Year: 1877

showing the pearly teeth between
them, and then she added, will you
not SETTLE the question, gentlemen,
between yourselves?'


"The matter must be arranged in
some way, and, as I was the most in
innate friend of the family, and my
rival comparative stranger, was
about to magnanimously withdraw
my pretensions and leave the field,
when suddenly there was loud ring
at the front door, and Miss Van
horn startled to her feet with the
exclamation: "Ah, that must be
Mr.. DeStultus! what an unfortunate
thoughtless girl I am, for 1 do be-
lieVe am engaged to 90 to the
opera with him Tonight"


''That quickly settled the question
in dispute between Mr.. Churchill
and myself; and with common i'm
pulse we both rose to our feet,
smiled at each other pleasantly, and
with mere hurried 'good evening
to Miss Van Horn, l stopped for my
hat, which had fallen from my hand
in my surprise, and struck my head
against the corner of the piano.
Mr.. Churchill rushed into the hall,
almost upsetting the diminutive De
Stultus, whom he met, the very pic
ture of effeminancy and ultra-fop-
pishness.


descending to the sidewalk,
where the brilliant equipage of De
Stultus met our view, we both stimuli
taneously burst into a laugh that
seemed to break the ice between us.
for we walked off together for Sever-
al squares. AS l complained of Sc
we're pain in my eyes from the blow
l had received, my companion said,
4 hope Mr.. Hume will pardon my
recent rude persistence in my fan
cied engagement with our fair ac-
quaintance, and let US be good
friends out of sympathy for the de-
noument. As we are here at my
hotel, let us enter and drink to the
good fortune of Mr.. De Stultus.'


81 gladly accepted the invitation,
and we were engaged in a pleasant
conversation, when a loud noise was
heard in the street, mingled with the
cry of woman in distress.


Suddenly starting to our feet we
rushed forward to render assistance.
The first object that met our sight
was Helen Van Horn, covered with
mud, but happily more frightened
than hurt. De Stultus was also in a
wretched plight but too much en-
crossed, as might be expected from
such a creature, with his own mishap,
to give the least attention to his as
sociate in misfortune, whom he left
to struggle to her feet uDaided, and
to make her way to the sidewalk,
where she Historically explained
how a truck, against which De Stul-
tus' carriage had been C. relessly
driven, had left them stranded in the
muddy street, fortunately and mar
velously, however, without broken
bones.


"Churchill called carriage and
we escorted the wretched demoiselle
back to her residence, at the door of
which we congratulated her upon
her lucky escape, and bid her good
night


"My new friend then proposed
that we should at once drive to the
opera where we hoped we might
meet a party of his friends, to whom
he would be pleased to introduce me,
and in whose society we would find
surcease for our disappointments in
regard to Miss Van Horn. l assent
ed. Churchill's friends were met
as he had promised, and among them
were two beautiful sisters, so attract
i've that they speedily drove all
thoughts of a mere handsome girl,
superficial and spoiled, like Helen
Van Horn, out of the head of
Churchill as well as my own. A
charming evening at the opera ripen
ed into serious attachment Oh the
part of Churchill and myself for
these sisters, which ended in our
marriage, and no one ever had just
er reason for saying:


There is divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough hew them how we WILL


than | have! And now you know
why did not marry Miss Van Horn,
and also how two men, for moment
about to be made enemies through
the reckless, inscriptions coquetry
of an inferior, heartless woman, by
a happy stroke of friends and broth
ers.


Gas for Helen Van Horn, she
still lives in single blessedhess, and
upon the memory of her many con-
quests, finding her chief qualification
for some years past in recounting the
various eligible offers she had refused
including always Churchill and my
self among other rejected suitors. A
heavy speculation, in which De Stul-
tus had been beguiled about the
time of Miss Van Horns triple en-
gagements for the same evening,
resulted so disastrously for him that
her doors were at once rigidly closed
upon that admirer, who disappeared
like quenched meteor from society.
Meanwhile occurred the death of old
Mr.. Van Horn, which as l have said,
left the daughter no other attrac-
tion than mere physical beauty, that
had now become so used that 1t
ceased to please marriageable men,
and she was no longer able to make
three engagements for one evening.


''Hers, indeed, has been life OF
lost opportunities"


COurtIng In a street Car.