Year: 1878

She had never known what it was to
be in love. or even imagined herself in
such blissful state. and yet she was
over twenty. She had listened when
other girls had poured out their heart
secrets, and she had wondered vaguely
why she had no tender condolences to
make in return. She was queer sort
of girl. and lived among people who
dId not understand her; thorough
Bohemian by nature, she was cast
among the most aorthodox Christ ians


She lived among them but her thoughts
were not with them; she led an idle
life. One day she thonght she could
lay down her life to write book equal
to George Eliot; but the next, her one
ambition was To paint picture. some
thing before which the cold critics
would bow down and weep. Another
day. after seeing some fine piece of
acting, she would feel an inner con
viction that in pacing the planks she
would find her true sphere in life.
There were glorous capabilities in her
nature. and yet she accomplished moth
ing. At last one day, after investing
in reans of paper, she began her great
novel. Three whole chapters she
accomplished in one morning. and then
che got stuck. 1t was time the hero
should appear. and she could not make
hero. 1t was at this crisis that she
went on u picnic, and met Howard
Graham. She had heard of this man as
q cold aud calculating villain. and she
wanted villain for her story; it was
for that reason that she sought him


How little she thought then that before
the band played "Home, Sweet Home"
that instead of being the villain of her
story he had become the hero of her
life. She did not try TO overcome this
passion, because she knew the object
was unworthy, yet it seemed impossible
to resist him. The wornout simile of
the bird charmed by the snake applied
to them; for two months she was hap
py. wildly happy. He was tender and
plausible, yet she never believed for an
instant that the fancy he had for her
was enduring. yet it was enough for
him TO care to be with her. Those
that had known her in the old days as
only a silent dreamy girl. were sur
prised by the scintillations of her wit;
she wiote as one inspired; this love
seemed 10 have given her the very
stimulus that she needed; her whole
nature seemed TO be revolutionized: she
was no longer in the stars, but on the
earth; the light that never yet had
shown on land or sea filtered through
her gray, green eyes. She had kind
friends. who has not, that warned her
against this man. and she said. that
she knew he would cease 10 care ere
long, because fsithfulness was an eIe-
ment he lacked. but she added. with a
brief. bright smile. many better wo-
men have loved and been deceived by
worse men, The eud came at las: not
sooner than she expected. fer she was
always expecting it. One afternoon he
kissed her goodbye. told her not TO
flirt. to be good girl and then he
would see her next week. She was
very good; she didn't firt. neither did
she see him. The painful consciousness
that she was shaken was borne in upon
her. There isn't any moral to this.
but one cant help crying out when y
fair. bright life is ruined. Neither can
one;help desiring TO see thesman who
wrought the ruin dancing on nothing,
otherwise expiating his crime by pen
dulous suffocation.