Ballou's Monthly Magazine, Vol. XXVII, No. 1 — page 73: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Defeated. 77 Ralph called back all the hard words he had spoken concerning the sex, and resolved to tolerate them in the future, if only for the sake of Miss Letty King. Agnes Calvert, in her dainty muslins and golden ringlets, fluttered about Ralph with a will, and he talked soft nonsense to her until she fancied he was in love with her, and laughingly declared the same to Letty. “Poh! It seems to me you are very con- ceited. I declare, I should as soon expect a king to fall in love with me as Ralph In- graham.” | “With you, child, it is a different thing. You and I are not the same person.” “O, I am very well aware of that, but I don’t believe Ralph Ingraham means to fallin love with any one.” “Wait patiently and see. You shall be here visiting Mrs. Agnes Ingraham in less than a year's time” Letty laughed—a very doubtful laugh it was, too—and she turned away, thinking that if she did not visit Ingraham Hall again until she visited Agnes Ingraham, it would be a long while before she visited it. So she said nothing, but kept on in her quiet way, yet carefully watching their every movement. Florence was very unlike her brother, and her perception was anything but sharp, so she took it into her head to imagine that he hada fancy for her friend Agnes. Now Agnes, in her eyes, was a very good friend, but she could not bear to think of her asasister. She came to this hasty conclusion all of a sudden, and burst upon Letty, who sat in the summer house one afternoon, with “ Letty, Ralph and Agnes are engaged !” and then left as suddenly as she came. “Ralph and Agnes engaged! Howstrange:” And Letty wondered, and somehow the red lips grew white as she thought, and she leaned back with a strange heaviness in her heart. “So you have succeeded, have you?” said she, as she sat upon the piazza with Agnes an hour later. “ Of course. and fail ?” “O,I suppose not. But I doubted it in this case, it seems so strange!” “ Letty, between ourselves, I can bring most any of them to my feet if I choose.” “ Well, what good does that do? You can- not marry them all.” “O, of course not; but it shows my power. I do not care to marry.” “Do you mean to flirt with Ralph ?” Did I ever undertake anything “Perhaps so. It is just as I take a notion.” Letty King was on her feet in an instant, her little form towering a full inch above her usual height, her dark eyes flashing, her lip curling, and her hand playing nervously with the jetty curls. “ Contemptible:” she muttered through her teeth. “ Who is contemptible ?” asked Agnes, care- lessly. “You, Agnes Calvert, or any woman who would trifle with the heart of aman like Ralph Ingraham. It is vile—it is wicked! I hate a coquette !” “ What a firebrand you are, to be sure!” Letty looked charming standing there look- ing at Agnes, with indignation stamped upon every feature; and so thought Ralph, who, seated in the shadow of the rose-bushes, had been an unwilling listener to their conyersa- tion. A look of admiration crossed his face fora moment; then it gradually grew into a perfect picture of contempt and disgust, as his eyes rested on the insipid beauty near her. Had Miss Calvert seen the withering glances that proceeded from the shadow of the rose- bush, she would have never mentioned the name of Ralph Ingraham again. But she did not; consequently, she was ready to talk of him whenever she found a listener. Letty watched her as she sauntered down toward the arbor, her dress trailing behind her in its soft, graceful folds, lending an air of perfect grace to her tall, elegant figure, and thought, “ Well, she is beautiful!” And Ralph, from his hiding-place, saw the bright face grow sad, and something like a tear dimming the dark eyes, and he felt a strange desire to rush out and take her in his arms, and tell her how falsely Miss Calvert had spoken, and that in his heart he had place for but one, and that one was sweet Letty King. “ Thank you, Florence. J had much rather ride on horseback. I donot like the carriage,” said Letty, one morning, as they all stood ready for a ride in the cool morning air, only waiting for Agnes. “ But there is no need of Mr. Ingraham’s going on horseback.” “T had rather; that is all.” “ But Agnes will not enjoy her ride one bit.” Ralph lashed poor “ Blucher” with his whip, and bit his lip by way of reply. “Let Ralph have his own way, Letty. I always do,” said Florence, from the carriage. Agnes came down just then, dressed ina style better fitting adrive in Central Park conniclooks.com