Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-01
THE Dolly StorV
The Man Who Differed

| code that TO meet an unhttdShSN HNi
and leave him entirely heart and fancy
free was almost criminal
Generally speaking, she did much less
harm than one might suspect, for the
modern man OF the society which An
nette most affected is not the material oi
which noveists who write OF broken
hearts and death therefrom may spin
their romances Most OF them were rather
adept themselves In the pleasant, II dan
gerous game, and II was In this fact
that Annette found excuse for the light
ness with which she treated the many
victims OF her undeniable physical and
mental charms.
The FIRST man who made love to her
and found his attentions welcome enough
UP to a certain point and tabooed there
after swore by all the saints that she,
with most hend-llke cruelty, had
| wrecked his whole life, crushed all his
faith In womanhood and condemned him
to die Of a broken heart, II, lndeed-and
here he threw out dark hints about sui
eide and lot OF other absolute rot. This
frightened Annette dreadfully, the while
| she felt delicious sense Of her own Inn
! portance In the scheme of the world. She
! argued the whole matter with herself and
! her inherited Puritan conscience coming
| at length to the decision that although
! she did not love the man. IL was clearly
! her duty TO marry him, since she had
certainly encouraged him somewhat In
| the earlier stages Of their acquaintance
| ship. Unfortunately, before she could
communicate this decision to her rejected
and supposedly desperate sultor his en-
| gagement to her dearest enemy was duly
announced, and Annette was duly bidden
to be bridesmaid
After few experiences, more or less
of similar character, Annette decided
that broken hearts she need not fear, and
began to live UP to her privileges as
much-sought beauty Through It all she
had gone without the quickening Of a
heartbeat. and she now played the game
as scientifically as she did bridge, which
is saying a great deal. since the possible
combinations Of an affair between a man
and maid are infinitely more numerous
than the possible hands to be obtained
from-eeveral packs of cards.
In meeting Robert Ainley. she recog-
nized r. type now in her experience, and
resolved at once with the enthusiasm
of true scientist, to dlssect him in
order to add something to the awe-ln-
spring amount of knowledge in regard
TO the habits and models of thought of
the genus homo already In her posses
sion. He was not, she ascertained at
first acquaintance, a butterfly sort of
young man, nor n misunderstood young
man seeking anXlously for soul SYM
pathy, nor yet fortune hunting young
man. In short, he did not belong to any
of the great varieties under which she
had heretofore been wont to classify all
men. Fired with the excitement of hav-
ing discovered something out OF the
range OF her previous experience she ap-
preached the battle-ground with glad
heart.
Perhaps he will be original enough
not to fall in love with me at ALL" sne
thought half pleased at the prospect.
And perhaps l shall really fall in love
with him at last" she added to her
self with a smile of incredulity.
He met her fairly on neutral ground
the hotel piazza-and the battle be-
gan Sometimes they met on the beach,
sometimes they sat in the deserted
music room, and she played for him
some Of Chopin's glorious IL plaintive,
songs OF love longing, sometimes they
rowed on the narrow bay. All this was,
she reflected, quite as 1t had been with
many other men. But there was one
great difference. He never grew in the
least sentimental. Chopin he could dis
cuss intelligently and he was not igno-
rant of the poets, but these he discussed
in the same calm. Unconditional manner
with which he might have carried on
a discussion over the mistakes of Schop-
cnhauer with some bespectacled and
whlskered German scholar Even a stroll
on the beach In the moonlight failed
snd Annette had never known such a
supreme test to leave the result for one
moment in the balance.
Thus It stood on the day Annette was
to return to the city. They were to
rendezvous near by and take a stroll be-
fore dinner For this Annette was dress
ing.
Strange to say, the more she was con-
frmed to her original opinion that Ain
ley was very different from all the men
she had known and was not likely to fall
a victim to her charms, the less she was
pleased with the idea.
When she had quite finished her dress
ing, she glanced at her watch and noted
that It was just the hour she had prom
ised to meet Ainley. Thereupon she at
once sat down. as It was not part OF her
scheme to be too prompt in keeping ap-
pointments,
IT wonder is It pique feel" she said
to herself, 'or is IL something else
come to me at last? I know It is-that
something else. Oh. why couldn't have
felt that for some one who might have
loved me?' And then she cried a little,
bringing herself to sudden stop at the
horrible thought that crying inevitably
brings on a most unbecomlng redness of
eyes and nose.
Ainley, as she had expected, was await
ing her in the summer house. To her
intense annoyance, nut TO her SURPRISE
he was calmly smoking a cigarette in
seeming ignorance of the flight of time
They talked a while OF things imper-
sonal but finally 1t drifted around TO
good-bys. II was nearly dusk, and neith-
er could read very we'll the expression
on the face OF the other. And when the
talk drifted to good-bys silence fell be-
tween. Then suddenly. without preface,
Alnley began to speak, standing erect:
We'll, I may as we'll confess, Miss
Merrington. 1t Is poor game for YOU TO |
bag. but they say you never despise a |
scalp. take II for granted that you
know mine Is to be added 20 your coll |
lection" There was laugh In his voice,
but there was also an underlying bit |
terness OF sincerity, which Annette rec |
ognized and welcomed with a glad quick !
ening OF heartbeats.
"Do you mean" she said, not daring To |
put the question.
"oh, yes, I mean quite that" said Ain
ley. with a nervous laugh. 'I don't sup
pose It VIII be necessary for me TO for
mRlly ask you to marry me-we will lust
suppose the question put and negatived.
You see, there were dozens OF your good
friends who were only too willing to tell .
me of the collection OF hearts you have
been making and the numbers of pro-
posals which you have led different men
on TO make, hopelessly. 1 can't claim
ignorance as my excuse. / knew and re-
solved that I would never become one OF
vour vleftuna huf L haUa faIlar On a 80,