The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-09-12

Picked Out For
Each Other
An Attempt at Matchmaking
That Met With a
Setback
BY EDGAR MINTURN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1871
By EDGAR MINTURN

In the autumn Of 49, l received a
note from Eileen Duncan, who had
married my chum, Charlie Duncan,
inviting me to their country place in
the New Hampshire hills. 1--WE are to
entertain house party" said Mrs.
Duncan. which viii be incomplete
without you Charlie and are SO
happy that we wish to confer a like
happiness on you. A girl viii 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 man is to be present We are
going to leave you to find each other"
"Well, now" l said to myself, Il
like that. Heaven protect me from
those girls whom am told am ex.
pected to marryl But In this case
there is an element Of uncertainty. !
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 l found near
ly 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 IN advantage over
meat least hint as to when she
was warm" or when she was "cold, >
as tfs children do in their hiding
games-but Charlie said on his word
OF honor we should neither OF us re.
ceiye the slightest assistance In the
matter.
l looked the women over, feeling
sure that If my hosts had struck the
right one for me would know her at
once. Whether or no l struck the girl
they had decided upon, certainly no
ticed one whose general makeup pleas
ed me very much. She was a Miss
Hester Adams. One OF the guests,
John Crowell. was attentive to her, so
that did not at once get much OPP
portunfty to devote myself to her.
And here was a point in this little
game wherein l, man, had an advan-
tage. could seek out the girl who
had been chosen for me, while she
must remain passive. On the other
hand, she might remain hidden within
herself, corps of observation, watch
ing the enemy's movements.
Within week I found myself rival
ing John Crowell and several other
men for the favor Of Hester Adams
She was by no means the most promi-
nent young lady in the party, but any
one with discernment could detect In
her certain worth which, after all
other things being equal, determines
the real standing Of both men and wo-
men. Crowell seemed to have the in
side track. the rest of us standing
about even, although / can remember,
looking back to that far period, that
was not left without an occasional
morsel of comfort
But one 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 Crowells
room. His door stood ajar, and, look
ing in, I saw lady standing before
the dresser. She took up a jeweled
scarfpin and examined 1t. 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 1t would
be hidden. she was turning when l,
not wishing her to see me. went on to
my room.
OF all the positions in which have
ever found myself this was surely the
most singular. the most unpleasant. |
had seen guest, one in whom / was
beginning to be interested. in the
mems quarters steal jewelry. wheth-
er she knew 1t or not l could not tell,
but the man from whom she was pill
fering was Crowell. who was devoted
to her.
An hour later we assembled at din
ner. Naturally | looked at Miss Ad-
ans. failed to catch her eye, but
saw in 1t troubled expression. Dur
ing the dinner she seemed to be think
ing Of something else than what was
said to her. Fearing to show differ
snce In my treatment Of her. / did not
address her while we were dining nor
during the evening.
My secret weighed upon me. What
surprised me was a certain disappoint
ment felt in Hester Adams. 1t con
WINGED me that the little god had
wounded me. though had not known
it. l brooded over the theft I had
seen. Was 1t an effect Of kleptoma
MIA? Surely the girl had no occasion
to steal. had noticed a frightened
look on her face which indicated that
she was cognizant of what she was
doing. wondered If she knew that
she was In Crowell's room / saw her
going into her own room the next
morning and noticed that It was d.
rectly under the one in which she had
committed the theft had seen Crow
ell wear the scarfpin and watched to
zee If 1t had been returned to him,
fancying the thief might have done
30 under qualms OF conscience. buI
Crowell did not appear with 1t in his
! thought to ask him If be
had missed 1t, but nothing could have
induced me to give the slightest init
nation of what | had seen.
Naturally this disagreeable feature
Of my visit marred my enjoyment, and,
as for the game had looked forward
to playing with some interest, forgot
It entirely. One evening the hostess
said to me.
You have disappointed me in not
having shown preference for any of
the girls Of the party. To make the
matter more interesting am going to
tell you that l noticed In her a decid-
ed preference for you as soon as you
arrived"
"a preference for mer | exclaimed.
Yes, for your
what indication did she give OF
the factf'
Don't you wish you knew" and.
tapping me playfully with her fan.
she ran away to other guests.
During the rest Of our stay at the
Duncans' country place Hester AID
ans seemed always to have something
on her mind For a time she was
sought by her admirers as before. hut