1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



173 



Alus, %vli() shall CDutrol the hi-iU't's 

 afft'Ctioiisr Eveliua's beauty and her de- 

 votiou touched my soul too deeply. On 

 the 1st of beptember, wheu trade \va« 

 growing bri.sk. I began to feel that it 

 ■was better for the i^eace of both oui 

 hearts that I should fly. I should forget 

 the dream iu a little while. But she, 

 poor child, I feared that she would nev- 

 er forget me. 



"Adieu," I said as I shook hands 

 with her. ' ' Perhaps we shall never meet 

 again." 



She turned her face away from ma 

 Her emotions overcame her. And I took 

 the next train for the city. 



I entered again into the turmoil of 

 trade. It was brisk. But nothing could 

 make me happy. I accused myself of 

 trifling with the affec^tions of an angel. 

 She loved me, I thought, and I have 

 broken her lieart. — I who secretly adore 

 her. 



I lost my appetite. I grew thin. When 

 I saw fair creatures of her age bending 

 over the counter, my mind flew back to 

 her, lovelier than all. When Mrs. Briggs' 

 daughter smiled upon me, I th(3ught 

 how plain she was and how adorably 

 beautiful was Evelina. 



At last — it was in ^October — my head 

 clerk claimed a holiday. "I shall spend 

 it with my aunt and Evelina, ' ' he said. 

 I sighed. 



"A beautiful girl, " said I. 



"Yes, " said he, blushing at the com- 

 pliment to the family, I presume. "The 

 loveliest girl I ever knew, and a lucky 

 one too. ' ' 



"Lucky?" said I. 



' ' Yess ' ' said he. "In a year from this 

 time she will be a very rich woman. 

 Old grandfather left her everything, 

 come of age or marry, and he was Worth 

 $500,000." 



"Kalf a million!" I cried. 



My head clerk nodded. 



"Visit your aunt and cousin when 

 you will, " I said, "and don't retm-n 

 until you feel quite rested. You never 

 mentioned to me before, Dobbins, that 

 your grandfather left $500,000. " 



"You see it wasn't left tP ne, "he 

 said and went off. 



"Half a million! Miss Briggs was 

 not worth that. A wholesale business 

 was the thing to be connected with, of 

 course, but when the heart is touched 



we are willing to sacrifice all else. I 

 will fly to your side, Evelina," I solilo- 

 quized. "I will recompense you for 

 your hour.s of grief by telling you how I 

 adore you ! ' ' 



I iDictured the scene to myself. I sa^ 

 her as shi^ confessed her love and fainted 

 in my arms, imd that evening I ran 

 down to Shadyslope to offer my heart 

 and hand to Evelina. 



I aiTived after dark. The house was 

 very quiet, and as I advanced I reflected 

 that my sudden apjDoarance might agi- 

 tate Evelina too terribly. I must an- 

 nounce myself cautiously. I stole for- 

 ward on tiptt)e to reconnoiter. 



Two forms were seated on the porch — 

 a faint gleam of moonlight revealed 

 them to nie — a lady with her cheek re- 

 posing upon a gentleman's shoulder, 

 his arm about her waist. They were 

 my head clerk, Tom, and his Cousin 

 Evelina. I stood as one petrified. They 

 were talking of me. 



"He really thought I was smitten, 

 Tom, " said Evelina. "He flirted with 

 me ten-ibly. " ' 



"Didhedai"e" — began Tom. "Didn't 

 he know" — 



"Of course I did not tell him I was 

 engaged to you, " said I?velina. ' 'Why, 

 Tom, yoti couldn't be jealous of such a 

 fellow — a man with no^idea beyond his 

 counter. ' ' 



Then Tom kissed her. 



I waited for no more. Fortunately 1 

 caught the down train. At 12 o'clock I 

 was in the city. At the depot I met 

 Simpkins about to start for Albany. 



"Simpkins, " I said, "I've heard you 

 speak of a troublesome nephew you de- 

 sired to provide for. ' ' 



"Confound him, yes," said Simpkins. 



"My head clerk's place is vacant," I 

 said. "Tell him to come to me. " 



"Thank you," said Simpkins. 



I waited for no thanks. I strode away 

 and wrote Dobbins that his services 

 were no longer required. 



* * » * * * 



I have been married a year to Miss 

 Briggs, and her father failed five months 

 ago. Simpkins has just been arrested 

 for embezzling sundry sums of money, 

 and yesterday I passed Tom Dobbins 

 and his wife in the street She is ex- 

 cessively pretty — lovelier than ever — 

 and I feel quite sure, despite qll that I 



