His Sombre Rivals

call on an aunt who was almost a stranger to me, and now I am domiciled under her roof indefinitely. She has introduced me to a charming girl, and in an ostensib

absurdity of this sort of thing. Nothing truly strange often happens, and only our egotism invests events of personal interest with a trace of the marvellous. My business man neglected to advise me of my improved finances as soon as he might have done. My aunt receives me, not as I expected, but as one would naturally hope to be met by a relative. She has a fair young neighbor with whom she is intimate, and whom I meet as a matter of course, and as a matter of course I can continue to meet

ot forbear pausing a moment to note what a pretty picture she made. A sprig of white flowers was in her light wavy hair, and another fastened by her breastpin drooped over her bosom. Her morning

difficult not to worship. I could go away now and make her my ideal, endowing her with all impossible attributes of perfection. Very probably fuller acquaintance will prove that she is made of clay not differing materially from that of other woman

moment later she opened the door for him herself, saying, "Since I have seen you and you have c

urther reward?" he asked. "Yo

should have done so without prompting

he same light vein, conscious meantime that he held a han

d; "did last evening

uld not get me away; and this morning I was indiscreet enough to welcome th

he added, leading the way into the parlor, "here is Mr. Graham. It was hi

lcomed any break in the monotony of the day. "You will pardon my not risi

ery modest allusion to himself. In the course of their talk it also became evident that he was a man of somewhat extensive reading, and the daily paper must have been almost literally devoured to account for his acquaintance with contemporary affairs. The daughter was often not a little amused at Graham's blank looks as her father broached topics of American interest which to the student from abroad were as little known or understood as the questions which might have been agitating the inhabitants of Jupiter. Most ladies would have been politely oblivious of her guest's blunders and infelicitous remarks, but Miss St. John had a frank, merry way of recognizing them, and yet malice and ridicule were so entirel

with a contented crackle, as if pleased to be once more an essential to the home from which the advancing summer would soon banish it! He could recall every article of the furniture with which he afterward became so familiar. But that which was engraven on his memory forever was a fair young girl sitting by the window with a background of early spring greenery swaying to and fro in the storm. Long afterward, when watching on the perilous picket line or standing in his place on the b

ere was a genial frankness and simplicity in his entertainers which banished restraint, and gave him a sense of security. He felt instinctively that there were n

ely entertained by evident and deliberate exertion. Pleasurable exhilaration in society is obtained from those who impart, like warmth, their own spontaneous vivacity. Miss St. John's smile was

n the hall after he had b

lied, laughing. "Do you mean that I am worse than the weather

ith your wood fire. The garish sunshine of a warm day robs a house of all cosiness and snugness. Instead of be

e advantage against such a di

cionably long visit. I now must relucta

will need your umbrella all the same;" for he, in looking

t," he called back. "I shall return

e appeared before her, "lunch has

he replied, shakin

kept

St.

thought you went

, but man

d lady with assumed dismay. "I thou

. All that I propose is to enjoy my vacati

r?" she s

ge that I found the daughter more interesting-so interesting indeed that I have kept you waiting for lunch. I'll not repeat the o

?" his aunt asked as

e my

ke any one e

e here p

ave no

re capable of passing fancies of which adroit suitors can take advantage, and they are engaged or married before fully comprehending what it all means. Were Miss St. John of this class I should still hesitate to venture, for nothing in my training has fitted me to take an advantage of a lady's mood. I don't think your favorite is given to fancies. She is too well poised. Her serene, laughing confidence, her more than content, comes either from a heart already happily given, or else from a nature so sound a

shook her h

avagant as to indicate the earliest stages of the divine madness. Do you mean to suggest that Grace will break forth like a vo

jest. Here's plain enough prose for you. No amount of wooing would make the slightest differ

true of ev

t think

so versed in the mysteri

ory of the world is the history of women as well as of men. I