Year: 1871

it being the height of the season. shook
their purchased curls at the sacrifice ol
such gallant young fellow upon the altar
of the futtcrfy, Miss Alice Christabel
Dewey, and all the gay girls of the place.
shifted and muttered, cit serves him right,
the stupid!"


Now, be it whispered, this same butter
fly had one standby and firm champion,
in the person of the fiery sister of her out
ragged man. She caught her brother, af-
ter dinner. and entertained that badgered
person thus:


"Oh, Charles, Charles" she cried, ap-
parently about to stif1e with sorrow, Ito
think you should forget your manliness SO
much as to regret that you love. 0, that
you should have so little pluck and inde-
pendence, that you should drown the no.
blest impulse of the human heart-affec-
ton. Don't dispute me, sir, l know we'll
enough what all these silly and empty
headed people have been telling you about
Alice; l know the envious male and fc-
male mind! Oh, that they should dare
to say that she is nothing but doll! no.
thing but weak mouse with no energy.
or conscience, or common sense!' The
adorable sister began to fame, and as a
consequence her brother began to wish
himself far away, for he had felt her on
slaughts before. "And. SIR" she cried,
please say by what right you believe any
such talk. What have you ever done to
convince her that you are anything but an
addle-pate. You can smoke, you can
dance, play billiards and croquet; you can
draw your allowance from the bank, you
can recite Byron and Moore, and can man
age picnic, and that is about all you can
do. Can you make speech can you
write an article do you know how to earn
a single dollar? have you ever earned a
single dollar? could you keep a girls
heart and confidence in adversely and sick
ness =? amt you inclined to be jealous are
you even tempered in fact, are you worth
marrying by the cook of Che house ?''-
Then there was tempest of tears and a
fierce outcry Of violent sobs, while the
person addressed looked somewhat aston
ished. He got up and slipped out. By
Jovc, here was revelation!


This was rough, you know. He reflect
ed upon it for an hour and began to think
every word of it true. 1t made him mis-
erable. But still be could not alter his
idea about Alice. If he were incom-
petent and. unfit for anything it by no
means proved that she was the proper per-
son for him to marry. and in fact it went
to prove that she was just the wrong per-
son for his wife,


In short he determined to break it off,
The only evidence of pluck he ever show
ed in his life, except once when he reduc-
ed his number Of cigars from four to three
per- diens He had not seen Miss Dewey
that day. Rather singular thing for a
newly-engaged man, but still such was the
melancholy. or perhaps, lucky case.


He sought-her. He went to her hotel
and sent up his card. Instead of Miss
Dewey his sister appeared and eyed him
with sort Of penetration, for which that
lady was remarkable She told him that
Miss D. had sent him her fondest love.
but was quite unwell and would certainly
see him Tomorrow. He went away crest
fallen and highly suspicious of the sister
who. it may be stated, was the only bosom
friend of the heroine of all this tumult.


The next day he again called, already
primed for breaking the engagement by a
hundred other meddlesome tongues, which
had clacked about Miss Dewey's unwor-
thiness. He waited nervously until she
came down. She was lovely. She was
in divine blue, with pearls all about her
head and there being no one in sight, she
rushed to him and kissed him with tears
in her eyes. He was unable to say sim
gle word of the manly harangue about the
responsibilities, and duties and soleminity
of married life, which he had got by heart,
and simply stared at her. Soon be hard
ened his heart to her. He remembered
that she was but little silly fool. and
was about to plunge into the subject, when
the sister appeared again and by right of
relationship. stepped up to them and he
was again stopped. Everybody in the
place got wind of the fact that Miss Dewey
was little stupid, and bit of froth, and
her tiance got the benefit of it wherever
he went.


He soon got anxious. He really must
get out of this in some way He could
not catch her alone He saw her dozen