Year: 1869

| DON'T know why people tell their
love tales


They are generally rather vapid to all
but two. Sometimes there is third par
ty in the person of a romantic girl friend !;
and occasionally the hero has a love-lOrn
fellow masculine, who will haarken to his
story without yawning. But these are
special cases.


The world never thinks love affair
very sorrowful, except, perhaps, In TRACE
dies and Overwrought novels. They may
laugh at them-they very often do but
the actors in the affair du ceur- are not
apt to consider it very funny. There
fore, they are silly to tell what will only
bring ridicule upon themselves.


And yet, after all have said against
the practice, am about tO unburden my
self of my love story. 1t is not that l
wish to proclaim it at the outset as such
an extraordinary one as to carry it beyond
he rule. In many Of its features it will
be found the "old, old tale," and yet, in
good truth, it is not SO much my lovelife
as its unhappy ending that desire to in
fict on the patient reader.


/ start with the assumption that shall
not receive much sympathy. shall even
probably be laughed at But care not





point a moral it it will not "adorn a
tale and the lesson it inculcates is, to
be careful how you write, when and
where you write, and your own condition
while writing. A few other dddenda
might be given-such as not to address
anybody in terms that you would not
like your lady-lOve to see, etc.-but all
that will be sufficiently developed here
after.


Now to plunge into the midst of things


Her name was Mary Stubs s-name not
romantic-but having sort of utility air
about it. Of course she was pretty in my
eyes: and of course she was pot so in
everybody's eyes, because everybody did
not become enamored of her at first sight
U had almost written " first blush ~, as ]
did.


always like petite woman. Am not
very tall myself, and have horror of
giving my arm to female whose elbows
are more elevated than my own. Marie
(she likes to write her name so) was small,
but so neat and trim that she did not look
SO. In fact, with one OF her famous trails
on, she looked quite queenly, and you had
to stand near her to realize that she was
anything but immense.


She had nice little features; dark, sharp
eyes that loved to gaze into-and high
color, easily heightened, which was often
criticised, though must confess liked it
much. I once heard youno lady ac-
knowledge that Marie was pretty, though
she as mean enough to add that it was
in an insignificant way.


But | waste too much precious space
about her personnel, which, after all, can't
interest everyone-or perhaps anyone.
The girl took me by storm. had been
heart-whole for a series of years, and had
come to regard myself as, in measure,
impregnable. But this time l fell az the
first assault


heard her read-for we met first at a
sort OF literary and dramatic club-and
she read well. She had an excellent voice,
and though rather school girl;sh in her
manner, thought her angelic. NV love
was like red, red rose that evening, ex-
citement having lent her considerable cx-
ira in the way of flushes. / ike red--ex-
cept in neckties and ringlets Yes, was
smitten at the first glance. Joined that
club-was introduced to my chsrmer, and
worked the thing shrewdly until became
her escort to the club regularly on each
Friday evening


must here explain that was then a
little more simple than | now am. did
not know that | had fallen in love with
her. Had 1 suspected it would have
avoided her, for was not exactly circum.
stanced for anything of that sort just then
No, / imagined, you see, that mine was
merely bit of friendly interest.


NY attentions to the girl soon attracted
other attention and remark. Friends be-
gan to plague me about her, and to affec.
tionately inquire as to the exact date Of
the wedding Friends always do under
such circumstances. But | didn't mind
their teasing l was firmly fixed in the
belief that mine was a friendship of the
most PlatOnic kind, and it never occurred
to me to reflect what the girl herself might
think.


But somehow or other all this relates t.
the commencement of my love, when
started out to tell of its untimely demise
must hurry over matters a little


discovered my feelings by suspicion
hat she loved another, who knew adoret
ner. II would serve no good purpose /,
explain, any further than merely to re
mark that was mistaken. But l learned
TO know my own feelings by the misery