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Show "Nobodies, of course;" but all the same tlwy were better than nothing. When one young fellow went home suddenly, pale'and forlorn, Denise guessed what had happened. "He has offered and you have refused him," she said. Cecilia nodded merrily. "It was such fun," she said. "He went down on his little knees. He is only one-and-twenty, and is in u dry goods shop. Of course I refused him." "But you led him on," said Denise, at which Cecilia laughed more than ever. It was after this youths departure that one of the young sportsmen who had at first paid very little attention to the ladies la-dies began to devote himself to them. He was a verv handsome young fellow, AN ELIGIBLE MATCH. They had sent a big covered wagon to meet Miss Britlan at hue station, and the driver a large man in a water proof oat and wide hatdrove it stolidly along the rod without making a re-nark. re-nark. Beside Miss Britton, in all her wasp waisted, white handed beauty, 6at Utile Cousin Denise, a dark girl with no beauty whatever, but a good honest ex-. ex-. Jression. Miss Brit ton was not in her best mood. She was in the. habit of going to Saratoga, Sara-toga, to Newport, to the Catskill Mountain Moun-tain house, to places where well dressed crowns congregate, with trunks of new Clothes. This year her father, having met with losses, had resolved to retrench. re-trench. Ho had let tho city house furnished fur-nished for a certain space of time. He had taken his wife to visit a certain Cousin Briggs, aud ho had sent his daughter to this pretty hotel, with her cousin Bvnise for company. The doctor had had a whisper from Mis Britton that had lod him to declare that she must have country air, and this was the result. "Much better," said Mr. - Britton, "than the kind of thing you'd have if I should fail. And you and your mother have been going it for a considerable time at a rate I can't permit any longer." Mrs. Britton had only meekly sighed and looked heavenward. Miss Britton had almost raved. But Mr. Britton had his way. "Comfort yourself with the thought that it might have been worse," whispered whis-pered Mrs. Britton in her daughter's ear, as they parted. "If Cousin Briggs had not been very particular about inviting only two of us, having but one spare tiedroom, she distinctly said, yon might have to go there." As for Denise, she said nothing, but in her heart she looked forward to dwelling for a space in what she called "the real country" with joy. At the fashionable hotels she acted the part of amateur lady's maid to her handsome cousin and to her stylish aunt. Her own dress was very plain and no one took any notice of her. A poor relation without beauty is much neglected in those matrimonial markets of America. Naturally, Denise had not been in the habit of enjoying herself. Now as they drove along through the soft falling rain she peeped between the folds of the curtain and uttered gay little ejaculations.- "Such lovely trees! Such a nice old farmhouse! A little river with such a prettyt bridge!" But Cecilia Britton never troubled herself to reply. Her wrongs were heavy upon her. "I believe if I had gone to Newport this summer Mr. Collingsby would have offered himself," she said at last. "Papa has made a great mistake in sending me to live in this horrible wilderness. What is the use of being handsome and fascinating fasci-nating if one must be buried alive?" "Oh, it is lovely here!" Denise cried, with those little gesticulations Bhe had learned in childhood from the French mother whose name she bore. "It is lovely!" . "I don't think you even heard me peak of Charles Collingsby," said Cecilia, Ce-cilia, gravely. "I told you I felt sure that if we had met at Newport he would have offered." "Is it such a pleasure to refuse men?" said Denise, with a little shrug. , "Yes," replied Cecilia, scornfully. "Of course you know nothing about it, but it is a very great triumph. However, I should not have refused Charles Collingsby, Collings-by, being in full possession of my senses.'' "Ohl but yon would never have married mar-ried him?" gasped Denise. "A man of that character, who drinks so much, who is talked of with married ladies, who is a brute in his manners. Yes, a brute, Cecilia. Ce-cilia. Do you remember how he stepped on other people's toes and elbowed them, to get near that opera singer with the disgracefully low dress? How he said onco aloud in the cars, 'When I give my seat to any one it's a pretty girl, not an j old married woman?" Oh, he is horrible, I I think. I should not mind your saying 'no' to hitn, but you'd never" ; "Oh, I'd never," mocked Cecilia. "You are angry because he said you were as ugly as a frog one day." "I confoss it," said Denise. "The idea ft a man lotting a girl hear him say f hat! And he wanted me to hear." "You see yon played third party too touch," aaid Cecilia, laughing. "You made me," said Denise. "I always al-ways wanted to go away when he came tiear us, but you said" , "Yes," said Cecilia. "At that time I had my eye on that handsome English- with a ready Rmile and a bright twinkle in his eye, intelligent and evidently well educated. Even Cecilia could not deny that this nobody was pleasant. Once grown better acquainted, he proved a great acquisition. He was never weary of showing them the beauties of the place, which were many. He rowed them on the