Literature.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 204, 1 September 1904, Page 4

Literature.

W- LOVE UNREQUITED.

1L Neabitt certainly tod sucM*& in her effort to give us an Bgtaal entertainment in honour pTtwenty-nrst birthday ot he. r*to tt " o ne, anticipated some exas I had screwed up m> Kf that time, when I would be to go ia the character of fenowand 2» l«t me know that she bad told Sld ft .tJ»t I had, a little against £y inflations, decided to accept Mr. Bailey's offer a*" l use a ""?? tome Faust dress which Joe Bailey bad .bought just before he left Uigland, but had never worn. . flii offlering it, Mr, Bailey had inciaktally remarked that it would perbapa save me some expense, wh,ch jras true ; now, Mr Hailey was tlie fargeat banker in the town, and I, Wtoo held a trusted position with l*m, had received a very handsome addition to my salary only a few <4ayß before, so 1 felt grateful to my and was willing to wear itbait hackneyed dres* 'o gratify his ■fcobby of economy— called it

gfof course Jessie Bailey knew what p was to wear, so I prevailed on' flier to give me her confidence, and line said that she would be going as iv'a Dairymaid. ;f. Therefore, as soon as I entered fellrs. Nesbitt's house I looked eagerly

!inound for the two characters whom tl knew. Snow was soon found, but -there, was not one Dairymaid in th» room. Jessie had fooled me ! How-\ iever, except that she waltzed delight|fully, I did not care two straws abj'o'ut Jessie's company, especially now that my sister had almost convinced me that she cared more for me i, ■than I for her, and that it was owr tag to her liking for me that her t lather had given me so good a place ' in the bank.

The usual odd mingling! at all times, nations and professions were represented in our assembly. Fausts Vfor there were three of us unluckQf]y,,36p me, the other two fellows I: were short and stout, so Jessie had : fco trouble in espying me) were ac"oejjted cavaliers of demure nuns and rollicking" Topsies, Flame insisted on hovering near.Snow, the Gipsies perf fliated in trying to tell the fortune ' *f a'pious Monk, a Newspaper clung closely to Folly, and so on. •7 A little before midnight, when we .were to unmask, two huge cakes ■were brought into tihe room, and 'King Solomon announced that in each <4 these was concealed a gold V r *iagi" Gas'itks was to lie sliced by Britanolia and given to the ladies, while the Baby would perform the same, office for the men. This same BaSy ha* succeeded in puzzling us all, for, as she was too juvenile to rtalk, plainly,'tter Voice was thoroughly {disguised. Just as the cakes were being pas- . Bed round, a fortune-teller seized my band and said that I was to toe married soon to a lovely, wealthy girl, and so on, describing Jessie so clearly as to amuse all who heard us, and to really, annoy me. Her nonsense threw me right off my guard, and before I knew, what I was saying t exclaimed, as I broke my slice oi coke': "Halloa 1 Here's one of the rings !" The moment I spoke I was ready to have bitten my tongue, for I had fully determined that if I did chance

to get the ring I would not let on ; I did not want to make myself a laughing stock. But the mischief was done, and such a shout as the other fellows set up, sepecially that young fellow whose birthday it was.) Almost at the same moment the Ba-| by (suddenly learning to talk) exclaimed, in a voice which I knew to tw Jessie's: "' Oh, I've got a ring too ! " " The dickens, you have ! " cried Tom Nesbitt. " Now Faust, you and 'the Baby must make a match of it! But what a pity you've got to wait for her to grow to a marriageable age ; you sec she's hardly In shorb frocks yet. I doubt if she's cut. all her teeth." ■•' If she has cut her wisdom teeth she will hold tight-to Faust," said Mrs. Nesbitt ; "he is worth retaining.-

And So the jokes were sent round at my expense, and H had to put a (food face on the matter, and devote myself to the Baby, chucking her under the chin, dangling my watch to amuse her, and so on, though inwardly I was calling myseU a fool to ibe 80 annoyed because Snow had not got the other, ring. What would a mere birthday frolic amount to ? I stole a glance at Snow to see how she enjoyed the jests, but there was an odd expression on her face that I could not at all understand. When we unmasked, as the clock chimed midnight, I was not surprised to see that my baby really was Jessie, but I was vexed to see that my, sister so evidentaUy disliked the combination,, and seemed to be putJjing some mischievous ideas in Snow's head.; When we got home early in the morning my sister took me to task.

"I declare, Stephen, I could have todxed your ears with a hearty will to-night; the way you flirted with that Jessie Bailey was simply abominable, considering you told me at dinner-time that you intended to marry Hilda if she'd have you. I dddn't believe a brother of mine could be so fickle..'- 1

No statements on my part that I was just carrying out the joke, that Jessie understood it, that no one would for a moment think me in earnest, and so on, were of any avail, and when I set out for the bank next morning it was with anything but a cheerful spirit. Aibout ten o'clock a messenger brought me the not uncommon message :

• "Mr Tremainc, Mr Bailey woudd like to see you,"' Anticipating some routine bank business, I hastened to present myself before Mr Bailey, and was not at all prepared to hear him say : '•'Stephen, what is this I hear about your attentions to Jessie last night? Now, Stephen, I think I have shown you that I like you, but a clerk is one thing and a son-in-law is another, so before matters have gone too far I think it best to tell you plainly that I am not willing

to accept you in that capacity—no, no, do not get angry," he hastened to say, seeing that I was trying to get in a word ; ' 'this need make no ttiffcrence between us two ! You see 1 have spared no expense on Jessie's education, and as she will have a princely fortune to carry to the man of whom I approve, I have determined t» semd her abroad, where she may find someone of a better rank than she will meet here. Now, Stephen, are you sensible enough to see things in their proper light ? Or—'' •'I assure you, Mr Bailey, you have nothing to fear from me," I answered, diplomatically. How could I say : "My dear sir, I don't want your daughter ; I wouldn't marry her if she had treble your weaith ?" "Then you will promise me not to make love to her? For, as I know of old, your word is your bond ?"

I readily gave the required pro- | misc, and left the room feeling as if 1 had narrowly escaped some great disaster ; my only regret was that I hadn't told him frankly about my love for Hilda, then he would have felt quite safe. Just before the 'bank, closed that afternoon; 1 received , a short note from Jessie asking me to stop at her house qu my way home. Though I naturally felt a little unwilling to see her so soon after this interview with her father, I, of course, complied with her request. Fancy my dismay when she greeted me with the exclamation : "Oh, Stephen, what did papa say to you to-day ! Tell me ! I was of age last month, and my mother's estate came to me ; surely we can live on the interest of twenty thousand pounds, for, oh, Stephen, I can never weigh money against your love," concluded she, throwing herself into my astonished em/brace.

I was f?o taken by surprise, so thoroughly nonplussed, that I could not tell just what to do or say first. Of course, I could not wrench myself from her grasp, especially as she was now weeping violently. It seemed to me an age that I thus unwillingly held Jessie in my embrace ; really it was but a second or two, when the door suddenly opened without warning, and in came Louisa Nesbitt, who paused aghast on the threshold. (To be Continued.)