a way sthat seemed childish to him. They seemed to him to have grown nearer the nursery than their proto- types. Surely the girls he had asso- ciated with when he was under twen- ty-five were not as frivolous as these misses. The older girl, on the contrary. talked and acted like a woman. She could be a companion to him.
 He made up his mind that if be could win her he would do so. He made a few abortive efforrs to make love as he would have made 1t fifteen or twenty years before. What he would have said and looked and acted then BOW seemed insipid to him. He desisted. contenting himself with the girls companionship and showing her little attentions.
 One thing troubled him. Though she accepted his attentions and listened to his chat. she did not seem to be i'm pressed with his supefior wisdom. He felt that. while she attended to what he said. she occasionally let It be known that she knew more of the subject he was talking about than he knew him. self Surely there was nothing near the nursery here, He was uncomfort- able at the thought that this young woman felt him intellectually beneath her It was rather that he felt her to be his superior.
 When the season was drawing to a close he wished to bring matters to a focus. This used to be easy. enough when he was a youngster playing a game. But now that he was a middle aged man. intending to tell mature young woman that he loved her and ask her to be his wife. it seemed that the many times he had done the same thing came up to mock him.
 However. he got it out.
 How times change us!" she said. "A dozen years ago. when l was six teen. you proposed to me. and you did 1t beautifully. Then l thought you q l god. Now. being older. know you for a very admirable and pleasant gen tleman. I thank you for the honor lone me. but am not now minded to marry"
 He looked at her with dazed ex- pression. vainly trying to recall her as | A. |.