river, he drove them out, and to the great astonishment of little Denise he never neglected her. She was so used to boing overlooked that she had expected it. No wonder she thought him the most delightful person possible, and that she pleaded his cause with Cecilia. "I know you mean to refuse him," she said. "But, oh, Cecilia! yon could bo so happy with him. Think it over, dear." "Think over marrying a young man like that!" said Cecilia. "He is verjuice, verj-uice, but no doubt he would expect his wife to live in a cottage in the suburbs and bo content wilh one best black silk. I aim higher, Denise." "I do not think so if Charles Collings. by is your object," said little Denise; but again Cecilia only laughed. Secretly she liked Bichard extremely; but she had questioned him a little, and his answers had convinced her that he was poor. It was enough. All she could look forward to was to add her refusal of him to her other triumphs. But suddenly a change came. She was sitting upon the porch one evening when two of the men at the house paused in the garden path speaking of Richard Rodney. "He is a nice fellow," said one. "And a very happy fellow, too," said the other. "One of the richest young men in New York. Rich Rodney they called his father, and he inherited everything." every-thing." Rich! An eligible match! Could it really be? "Was it possible? Oh, how delightful! for surely he was at her feet, and now she would not refuse him when he offered himself; she would say yes. After all he was handsomer, better, and in every way more pleasing than Charles Collingsby. She did not feel sure but that she was a little in love with him. She ran into the house to look for Denise to tell her the wonderful news, but the girl was not to. be found. For once in her life Denise had had an invitation of hor own. Richard Rodney had asked her to row with him upon the river, and at that very moment they were slowly drifting along in, the soft moonlight, and Richard held both the girl's tiny brown hands. "Say yes, dearest," he was whispering. "I love you better than life. I cannot be happy without you." "It is so strange," said Denise. "I thought it was Cecilia with you, as with all the rest." "You mean that you thought .that I loved Miss Britton?" asked Richard. "Every one else seemed to," said Denise. Den-ise. "Ah," said Richard, "that is possible, but I loved you at first sight, and as I happened to overhear a certain conversation conver-sation between you and Miss Britton on the day of your arrival I am well armed against her fascinations. And then how shamefully she used little Smith." . "Ah!" cried Denise. "You were the person in the back of the wagon that day?" "Yes, I was the person," replied Richard. Rich-ard. i'But you have not answered me will you be my wife?'' , Denise said nothing, but she let him kiss her, and he was quite content. "Only think, Denise," said Cecilia, as the girl came into their little room later on "only think, I have heard the most wonderful news to-night. Richard Rodney Rod-ney is tremendously rich. That, you know, alters the aspect of things, I shall accept him when he offers." "Ah!" cried Denise, "but he will not offer.". .: "If I should try to make Mm he will," said Cecilia. "I tliink not," said Denise. "I am a plain little thing, -but now that we are engaged he will be true to me." "Engaged!" gasped Cecilia. "Not to you?" Denise nodded and held under the light a little hand on which an unwonted diamond dia-mond sparkled:' ' "He slipped it on to-night," she said. "You knew how rich he was," cried Cecilia, "and never told me!" But Denise had not knowu. She is Mrs. Richard Rodney now, and, being rich, people call her piquant and charming. charm-ing. As for ' Cecilia, she has not made her conquest of a fortune yet, and relies upon her cousin Denise for her social pleasures sinca papa's failure. Mary Kyle Dallas in Fireside Companion. man, and I was anxious to bo awfully proper. But the Englishman did not want an American wife, aud Charles Collingsby has three millions of money, and they are at the top of tho ladder his family and I (jould do as I pleased. He's not straithiced, and he told Mrs. Fox that 1 was 'stnnning.' Oh, I should have played my cards well this summer! Papa must be in difficulties to be so mean as he has been lately, and I'd have been Mrs. Collingsby next winter, and here I am among the pigs and the boors, liot a creature ' to speak to!" and she lapsed into silence. Shortly the hotel was reached. Denise aroso and jumped lightly to the porch, and as they stood waiting for their satchels and a parcel Denise carried they eaw a finre rise from the back of the wagon, shako itself free of fragmeniB of traw. make an agile spring forward and vanish in the interior of the hotel. It was a fine figure that of a young man. His. hat was pulled over his eyes and they did not see his face. "Some one there and we were talking so freely," said Denise in a whisper. "Of what account is a country boor?" ,'said. Cecilia.' -"Besides, he must have! ' boeu a-'leep." j It was wan consolation to Cecilia to . find thiii there wire a number of men at I , the Jitrle holi-l.'anil that; some of them I .w-re. young. Wbeu ih lishiug and !6uuiliijg. which brought them to the! il:!i-o. did not take ilieni ;i1 of reach she I llir.ci! with llujui lo her.iiMir:'s iWight. j "1 y-jlv&gf t'-Lsheaftij;?cai I to Donise. |