LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7717, 20 January 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

." MICKEY." * si fContinwd.) b . But Mickey was in quite an excited j state, for if she had made an mi- f« prcssion on Mr Chesilton, she was ,w quite as much struck with him ; ! ft • and she was turning over in her | mind all sorts of schemes to make p bis acquaintance. | The following day she went to see j May Cameron, who, being on the |" atage, knew plenty of friends of 'b "Harold's through whom she promis- I ed to get Mickey an introduction, at fthe same time warning her that he p was not looked upon as a very desirable sort of friend for a young girl. Rut Mickey was quite infatuated, and refused altogether to listen to any arguments or advice ; and as a resulV she found herself, „ few days ■later, conversing with Mr Chesilton at »n At Home given by a Wy who rather went in for Bohemian Society. She found him even more fasciiuvi ting to meet than to gaze at from a f a r distance, and when she went 'home afterwards she coukl talk of 1 nothing else, and frankly admitted to 1 her guardian that she had fallen i deeply in love with bim, t •' H'm,! I don't fancy lie is much 1 of a chap ! " was his only comment. 1 But Mickey promptly retorted that 1 this was evidently prompted by jealously, because Chesilton was ever J so much better looking. i And Beiasys, not feeling by any I means sure that there was a certafci i amount; of truth in this charge, said 1 no more, but devoutly hoped that ! Mickey's devotion to " that actor i fellow " would prove to be only a 1 passing infatuation ; for, though be 1 tried very hard to conceal it from < himself, he was beginning i 0 find ' that the role of guardian or uncle \ :, which he had assumed towards Mick- ; ey was) one that was becoming every day harder to keep up. ' It was true lhat ho used to tell j] himself that he was more than twice ' her age, but then ho did not look il; yet nevertheless the idea of his 1 being in love with his own ward ; seemed to him perfectly absurd. With regard to Chesilton, he deter- ' mined to give Mickey, whom he ! -trusted implicitly, a perfectly free ; hand ; but at the same time ho : meant to keep a pretty close watch on that young gjmtleman's move- ; ments, to make sure that he did ' not compromise her in any way. Meanwhile Miclcey was going through all the raptures of being in love with a romantic-looking young man, who, in appearance at any rate, quite came up to the required standard of "the hero of a penny novelette. She made her guardian take her to the Frivolity Theatre to see her adored one act, and she even prevailed upon Lyn to invite him to sapper with them afterwards, which he did somewhat mtwillingly. It even struck Mickey on that occasion * " that Harold did not seem at his t heist in her guardian's presence, which would have told her, it she had pos- _, sessed a little more experience of the '. world, that ho was not a " man's ' man,'' and therefore not likely to v prove a particularly desirable com- j panion for a girl. I It so happened that during the ? next few months Hamlyn had a good "'•* deal of extra work thrown upon him I by the illness of one of his collea- ' -• gues, and during that time he did ; oot get a chance of seeing as much I of his ward as usual. She, howcver|. % seemed to he perfectly happy, but ho ? wondered very much whether she was I ■" still as infatuated as ever with the fascinating actor. One day. when he was reading the \ Times at his office, he came across _ J a paragraph in which the name of J.. HaroM Chesilton caught his eye ; 1 . / * BtK * n* l read it with considereale K . ' misgivings, as he thought how much dt would moan to his ward. i That eventhg^'atterTMßnwr-he-said to his ward, " Mickey, I have got some had news for you." " Have you, Lyn ? " she said, « looking up at Km anxiously. *' Noi thing serious- I hope? " 2 "Well, I am afraid that you will find it so," he said, slowly. " The J}-,' fact is," ho went on. * that there is '§/.*" a paragraph in to-day's paper about & \ Lady Farringford's divorce, and 1 =~ ' see that a friend of your is mentamed as one of the co-respondents." j£-" <¥ you mean Harold Chesilton ? " jgv saw Mickey, S-' v Yes," said Bclasys ; '•' I mean {> Harold Chesilton." t She considered for some iHttle time, and then saTd.'quietly, " I 6new oil about that some time ago." ■" Did you ? " asked her guardian, In astonishment. ei Yea," said Mickey j '•' the truth ; is, Hay Cameron told me."