Year: 1875

I DROPPED into Tom Wentworth s
bachelor quarters the other evening and
found him costly enjoying himself, with
his feet on the fender and a box of
choice Havanas on stand at his elbow.
He requested me to take a seat and help
myself, which accordingly did. While
! was putting away at the fragrant weed
my eyes wandered admiringly over the
elegant apartment. | noticed that its
furnishing and decorating were compli-
ments to the wealth and refinement of
its owner. AS my eye finally rested on
his grand proportions and manly blonde
beauty mentally pronounced him fit
ting center to the whole. 1t suddenly
occurred to me as somewhat singular he
had never married He was wealthy,
undeniably handsome and intelligent,
and one of the jolliest, most cheerful tel
lows L ever met No man in our club
was as popular, and in society the ladies
made universal favorite of him. was
wanting to broach the subject when he
looked up and, smiling, asked "what
made me so serious"


Il was wondering" answered, "why
you had never married. You surely,
some time in your life, have met a god
dess worthy to preside over these lux
urious quarters?"


The ghost of a sigh issued from unders
his blonde mustache. 81 have story-ar
the yellow covered heroes say-and il
you care to hear of the follies of ver-
dant and ambitious youth | will relate it
to you"


assured him nothing could afford me
more pleasure.


He took his cigar from his lips and
held it moment betw cen his fingers.


"I have always held to the opinion" !"
he said refectively, that the first love
of mans life is the only one that has
the flavor of real feeling. know that
one experience of its pleasure and misery
has been sufficient for me. Whether |
am more to be pitied or blamed you can
Judge. In my younger days"-with a
mirthful flash of his eyes at me" !
aspired to poetry. That was the head
and front of mine offending. In other
words, it is the real reason am bach.
elor tonight"


and began putting at it while he gaZed
into the fire with thoughtful, dreamy
look. After waiting considerable
time on his silence l began to fear he
had gone back to his younger days and
did not intend to return. was growing
impatient and gently reminded hira of
the story. He knocked the ashes from
his cigar, laid it upon the marble. topped
table beside him, filed goblet from the
long necked bottle and began:


q was a youth to fortune and to fame
unknown when chance landed me in this
city as under-clerk in dry goods store
aud third-rate boarding house for a
home. j had not been in the latter very
long before became acquainted with .
young lady boarding there with hel
mother while waiting the issue of law
suit which, if they gained it, would
place them in possession of considerable
property. Della Mason was a slender
aristocratic-looking girl, with large, vel
vety black ewes and masses of jetty hair
which she wore braided and wount
about her head in a queenly fashion
She was not what would or could b,
called beauty, but she had marvellous
winning way with her, and | soon ob
served was quite belle in the hous
despite the fact that she had a tempe
like awild-cat and seemed to take n
pains to conceal it.


There was the usual complement o
ooarders to be found in such a house:


WleoWer, a couple of elderly bachelors
I four. or five clerks and a sprinkling o
females to correspond. Among the LAT