Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-06-30
who is much distressed at being obliged to
2 NBelieve me, yours sincerely,

'HOOr Olu NICK III very eOlly lpA yO"'
hadn't notion you really cared for her.
Good-night old boy!" and squeezed his
hand, feeling half hypocrite all the time,
and lay down to think till fell asleep.
think that any one who is rash enough
to attempt to describe even an ordinarily
pretty girl is sure to make failure; 80 all
fshail venture to say of Minnie Darley Is,
that she was slight and very pretty indeed.
Possibly some critics might object that her
lips were rather too thin. Perhaps, too,
that her delicately- -chiseled features were,
at times, almost so colorless as to be almost
more suggestive of marble than soft. flesh
and blood but In q moment a blush or
smile could warm the beautiful statue into
a charming English girl; and any one must
have been something altogether less than
honest who could watch her, flushed and
animated, in the momentary pause In valse
or gallon, without acknowledging that
artistically speaking at least-she was love-
ly. Her father, who was rich lawyer,
owned country house not far from Bar
nard Hall, a fine old Elizabethan house
belonging to General Barnard, q distant
cousin OF Nick's, with whom at one time
his father had spent month or two regu-
larly every year. All at once, in his old
age, the General had taken it into his head
to turn Roman Catholic, and had quarreled
with his few surviving relatives, with none
of whom he had had any communications
since the death of Nicks father seven years
ago. Mr.. barley had once been the family
lawyer, and, even before he had bought an
estate of his own in the neighborhood,, he
and his family had been frequent visitors
at Barnard Hall. 1t was fIOm childish
friendship formed at the Christmas parties
there, and continued al most without inter-
ruption ever since, that the Irritation had
sprung up which had just ended in Nick's
discontinue. heard the whole story from
him again and again in the course of the
next few days; for now that the ice was
once broken, he thawed very quickly, and
poured his griefs into my ear whenever we
were alone. l really was very sorry for
him; for knew how should have felt that
letter. had only known her six months;
he, poor fellow! had loved her for ten
years. 1t had been, according to his own
account, his one idea since he was boy at
school, and he was inconsolable now, and
seemed quite unable to rouse himself up to
anything. had the greatest difficulty in
stirring him up enough to start for SwitZer-
land, and if it had not been for my mother
and sister, whom had promised to escort
as far as Geneva, l am not at all sure that
either of us would have LETT England at all.
When we did start he was not lively COM
panioU, and for the first whole day travelled
with his hat resting on his nose, without
speaking a word. .-.. .......-
Fortunately our passage over the Chan
mel was very rough one, and Nick, who
was never an over-good sailor, was compel
led, against his own will, for a time to turn
his thoughts away to other more immediate
troubles. '
There is nothing, as every one knows,
like time and change of scene to take the
edge off any sorrow; and nothing, per-
haps, helps their effects more than another
sorrow Intervening. His shocking sea-
sickness was, ,,as it,were, an awful black
chasm yawning between him and his re-
lection and when we landed at BoulOgne
his spirits had risen in way that surpris-
ed us all. We had lovely weather, luXuri-
ant fruit, and amusing company. My
mother and sister, who both liked him, and
had heard his story, did all that kindness
could suggest to cheer him up, and by the
, time we reached Geneva, after leisurely
Journey, he was quite himself again. merry
and uproarions, the life of the party; and
his condolences to me had been dropped for
at least week. .Hr. ss..n- In
We Wehadarranged--at his suggestion, be-
lieve-to go with the ladies OF our party as
far.as ChevroniX,..a "a solitary chalet, standing
in It's own pine wood and vineyard, on an
isolated marble rock, little way up the
mountains between Bex ane Aigle to the
west OF the Rhone above the Lake. A
steamer was starting very sOOA after our
train arrived, SO we made up our minds to
go on by it the same night as far as Lau-
Same without making any stop at Geneva.
There was not any time to spare, and Nick
ran to inquirefor letters, while hurried
the luggage on board as best could. My
mother and Nick settled down quietly on
one of the benches on deck to digest their
letters as the boat steamed out. Neither
Fanny nor had any to read; so we leant
together over the bows and devoted our
whole attention to the enjoyment of some
grapes and light fresh breeze which blew
in our faces, and was exquisitely refresh
ing after the dust and heat of the train. A
heavy shower had just blown over, leaving
the sky behind 1t as blue and sparkling as
the lake below, and the distant mountains
and trees on either shore, and the sunny
lateen sails of the fishing boats glistened
in the ''elear shining after the rain." We
had not been very long in that delightful
state of dreamy abstraction which the full
appreciation of beautiful scenery at once
REQUIRES and produces by an adapting
4 power of its own, when Nick Joined us and
broke the silence with, "Jack, when you
have quite done building castles up in the
Alps over there, Ihave got something to
talk to you about, if Miss Holmes will spare
you for few minutes% t3l7. ..
- Every well, Mr., Barnard, you may have
him for little while, as you ask so pref
tily, hut you must give him me back
. soon. He's very useful to tell me the
names of the places. You must get ME
Murray first though; it's in mammals bag
there" .s...eif, ...t. ...... ,....l.t ,,..,-
ib II have got such a queer letter from my
mother. l can't think what she's driving
att Che had carried me off to the other end
Of the boat before he began to speak)
"Just tell me what you make out oft" II
was a short note, without any date, and
written evidently in great hurry. read
it through two or three times, and Nick lii
a cigar and puffed away in silence.
"DEAREsT. Nick I'VE are all in great
state of excitement, and can't think where
Ito write to you; but / think it just possible
that line posted to-day may catch you al
Geneva. So IWrite for the chance to say
'thatyou will find letters from Mr.. barley
/ waiting for you at Chevronix, where you
said In your last you expected to be soon
James las the gray mare saddled to TAKE
this into Heldon, so / havenot a minute
more TO write. Well, dearest boy, you wert
rlin low spirits when you left England. Take
care you do not allow yourself to be tot
much excited now. l suppose this new
will shorten your trip. .r7Hesr.5-
Bless you my SSnr SSSG son, Ina,OS mother a
-msht aG4CI8 jTTsu01 . sFUEl Ru
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