Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-10-04
Picked Out For
Each Other
An Attempt at Matchmaking
That Met With a
Setback
By EDGAR MINTURN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
By EDGAR MINTURN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
a citation, 1911.

the New hampshire nils. NV are to
entertain Il house party" said Mrs.
Duncan, (which will be incomplete
without YOU. Charlie and l are so
happy that we wish to confer a like
happiness on you. A girl will be a
member of your party whom we have
picked out for YOU. We are not going
TO tell you which one of our guests
she is, nor are we going to tell her
who is the man we have picked out
for her, though we have told her that
such a man is to be present We are
going to leave you to find each other"
well now" | said to myself, II
like that. Heaven protect me from
those girls whom l am told l am ex-
pected to marry! But in this case
there is an element of uncertainty I
am left free to choose, and the lady
is as free as l. There's something Of
the game of hide and seek in it.
I'll attend the house party
Charlie inherited large fortune and
owns one of those big tracts of land
on which our rich Americans are set
ting up their country places. The
house would easily accommodate fifty
guests On my arrival | found near
~ that number assembled, three-Quar-
tiers of them being young unmarried
persons. | have no faith in WOman's
idea of justice or fairness and thought
1T more than likely that Eileen Dun
can would give the girl for whom she
had picked me out On advantage over
of - L
was warm or when she was cold"
as the children do in their hiding
gameS-bUt Charlie said on his word
of honor We should neither of US re-
ceive the slightest assistance in the
matter.
| looked III" women over, feeling
sure that if ny hosts had struck the
right one for he l would know her at
once. Whether or no l struck the girl
they had decided upon, l certainly no
tiCed one whose general makeup pleas
ell ne very mu A. She was a Miss
Hester Adams. One of the guests,
John CroveI, was attentive to her, so
that I did not at once get much OPP
portuuity t. Ga~o.e myself to her
And Lere Egs point in this little
game wherein !, d man, had an advan-
tage. I cad sealz out the girl who
had been lA3ecn for me, while she
must remain passive On the other
hand. she might remain hidden within
herself, Com,* O. observation, watch
ing the eaerly5 -2yements.
Wifh-a a a'ea,, J found myself rival
ing john CroTeI and several other
men for the favor Of Hester Adams.
She was bE ID mains the most promi.
nent younE !@dv il The party, but any
one with q er9;~ant could detect in
her certain worth which, after al.
other things bein~ equal, determines
the real standing Of both men and wo-
men. Crowel seemed to have the in
side track. the rest of us standing
about even, although l can remember,
looking back to that far period, that l
was not left without an occasional
mOrse4 of comfort.
But ore afternoon a terrible gulf
came up between Hester Adams and
myself. We men were all roomed on
the third floor, while the women were
on the second. Going up to dress for
dinner, | was obliged to pass Crowell's
room His door stood ajar, and, look
ing in, | saw a lady standing before
the dresser. She took up a jeweled
Scarfpin and examined it. Her back
was toward me, but l saw her face
reflected in the mirror over the dresser
She was Hester Adams. Sticking
the pin in her corsage where it would
hn III oh T
not wishing her to see me, went ON
my room.
Of all the positions in which I have
ever found myself this was surely the
most singular, the most unpleasant.
had seen Il guest. one in whom I w;
beginning to be interested, in til
mems quarters steal jewelry. Wheth
er she knew If or not l could not tell
but the man from whom she was pil
fering was CrOwell, who was devoted
TO her.
An hour Later we assembled at dir
ner. Naturally I looked at Miss Ad
ans. I failed to catch her eye, but
saw in it a troubled expression. Dur
ing the dinner she seemed to be think
ing of something else than what wa
said to her. Fearing to show differ
ence in my treatment of her. did NO
address her while we were dining no
during the evening.
My secret weighed upon me. Wha
surprises me was a certain disappOint
ment I felt in Hester Adams. 1t cor
WINGED me that the little god ha
wounded me. though I had not know
1t. | broOded over the theft I ha
seen. Was it an effect of kleptOma
MIA? Surely the girl had no occasion
to steal. | had notified a frightene
look on her face which indicated tina
she was cogniZant of what she wa
doing. 1 wondered if she knew tina
she was in Crowells room. I saw he
going into her own room the mex
morning and noticed that it was d
TITO ono in oh oh ha