The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1863-03-25
POOR PHIL.

1t is mystery to me-why Bob Ly-
Gus should feel SO shy of Nellie Water
man, the prettiest girl in the place, |
couldn't for my life imagine He had
been badly hit at Fredericksburg, aud was
home Oh sick leave; AID every day her
carriage stopped at Mr.. Lyous' door (by
he way, It was worth the waiting for, to
see the foot aud ankle that she showed
III getting ouD with basket of hot house
fruit, or flowers that she had arranged
herself (and she did these things like a
French wou.an,) or the last fuille,eD for
Lieutenant Lyons But though Bob
could hear her we'll enough from the little
room at the head of the stairs that he
called his den, he never took the smallest
notion, except to growl out something
very like an oath from under his nous
rache, or, if 10 the parors, to hobble away
as fast as possible for fear of meeting her
The flowers he wouldn't let into his room,
but left them 10 wither in the outer hall /;
the fruit he ga to the children the
/
cOutemptuous gruut. 10 short, if Nellie
Waterman had been the cholera, instead
of handsome, stylish girl, he could have
hardly avoided her more persistently, OBJ
stinatel y refusing to give any other reason
for his unaccountable conduct than that
it was his whim
Nothing, however, is quite so hard to
prison as secrets Relax your vigilance
ever SO little, and the things will be on
the house top in spite of you. And so
one day out popped Bobs skeleton: like
a Jack in the box, and be told me all that
was in his heart
LIZ was In answer to some remark of mine
about Nellie Waterman, who had Just
pa sed Bob turned his back squarely
to the window, and sent his cigar savage.
ly in to the fire.
Il had as lief see a toad" he said
''rather, for it wouldn't be necessary to
be civil to the spotted animal Do you
remember what julie was reading the 9th.
er night-soLething of Ruskin's, | think,
about girls with spots of blood on their
ball dresses, and grave.weeds twined in
their wleaths. Well, | swear | never
see this one without thinking that her
dainty hands are wet With blood, and that
her beautiful bright hair 10 thickly
twisted with the willow that shades Phil
SeIdons grave. Poor, dear old Phil he
wore her false face over his heart when
he went down. Worthless as be had
proved her to be. he could never quite
give her up. [ had known her from a
child, and warned him of his danger, aud
the only shadow that ever fell on ou,
friendship came upon US then There
never was man more thoroughly infat.
uated. He thought her pink and white
face the incarnation of purity her down
cast looks he took for modesty; and it
was useless to tell him that. besides her
pretty face, she was simply tight lacipg,
hounces and French novels.
"She was, in his idea, womanly per.
fection-physical, mental, and moral
And she threw him over, of course
Airted with him till she was tired, then
dropped him. When be Insisted on some
reason for this wrecking of his hopes, she
closed her doors against him by way of
answer. He came back looking like a
ghost. Could you have seen him, you
could scarcely have dreamed that this
was our old sunshiny Phil.
II hate woman when I think of it.
Leave out my mother and sisters, and all
the crinoline and grimac;ng in the world
are not worth his dear old face, though
he never looked cheerful after that, un.
leas be was on some specially dangerous