Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1861-04-11

anu Ut SuCH llIueS ulS elOQuenI Idlh SOUu SCHpS-
eG even that of the brilliant advocate. As
Nellie said in her secret heart, it was Ruskin
against Eotaire. And the more Clarence
engaged in these Conversations the more he
felt that for the first time in his life, he had
met one who understood him.
One morning the footman came 10 to the
little paneled boudoir where Nellie and her
friend were sitting, saying that Mr.. Now
bray was in the parlor, and solicited a private
| interview with the former Nellie rose at
once, for she foreboded what was coming, and
was only too glad to have this early oppOrtu-
nifty of stopping attentions which had become
uncomfortable to her.
Mr.. Mowbray YVES evidently embarrassed,
an unusual thing for him. But he rallied and
came directly to the purpose of his visit which
was as Nellie had suspected, to tender her bis
heart and hand. He was proceeding in a
strain of hightOned compliment, when Nellie
said, with all impatient wave of the hand:
Spare me, sir. You did not always talk
So"
| He looked in astonshment.
| Many years ago | answered you the same
| question which you now ask.
| He colored up to the temples. | surely
| do not deserve" he then said, to be made
jest Of"
Neither do I make jest OF you Do
you not know me ~
| "I never saw you till this summer"
You saw me eight years ago. You and
a friend were on pedestrian tour. You met
little barefooted girl, whom your friend made
a sketch of, and whom you jeered at and then
ncknamed." And rising, she made mock
courtesy, for she saw she was now recognized:
| | am Cobwebs," at your service, sir !"
The discounted suitor never forgot the look
Of disdain with which Nelly courtesied to him.
! His modification was not lesSened when, on
! leaving the house, he met CIareace on the
door steps He tried in vain to assume an
! Indifferent aspect, but he felt that he had fail
! ed. aud that his rival suspected his rejection.
! Nelly could not avoid laughing at the crest
| fallen look of her old enemy. Her whole
manner changed, however, when Clarence en-
tered Instead of the triumphant saucy tor
mentor, she became the conscious, trembling
woman. Clareace, who had loHged for, yet
dreaded this interview, took courage at once,
and in few manly words, eloquent with emo
tion, laid his fortune at his NelIy'S feet
Poor Nelly felt more like crying with JOY
than anything else. Bat a little Of the old
saucy spirit was left in her She thought she
] owen IL " lcI sex UOJ " SuIIeUutI IOU easily,
and so she said, archly glancng up at Clar
ence
Do you know Mr.. Harvard, whom you
are proposing to | am no heiress, no high
born city belle, but only-let me see-what is
| it ?-only a common country rustic"
| Aud she rose and courtesied to him.
For Heavens sake don't bring that foolish
speech up against me " he cried, passonately,
! 7
it thousand times daily since the unlucky
moment was betrayed into saying it. Do
me the justice TO believe that | never meant
it to be personal"
"Wcll, then, | will say nothing more of
that matter But this is only whim of
yours How is it, that, having known me so
long, you only discover my merits p
Known you so long y
Yes, sir" demurely.
Known you ?"
For eight years"
Good Heavens |" he cried suddenly, his
whole face lighting How blind | have
been Why did 1 not see it before You
are'-
Cobwebs," said Nellie, she taking the
words out OF his mouth, her whole face spark
ling with gIee and she drew off and gave
another sweeping courtesy.
Before she had recovered herself, however,
pair of strong arms were around her. for
Clarence OWNED now that he was loved. Nell
lie, all along had had a half secret fear, that
when her suitor knew the past, he might not
be so willing to marry the barefooted girl as
the brilliant belle, but all this was now gone.
Two months later there was gay wedding
at ST. Marks A month after that, a bridal
pair returning from the wedding toar, drove
up to handsome house in Philadelphia AS
Clarence led Nellie through the rooms, in
which his perfect taste was seen everywhere,
she gave way to exclamation after exclama-
ton of delight.
At last they reached a tiny boudoir, ex.
quistely carpeted and curtained. A jet of
gas, burning in an aIabaster vase, dffuSed a
soft light through the room. A solitary pic
ture hung on the walls 1t was the original
sketch of her, eight years before, now very ell
egantly framed. The tears gushed to Nellie'S
eyes, and she threw herself into her husbands
arms.
"Ah how love you !" she cried.
Nobody who sees that picture suspects its
origin 1t is too sacred o subject for either
Nellie or Clarence to allude to. But it was
only the other day that a celebrated leader of
fashion said to friend
What queer pet name Mr.. Harvard has
for his beautiful bride In anybody else ex-
cept geniuSit would be eccentric. But you
do not know how pretty it sounds from bis
lips
"What is it it ~
"CobwebS !"
How TO BE NAN.-It is not by books
alone, or chiefly, that one becomes in all points
IL r H. L.. A.