“My parents died within a few weeks of each other and I was left all alone, so far as near relatives were concerned. After the estate was settled up and I had recovered from the shock of their death, I was left to my own devices, and while I had many invitations to make my home with relatives I decided I should like to be alone for awhile, so I went to live with a widow and her daughter. I enjoyed my Bohemian life very much, for it was such a change from the old way of living and I was bent on making the most of it. I was engaged to a young man from the South at this time. He was a young man of the highest principles and unimpeachable honor, and one of whom my parents thoroughly approved. I think mamma felt quite happy and resigned when she took Will’s hand and placed mine in it and said: ‘Will, you will take good care of my baby after I am gone, for I shall leave you all very soon now. I shall die happy if I have your promise,’ she said faintly.
“He leaned over her and said: ‘Mother, dear, I promise. Agneta shall always have my tenderest love and devotion.’
“Well, as I was saying, I went to live with this kind family and they granted me every privilege that I could have had in my own home. Will was an ideal lover and caretaker; in fact, he was too good, and I was not sensible enough to appreciate it then. Ah, if I could only live over the old days once more, things might have been different. One needs to live three score and ten years before one knows how to live.
“One day I dressed myself with unusual care, entirely in black, of course, but it was quite as becoming as any color. I could not have told why I was so painstaking in making my toilet; it must have been an unkind fate at work while the angel guardian of my peace and happiness, slept.
“I bought a few articles at Field’s and ordered them sent out, then went up to the waiting room on the second floor, where I could look down from the gallery to the main floor and watch the throng of shoppers. While I was sitting there I saw a fine looking young man standing near me, engaged in conversation with some ladies. At the first glance I took him to be an old acquaintance of mine. He was not very tall, but had beautiful wavy black hair and eyes of a soft brown.
“I suppose my gaze, which was a little more ardent than custom would permit, attracted his attention, for he glanced at me frequently, and as those things sometimes happen caught my glance every time. I knew by this time that he was not the acquaintance for whom I had taken him the first time I looked at him, but his face was so handsome it seemed to fascinate me, although on a closer inspection it was slightly effeminate. I think we kept that up for nearly half an hour, but all this time no word was spoken. I decided that I had better leave, and I arose to go and was soon lost in the throng. I was walking east on Madison when someone walked up beside me and tipping his hat said: ‘Pardon me, may I walk with you?’
“I was not so disconcerted as I had always supposed a girl must feel under such circumstances. I looked around and, of course, it was not the young man, but Will. I was half vexed and treated him very coldly, until he told me that he had seen me at Field’s and had noticed the conduct of the man in question who had held my attention so long, and believed he had evil designs on me.
“This made me really angry, and I told him that was just like a man to think that every glance another man bestowed upon the woman he loved was evil. ‘One would think I had no individuality, no charm of person at all to hear you talk,’ I said.
“‘Well, I know the men better than you do, dear; so please be careful, won’t you? Men never have a good opinion of a woman who will flirt with them.’
“Now, you see, if there is anything a girl hates it is to have her sweetheart assume superiority over her in knowledge of men; so it all combined to make me disagreeable.