Year: 1878

stranger to me, / had entirely forgot
ten all about it, and so promised Mr..
Churchill here to accompany him to see
Richelieu tonight


"I glanced toward the stranger and
he returned the glance with a slight
frown upon his face. Miss Van Horn
continued, But OH 1 beg your pardon,
gentlemen L had forgotten you were
not acquainted with each other. Mr..
Churchill, of Richmond and carelessly
fell back into the chair, from which she
had half risen for the moment.


Il am sorry Miss Van Horn has SO
treacherous memory; but hope Mr..
Churchill-with your approval can be
prevailed upon to defer his engagement,
for assure you the picture is rare
gem, and well worth seeing" / persist
ed in this because had become slightly
reused by the indolent way of receiving
the homage paid her, and there seemed
to be gleam of triumph in the face of
my rival It .b


"The young man looked at me grave
ly, then silently turned to Miss Van
Horn for some expression of her wishes.
He was evidently very much displeased
at my interruption of their tete-a-tete,
and was sufficiently interested in the
lady to be seriously ruffied by my rival
ry; he was not altogether pleased with
the fact that she seemed so careless with
respect to her engagements, which did
not accord with his standard of women.
He was well-educated young man, of
good fortune, accustomed to be well re-
ceived by women, and yet-as he after
wards told me-he could not help for the
moment some apprehension that the
lady's choice for the evening might go
against him, for you know l was called
quite lady's man in those days.


GAS for Miss Van Horn she sat,mean-
while, demurely toying with large tas-
sci suspended from the arm of her easy
chair for moment, as if in deliberation
then exclaimed. Really, L am sure it
must be very wrong in me to be so
thoughtless, is it not?' Here captiva-
ting smile illuminated her beautiful feat
ures and parted her beautiful lips, just
discovering the pearly teeth between
them, and she added, VIII you not set
tie the question, gentlemen, between
yourselves p


TThe matter must be arranged in some
way, and, as 1 was the most intimate
friend in the family, and my rival a
comparative stranger, / was about to
magnanimously withdraw my preten-
sions, and leave the field, when sudden
ly there was a loud ring at the front
door, and Miss Van Horn started to her
feet with the exclamation:


"tAh, that must be Mr.. DeStultus
what an unfortunate, thoughtless girl i
am, for do believe am engaged to go
to the opera with him tt.-nightp


"That quickly settled the question in
dispute between Mr.. Churchill and my
self; and with a common impulse we
both rose to our feet, smiled at each
other pleasantly, and with mere hur-
ried good evening to Miss Van Horn,
stopped for my hat, which had fallen
from my hand in my surprise, and
struck lily head against the corner of the
piano. Mr.. Churchill rushed into the
hall almost upsetting the diminutive
DeStultus, whom he met, the very pic
ture of effeminacy and dultra-foppishness.


4" Descending to the sidewalk, where
the brilliant equipage of DeStultus met
our view, we both simultaneously burst
into laugh that seemed to break the
ice between us, for we walked off togeth-
er for several squares. AS complained
of a severe pain in my eyes from the
blow 1 bad received, my companion
said: " hope Mr.. Hume will pardon
my recent rude persistence in my fam
cied engagement with our fair acquaint-
ance, and let us be good friends out of
sympathy for the denouement. AS we
are here at my hotel, let us enter and
drink to the good fortune of Mr.. De
Stultus.'


9 / gladly accepted the invitation, and
we were engaged in a pleasant conversa-
ton, when 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 wretched plight,