CHARLEY'S DILEMMA.

Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 10, 11 July 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHARLEY'S DILEMMA.

" Why, Charley," I asked, " what is the matter now?" as my friend •p&^r^yC^GJhtfoSfere&nij! bffico, nnd threw down ah hat wim tho peculiar sling that I alwas know indicated «omo mental disturbance ; "what has gone wrong with you this time ?" " 0, I'm in another scrape," he replied, with an attempt at patient resignation that was quite absurd. "What kind of a scrape is it — money ?" " Money, no — it's girls ; hang 'em. I believe they were made just to torment a man's life out." "Why, what have they being doing now ?" "What they'ro always doing — mischief, of course. - I wish they were all as ugly as Medusa, and then a fellow might have some peace." " Well, but do tell me what this is all about ?" "Why, you know I'm engaged out-and-out to Lilly Arnold." v No, I didn't know it before." " Well then, I am, a regular cut-and-dried engagement — I love Lilly and she loves, me; parents willing, aunts, uncles, cousins all ditto — but you see, New Year's Day I made heaps of calls, and they I 'would have | me drink whether or no. So when I made my last call, I was kind of— kind of not tipsy, Will," he said, very gravely, noticing, my look of incredulity, "I thinlc I have too much self-respect for that, but I will \ admit to being slightly set up. My last call happened to be upon Neil Blair, and she, you know, is just the neatest specimen of female beauty that ever walked." '• " No, I know nothing about it. I never heard of her before," '? Well, she is, I tell you, the most unique pattern of girlhood you ever saw ; great big black eyes, and hair to match; curling iri little ringlets all over her head ; red, cheeks and the Kiaßingest lips. New Year*s night she was rigged out in a way that mada< her! fairly; dafczling, and you know we were alone, and she did look so sweetly pretty that I lost my huad, and swore I loved her, and only her, and asked her to marry me. and, confound it all, didn't she say yes ? So here lam engaged to two girlß, so what in the name of everything that's proper am I to do." ''"'Migrate at onoe^to TJtah, you shameless follower of< benighted Mormon." ."Don't tantalize tme, Will, but help me out of this scrape." i " How am I to do thatj I should . liketokpo;w?j' \ $ 'I >-' " Why, go back with me at once to>Earlville, and 1 take Nell Blair off my> hands ; you'll fall in love -with her just as sure as you see her." •'Bui if she is so wonderfully captivating, how is it that you prefer Lilly ? Supposing that I should be contrary, and fall in love with her?" "No,* no, Will; I couldn't stand that — but I say, won't you come ? " "Yes,! I'll go," I replied, as a ■wicked thought came into my head ; " I agree to the arrangement." " To fall in- love with Nell ? " "Certainly; I consent to victimise myself upon the altar of friendship." So the next day I -went to Earlville with my friend, who took me at once to see Nell Blair, and I found that his account of her beauty had not been exaggerated. She was the most bewitching little brunette imaginable, and -she looked so running over tyithfun and mischief, that it was thoijoughly infectious, and in a few moments .we were well ac^ quainted. After sitting a short time, Charley got up, saying, " lam going to leave mis young gentleman in your hands. ,,l hope. that you will take good care of. him." "Certainly," she replied. "I shall be niost happy to do 'so ; but where axe you going ?" "Oh, I have an engagement that I must keep. I shall have to excuse myself, " stammered Charley, looking very conscious and .'sheepish. " You will pardon, me, I hope." , " Of course," she added,' -with a charming little toss of her head; " good evening." As soon as he had left, she turned to me and safd — " Mr. Weston, I want to ask you something a little queer ; may I?" "Certainly,- Miss Blair," I answered. "What is it?', „ " Does Charley .Brent think that 1 he is engaged to me ?" ■ ■ ! "Yes," said I, "he does:" " And does he think" that I'd 6 ,not know iof his engagement to" Lilly' ?" ' "limagineso." tl ' At first a, look of annoyance, stolp over her face," and then she jburst into' a' merry laugh, and I as heartily, joined'her/ ' ' „ ' ,- "Now," she continued,, blushing, and hesitating a little,'. "'dis he want you to come and take me off his hands,?" , , ;[i •, „ • „-,,. Here I axrva^rajid^a^ j'/loflked. sheepish t , in my turn, for after staring pt ,me pitilessly for a few moments; ishe went off into a burst of laughter that didn't prove contagious to jine, however, this time. " Well," .she.* exclaimed^ saucily,' "I am glad that he didn't chooser some disagreeable' jlejlow,' I mad<S a bow', feeling very" much" pleased and flattened. . " I,am going' to ;tell you now my version, of, the i affair, Mr. Weston ; Charley told his. He was not sober that New 'Seaysvughin^though he did notfglt^any^hlng-nn^oxifeating here. Mr. Brent offered himself to me. I said yes, just to .'give him a litth^Jessqnj^Corjr-linew 'that he wasengaged^ |£J!M£_jand would feel bad "enough when h^roame to his senses. . TAnd<now I jfaia Agoing to counter-scheme' a little^— l Vant you to fell in love with Lilly? ' "Oh,, but I cannot possibly do that,*' I exclaimed very earnestly. " JuB,t in ' fiin, yoil know," she pleaded, that lovely [blush coming again. So I promised to pretend that I was desperately 'smitten with Miss 1 Arnold, who woyid be there at Nelly's the next, day, and after making an outrageously long call for a first one, I waa/d«l|p.e£a % tely in love with the • little^ brunette, but when he came into my room the next morning bright and early, evidently anxious as to the result of his experiment,. I affected great indifference, and said, " Miss Blair is certainly a very pretty girl, Charley, but you know I admire blondes." He looked quite crestfallen as he said, "You're not going to disappoint me now, Will ;■ I thought Nell would suit you exactly, but she improves very much upon acquaintance — you should hear her sing." As soon as he left me, I went to fulfil my engagement, and found Miss Arnold with Nell, as the latter had prqnused. , She was an exceedingly pretty blonde, with' a pure sweet

