The Project Gutenberg EBook of Potts's Painless Cure, by Edward Bellamy

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Title: Potts's Painless Cure
1898

Author: Edward Bellamy

Release Date: September 21, 2007 [EBook #22707]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Produced by David Widger

POTTS'S PAINLESS CURE

By Edward Bellamy

1898

"Must you go up to that tiresome old college again to-night?"

Pouting lips and delicate brows fretted in pretty importunity over the
troubled eyes enforced the pleading tones, and yet the young man to whom
they were addressed found strength to reply:--

"I 'm afraid I can't get rid of it. I particularly promised Sturgis I
would look in on him, and it won't do for me to cut my acquaintance
with the class entirely just because I 'm having such a jolly time down
here."

"Oh, no, you don't think it jolly at all, or you would n't be so eager
to go away. I 'm sure I must be very dull company."

The hurt tone and pretended pique with which she said this were
assuredly all that was needed to make the _petite_ teaser irresistible.
But the young man replied, regarding her the while with an admiration in
which there was a singular expression of uneasiness:--

"Can't, Annie, 'pon honor. I 'm engaged, and you know--

"'I could not love thee, dear, so much,
Loved I not honor more!'"

And transferring her hand to his lips he loosed its soft, lingering
clasp and was gone, stopping at the gate to throw back a kiss to her as
she stood in the porch, by way of amends for his hasty parting.

"George Hunt, you 're an infernal scamp!"

These were the opprobrious words he muttered to himself as he passed out
of earshot. The beneficent common law does not condemn a man merely on
his own confession unless circumstances in evidence lend probability
to his self-accusation. Before we coincide in Mr. Hunt's opinion of
himself, let us therefore inquire into the circumstances.

He was in the last term of senior year at ------ college. For the past
year he had been boarding at the Giffords', and Annie and he had fallen
in love. The fall on his part had been quite voluntary a