Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-11-11
From liarpers Week
A STORY OF LAWRENCE.

From ttarpcrs weekly.
AsTcRY OF LAWRENCE.
Music sounded from below, and a merry
hustle Of people moving about in the draw
ing rooms, while in the dinness of my cham,
Der, col!d scarcely see my SCARED and dis.
figured face in the long dressing glass before
which stood, idly sticking in and out q
great pin in the white frilled toilet cushion.
We arc not specially apt to confde in our.
selves. | did not sdy to myself that lin
ge,ed because the drawing rooms were all
one flood Of merciless light, and Philip Hays
had not seen the since | had lost all that
smooth dazzle of skin, and fitting rose red,
that he used to praise but strengthened
the slide at my belt, and tied and retied the
bow at my collar, and then losing courage
altogether, sat down by the window, and
looked out upon the street til Alice called
me, and there was no further possibility OF
evasion; and then slipped down stairs into
my seat, which fortunately was in the shad
ow, never once glancing up till thsy were all
fairly seated though might have spared
the pains, since Philip, after an absence oil
four months, was too busy with Eliz. Vaughr
to bestow on me moro than a brief glanc,
and careless smile.
Mother is the calmcst being in the world
and never forgets her lofty courtesy but
could see that every drop of Morton blood
was boiling in her veins, while Alice, who is
like her father, and has less reticence and
more Of the King Lake fire, followed mo to
the recessed window, where, the wretched
meal over, made haste to hide myself on,
of sight. 1t was almost like little room
that window, shut out by heavy curtains
and holding a stand Of hcliotrops and the
great iaulcui in which sat, my face turned
away from Alice, that she might not see the
comment on what was passing without, while
| listened to her in silence hate sympathy
and coincidence, because that shows that the
heart is sore.
At last.
81 know you want to be Alone" said AL
ice but, my dear, am in a rago, and
can't go out there yet, and smile into Eliza
Vsughns face. IL she MEANS in an honest
business like way, a bold stroke for a hus
band, why, Heaven save the mark and hclp
the husband says I, but detcst her would
be strategy. Imagine her telling him before
us all that she never dreamed Of finding him
here
"Wcn."
ooh, be ice il you choose, Georgia, but
you know az well as do that two hours agC
she was in wrapper and slippers, and that
toilet was the result Of seeing him pass the
house."
could not help glance out at the pei
lection OF the toilet in question. Ii was dain
ty and tancifIl, even to her film Of hand
kerchei, and the scarlet flowers dropping
from her black hair, and Philip, knew, no
ted all these things.
"As for Philip Hays" pursued Alice.
| "What Of him ?" demanded pcnsan,
voice, AZ the person in question parted the
curtains and took possession of the footstool
near me.
Alice gave little slrus and shake of the
shoulders for reply and vanished.
"What of Philip?' he asked again, look
ing scarchngly up in my face.
| What should there be ?" answered, "a
lightly. a.
"You knew our thoughts of you when
you left us, and four months is too short q
space for the growth of new opinions con
corning an old friend"
Are you quite sure Of that, Georgia ?" he
asked quickly. Is it my fancy that tells
me you looked at me ,hen with diff. rent eyes
from now 7"
"Our tongues wag often without leave, ant
alb, the eyes are set in different face" slip
ped from mine, as if the words had been
those Of some third person.
20 that the answer came swift as thought
mot to me, darling. loved tho face
then and love ii now, better than life. You
are my life and .hat for which care to live;
and then hardly remember moro than lha,
my hand was taken into his clasp, ana thus
We sat in sort Of charmed hush, looking
out through the open easement on the dark
Of the summer night, till Eliza Vaughn had
! gone away in n pet and sometime late in
the evening, Alice and George, my brother.
in.law, parted the curtains, and peered in
laughing at us.
! Why were you not at the town meeting
DIR. Philip?' he asked with merry malice -
The croakers and the wise men were there
in full force, and not having you there to
turn the scale, we were equally divided, and
have done nothing. The croakers will have
it that at five seconds after midnight pre-.
ciscly, the guerrillas win be upon us and that
every man should sleep with powder horn
for night cap, and with one eye open while
the wise men, Of whom, as you all know me,
It is not necessary to say am one, incline to
| the belief that thee are no guerrillas within
fifty miles Of us, aud that with Ewings men
we are quite competent to protect ourselves" !"
Philip looked grave. ..
And in case they do come? what have
you done ?"
Done! why, nothing unless we except
few resolutions specially affecting future
generations"
Have you any arms?'
Not except those nature gave me-
Are you too going to turn croaker on our
bands? What would you have vi dog Pa.
troll the street and frighten our little girls out
Of their senscsY Here is my stout hearted
Alice, trembling in her shoes already"
Why did you tell me Of your meeting ?"
rejoined Alice, petulantly. 81 ain quite Ger.
tain that | shall not sleep to night"
Nor any of u.s." observed mother, pla.
cidly, ''unless we move bedward soon. |, is
getting on to twelve" ..#
All this time under the surface chat, half
grave, half jes,ing, was going on that quiet,
electric, unspoken talk, in which is transact.
ed so much Of ths business Of home for you
see they had all al honest pride and pleasure
in my fair looks, and il was a sore blow at
mother and Alice on the first day when Tot
tered down from my sick room /; and when il
was known that Philip was coming, the good
souls had worn an air of waiting and anxiety
that my pride only half liked and now
found the pleasure bcaming in their eyes al
most as i'll to bear. Perhaps, too / was i'm
patient of this bother about guerrilas, Of
which we had plenty in Lawrence to grow
tired, and OF Philips grave, anxious looks,
as he still held my hand, red with the preS
sure Of his fingers tightening their grasp in
the unconscious energy Of his thoughts.
had been ~ heart hungry in spirits for many
weeks, and nov, in the psrvenue insolencc Of
my sudden happiness, was ready to say, Il
shall never be moved So blind are we
1t was after midnight when the house was
at last hushed and the lights out, and an
hour or so later before could lose my tu.
multuous thinking in sleep; and it seemed
but few short moaents when, from the
the very deepest abyss Of that heavy, dream.
less snmber that follows close on strong ex
cite,nent, J was dragged OF a sudden up to
startled consciousness by hdcous and un
Il