face, which to my mind, however, could not cnmpai'o with that of the ever-changing dark-oycd beauty. "Remember your promise," Nell whispered, as she introduced me "to her friend. ' ' Why, there comoe Mr. Brent," she exclaimed aloud, glancing out of the window. I seated myself by the fair Lilly, and commenced a low, earnest conversation, engrossing her attention so entirely that when Charley entered she could do no more than bow. He gave me a quick look of suspicion, and was about to seat himself upon the side of the lady when Nell called him off to show him something in the other room, and with evident reluctance he followed her, casting back anxious glances at me and my companion, which I pretended to be altogether unconscious of. "I am afraid," I said, " that Mr. Brent begrudges me the privilege that I am now enjoying." " Oh, I don't know," she replied blushing. "Most gentlemen are quite satisfied when they are enjoying Nell's Bociety." " She is very beautiful, certainly," I replied, "for a brunette." "The most beautiful girl I ever saw "—with a slight sigh, for Nell was talking now very earnestly, and flaying op. the .engaged air with amusing accuracy, although I am afraid it was not at all. appreciated by Charley. She would occasionally give me a glance so full of suppressed mirth that it was with great difficulty I restrained my laughter. But my conscience began to reproach me a little, for I saw that the veritable fiancee was feeling quite concerned. Finally, she rose to take her leave, and I, as a matter of course, offered my escort, but Charley's sharp eyes had kept close watch, and, breaking away from his companion, he strode across the room, and drawing Miss Arnold's arm through his, said, " Thank you, Will ; I will see this lady home myself ; she will not wish to 'trouble you." "Trouble," I exclaimed, "do not call it by that name." " By any name you please, then," he answered, now thoroughly out of temper. " Miss Arnold will not require your service." The moment thoy were out of hearing, we gave vent to our mirth, which was increased by seeing Lilly's little head going in that peculiar way which always denotes considerable excitement in the speaker, and. we could understand very well that she was explaining her late somewhat false position. "Do you think he has been sufficiently punished?" I asked. ''' I do not know about that. „It does not seem to me a very severe punishment to allow him the privilege of my society for awhile. Is it such a terrible penance ?" "A penance," I answered, "that I would be willing to submit to all the rest of my life." She lowered her dark eyes at my earnestness, and looked so lovely with the long lashes resting on her glowing cheeks that I arose involuntarily and seated myself beside her. " Don't you think that I deserve a reward for following out your orders as I did?" "In what way ? What orders do you mean ?" she inquired. " Why, in trying to be agreeable to Miss Arnold when I would so much rather have been in Charley's place." "Many gentlemen would have considered it a great privilege to enjoy for awhile the exclusive attention of the beautiful Lilly." " Not with Miss Blair bo near, and yet so unattainable." " Ah, Mr. Weston, you are a flatterer." , Xl , ',' Not at all ; but don't you know, •Nell, that I have been doing just exactly what Charley asked me to do?" ' "What was that?" ",Have you forgotten already?" I asked, putting my arm around her. She did not resent my boldness very 'seriously; but, shaking her littie finger in my face, said— " So you want to take Nell Blair off his hands, really and truly, do you?" • , , With all my heart." ,; "Hadn't you better wait awhile until you know me better 1 ? I have so many^faults." '' ', "And so have I,", and I did what most young^ men would have done , under the circumstances.' ( I did not see Charley again, from which circumstance I knew that h&, was'.aeriously offended; but I was not much disturbed about it, feeling quite aure that it would" all come out right, as it did. I returned here, after having exacted a promise from my .darling to write to me the very nextdayJ The letter reached me at the- time appointed, and in it she said — "Mr. Brdnt hals just "been to see me, looking very much embarrassed and rather foolish. After, numerous apologies he informed md that he .was > under the influence of ' liquor (news to me, you know) on New night when he offered himself, and that he niust in, cpnsequence retract all that he theri'said ; -whereupon I gave him a long lecture upon drinking that he listened to very meekly. ' ' "'Now, Charley, I said,- 1 wish' you" would . promise never to take ■anything of the kind again.' : '"I have already promised Lilly, 5 he replied. 'It was the condition xipon which she granted her forgiveness.- But, Nell,' he I 'continued,' ( were you really serious when you said yes ?' " 'Not any more than you were ; but I was in earnest when I said yes to Mr. Weston yesterday.' " 'I wish you could have seen his" face.' " ' Why, 1 he stammered. ' I thought he preferred Lilly.' " 'About as much as you did me.' "'Then you two were playing a, trick upon me ?' , " ' Yes, I did it to punish you for asking him to take me off your hands.' Well, dea», I hope you will' i never regret that."' ' And I never did. WHY CONTAGIOUS DISEASES ATTACK BUT ONCE. Professor Tyndall thus endeavours to explain the immunity obtained against a second attack of a contagious disease :—": — " One of the most extraordinary and unaccountable experiences in medicine was the immunity secured by a single attack of a commuuicable disease against future attacks of the same malady. Smallpox, typhoid, or scarlatina, for examplo, was found as a general rule fo occur only once in a lifetime of the individual, the successful passage through the disorder rendering the

I body invulnerable. Seasoning from analogy, 1 have ventured to express the opinion that the rarity of second attacks of communicable disease was duo to the removal from the system, by tho first parasitic crop, of some ingredient necessary to the growth and propagation of the parasite." — •Medical World.