- *' And do you mean to say that £>- yon could go on caring for a man £g after finding out such a thing as S). that ? '-* inquired Belaysy, sfernly. r|V -'»lt—it wasn't a case of ' going g|j! on,' - said Mickey, "as I found out gfr't some time before that I didn't realjjf ly care a Bit for him." S "- Thank God for that ! "- said BeS_. Jasys. earnestly. jfr- "-The fact is,'* continued MJickey, E-_ *■' X never really cared for him. Of if>' course, I was attracted by his handl • some face and flattered by bis sings' ling me out for bo much attention ; ►.. hut be never appealed to me, except J . in the—most absolutely superficial h way; and then, besides, there was someone else.."5; rf Someone else! " gasped her i £■" guardian, helplessly. "My dear ft Mickey, it seems that you are quite P? »a hardened flirt,, though we never |pT - suspected it,*-* }r, •"Yea, I'm afraid so/ 1 admitted s,-' Mickey, gravely. f" *'And may one venture to inquire d Jwho the '■ someone else '• is ? " asked % Bcfasys, awkwardlyj % , '! My dear Lyn, I would, bf course, I-, 'tell you in a moment, only unfortuu- *' ately the man to whom I have giv-T'-Bjny heart does not love me in \ return ; and so, being a victim of b unrequited affection, I hardly like to *■ tell you even his name." % "-Bo I know him ? " inquired Be■e Jasys, savagely. \f ' *'■ N—«o, I hardly think you do," %■ replied Mickey, after a pause. £ •"■ Well t a said Bcjasys, *at any '( rate'l am jolly glad to think that ft it isn't Chesilton that you care for, k. as I was rather afraid that this '$ news would be rather a crushing l r Mow to you.'* 4 - *' My dear Lyn,' 4 said Mickey, se#- [.-" ously, '•'< it is sufficiently obvious that £' Harold Chesilton is not a ' man's man; and it is surely not very. £v. likblythat a girlj who has had the ~. benefit of your Careful training ajl f these year would make such an idicf ' tic mistake as to fay seriously in ■; Jove with a mere ladies' man." "** I don't know," said Hamlyn, v doubtfully, *' falling in love takes "" such deuced unexpected forms sometimes.'* t'Ye— assented Mickey. f **- And now about the ■ someone t else,'" said Hamlym. *' Have you it very badly ? '* S.V fifyery," sbi'd MicEey, mournfully. f-- H And 'doesn't he care for you at fx att?^ "r "■ CHi, yes ! I fancy he does. But v fie is so frightfully dense, that I do % not ttink that it would ever occur k, to Mm *o propose to me ! !i x «CH*! The man must be a hope- \ k leas *tot I,'-'- said Ilnmlyn, desperatef Nos fluitc that,"- said Mickey, j. mniling.,; as I have already [. admitted, he is certainly a Wt r- dense." v. Lootc liere, Mickey," sard Hamlyn at last r "I have a happy thought ! £ Kow this Is Leap Year. Why should '<■• you not propose to him ? " t ''l've gone as near to ifc as I ' decently, dare,"- admitted Mickey; =■'- "Jbulf he doesn't rise to it a bit." ;** *■' In that case," groaned Hamlyn, t--: ''be must, of course be in love with |j some other girl."K 6" I—l don't tfiink so," said Mick- £ n WWell, now, I've got another hapthought ! Why not chuck this BSSiher chap, who evidently doesn't twopence about you. and marry ''■ So I will, Lyn, Tf you'll ask me Pfoperly," Pfoperly," said Mickey, quietly, "By Jave : Do you mean It ? - K:- naSed Hamlyn, breathlessly. "But what about the 'someone LB' lt theo ? " inqu'Td Hamlvn. ' ' someone else ' has ployed up at last,", said 3licdey, demurely.

"Do you mean to say—?, -'- b«gem Hainlynv. incredulously. "Yes, Lyn, of course I do. Why, I have been in love with you eve! since I can remember ! " "Good Heavens ! And I have been breaVfrog my heart because I thought you cared for Harold Chesilton ! " | "Oh ! That was only a passing ' ■fancy, and, a very short-lived one, .too." | " Why didn't you tell me this before, MicEey ? "■ | '•! like that ! Why didn't you propose before ? . I '" Guilty, m'lud ! " sai'd Hanilyn, 'penicntly. " The court will now adigurn for osculation." | "Oh. Hanilyn! You are a bad , 'boy ! '-'- said Mickey. , I And she could not help thinkfng , that a kissjin time might have sav- i ed the nine which Hanilyn forthwith I proceeded to claim, I