Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-03-09


when Nelly said, with an impatient wave o.
her hand: ~ rt
so.n
BE looked his astonlshment.
''Many years ago Ianswsred you The same
question which yon now ask.p N H he
he colored up TO the temples. "a surely
do not deserve. said be, ''to be made je.l
Of 49, -r-- y
,,Neitber 90 I make q jest Of you. DoyOa
not know mef
81 never saw you till this summer"
HYou saw me eight years ago. You and
friend were on q pedestrian tour. You
met little, bare.footed girl, whom yonr
friend made q sketch Of, and whom you
leered at and then nicknamsd" And rising,
she made a mock courtesy, for she saw she
vas now recognized. uE am C0bwebs, AZ
your service, sir" ID --
The discounted suitor never forgot the
look of disdain with which Nelly eourtesied
TO him. His mOrtifcation was not lessenea
when, on leaving the house, he met Clarence
on the door-steps. He tried, In vain, TO as
sumo a fferent aspect, but he felt that he
had failed and that his rival suspected his
rejection. ..........
Nelly could not avoid laughing at the
orest-fallen look of her old enemy. Her whole
manner changed, however, when Clarence
entered. Instead of the triumphant saucy
tormentor, she became the conscious, trem-
bling woman. Clarencs, who had lOnged for,
yet dreaded, this interview, took courage at
once, and in few manly words, eloquent
with emotion, laid his fortune at Nelly's
feet.
Poor Nelly felt more like crying, with joy,
than anything else. But little of the old
saucy spirit was still left in her; she thought
that she owed it to her sex not 10 surrender
too easily aad 50 she said, archly glancing
up at Clearance:
ado you know, Mr. Harvard, who you are
proposing TOT ! am no heiress, no high-born
city belle, but oniy-let me see-what was
it2-aht have it now--only a common
country rustic" And she rose and courte-
sled to him.
EFor heavens sake don't bring that foolish
speech up against me I" be cried, passionately,
trying 10 take her hand. 81 have repented it
thousand times daily, since the unlueky
moment I was betrayed into saying it. Do
me the justice to believe I never meant it to
be personal"
"Well, then, I will say nothing more of
that matter But this is only a whim Of
yours. How is ii, that having known me
50 long, you only now discover my merits p
"Known you so long N-.
" Yes, sirl' demurely. -F-t t.e
'Known vOu2"
"For eight years. .Ef
"Good heaven r. he cried, suddenly, his
whole face tightening. chow blind have
bsenl Why did | not see it before You
are"
''Cobwebs," said Nelly, taking the words
out of his mouth, her whole face sparkling
with glee; and she drew off and gave another
sweeping courtesy.
Before she had recovered herself, however,
a pair of strong arms were around her, for
Clarence OWNED now that be was loved
Nelly, all along, had had a half secret fear
that when her suitor knew the past he might
not be so willing to marry the bare-footed
girl as the brilliant belle; but all this was
now gone.
Two months later there was gay wedding
az St. Marks A month after that the bridal
pair, returning from the wedding tour, drove
up to a handsome house in one OF the most
fashionable streets in Philadelphia As Clar-
ence led Nelly through the rooms, in which
bis perfect taste was seen everywhere, she
gave way to exclamation after exclamation
Of delight At last they reached a tiny bou-
dojr, e1quisitely carpetei and curtained. A
Jet of gas, burning in an alabaster vase,
difused 6 soft light through the room. A
solitary picture hung on the walls. 1t was
the original sketch of her, taken eight years
before, and now elegantly framed. The tears
gushed to Nelly's eyes, and she threw herself
into her husbands arms.
"Ah how I love you'll" she cried.
Nobody who sees 4les es-r-i-'-s-0 suspects l''
-orIgfn. 1t is too sacred a subject for ethel
Nellie or Clarence to allude to. But it was
only the other day thata celebrated leader oi
/ fashion said to friend:
| aWhat a queer pet name Mr.. Haryar ha!
for his beautiful bridel In anybody except
genius it would be eccentric. But you don
know how pretty it sounds from his lips"
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