The Portland daily press., 1867-08-17
selected story.
The Preserve Closet

..t The Preserve Closet. 7.i5ti 9i
a.,ei upon my word, this is about the coolest
proceeding ever knewp' lhN AAI
It1sfA ia Cob Tempar sat in his bachelor sapctun
a. ~ where the rays of an April sunshine shone in
lat lines OF glittering gold among the Neapolitar
volen in the window, and drove the little
canary wild with silver-voiced delight
lzr d sanctum crowded with amiscellaneous conf1.
eFa sion of merchants in different STAGES of col.
Al Or dressing gowns, cigarboXes newspapers
+A and gorgeous velvet slppers-he Contracted
.ias his brows moodily over letter whose pink
r. paper and delicate scent of foreign perfume
s4 betokened trouble from some lady cores
ii...fe pondent .lrssi ~.
.,. DEAR SIDNEY:-TYes, I'm always dear
80 when Bertha wants disagreeabIe commits.
on be s sss women are
some nice locality it surely can be no trouble
fo 70 70 engage one for u.s. No trouble quotha
. f- that's just womans idea. No trouble to
rush from pillar to po3t house hunting.
Where's the indemnity of bachelorhooi, ia
like to know? might as well he married
yErse man in good earnest, il I'm to be sadded with
all the responsibility OF tine thing won't be
imposed upon-I'l write to Bertha at once
~ and tell her" ~
.,,..S.,r Col Tempar gave his jet black moustache
savage jerk, and pulled his writing-desk res
Olutely forward. Then softer mood seemed
' sfni TO dawn athwart his mind-he hesitated bit
@ ''.'a ing the handle OF his pen neditatively. 9o
o. %
l,ls pet cousin, and suppose it is rather incon-
ee Venlent Ion her TO come all the way here to
d .tl look for a house her husband will be n
INDIA TIL the middle Of May, and--well, the
.s iea ,upshot OF the whole matter is that | am
doomed TO vIctimize myself. and the sooner
A it's over the better. Heigho where's the
.a newspaper? III just look over the To let's
'ia hfst and then Iii go 10 the estate agenciese y
tt.j1' The sun was peeping from behind masses OF
nylng clouds, like shy beauty who alternate
~. ly smiles and hides her ce-the air was full
m i-i OF lalnt spring odors, even in this brick and
'i'' mortar wilderness, when Col. Sidney Templar
. @ sailed bravey forth, armed and equipped with
,sad Vallous references, directions and addresses
' 4 'n' 70 engage in the momentous business OF
" He was not handsome man-yet Won
.., Ina. would have turned involunariy to look after
. hu him as he sauntered by, attracted by the deep
ii ~. snoihered IRE OF his dark eyes, and the firm
.. "a e not handsome, but he was what the ladies
a .'L term Undressing. Moreover, he carried an
e a empty sleeve where the left arm should have
'' been-an everlasting memorial of the red bat
tie clouds. -"l'-4Ne'' ttsi+
.. s.s,I-, "lt seems comical enough for me to go
..'r house e-hunting, unused Templar, as he strobe
'.H ON through the dusty streets. ssIe For me the
@ solitary homeless recluse of one-and-thirt
r. years old. -Four years ago things appeared
l 'lHs dlherently to me-tour years ago L miaht
'a. nave dreamed OF home OF my own with Ma
~ -fl- rlon 5 Caryfs bright eyes to light up its
>. larsaa= hearthstone! All Inc! this is Il world of
change. A careless word--a little misunder-
u4 standnS-and here am crippled old sol
p Z" % dler while Marion is probably making the
i sunshine of some other mans lie. Hold on
H am gettInS maudlln and r0mantic-eh, Sid
i"' '1 ney Tempar? This will never do old fel-
low." He..ii isie ~ ltl-I-~ ~
i'' The colonel gave his heavy black locks
backward toss, as if impatient at his own fol
ly, and vigorously directed his attention to tbe
list % OF eligible residences in his pocket book
NO. Al street; here's the very place.
slN Wants pai-Iting badly on the outside. hnt
may present a more promising ASPECT Within
AT all events wel try" a-4grA : = s-sa
he rang the bell, and brief skrmshing OF
servants in the hall, a faded lady in dyed silk
and hair in crimping pins, appeared.
is TINS house to let, madame?" said our
colonel deierentially. ~ tI Gu. a.. WV
We'll, yes, it's to let, but you can't see it
.,. now" = . -
Cant see it now?' s
.s mo" No smarled the lady yindichvcly, sHours
&C.,. are between two and fCur.' ~ 10y H1
l#l Il N quite sure the female in the crilspine-
pins is an oldmaid." decided the colonel men
tany, ana think she must have breakfasted
OH broken glass and cambric needles. won
der II the people at No. III - street will be
pretty, blueeyed woman, in a torn wrap-
..'' per per- ana slippers down at the heel, answered
@ Col. TempIar '',oDe'O,'0N '>.,
Coud YOU call again in about an hour?p
asked the blue-eyed one my husband is out
ana we We been so troubled with thieves and
with EN-, that" u ~
"oh, beg your pardon. Under the circum-
stances will not intrude.7 said Col Ten
plar, with comic elevation of his eyebrows
perhaps, however you will be good enough
10 observe that leave the door-Inat behind
me, quite sate.o r.. sE y
The blue-eyed lady looked after COL Tenn
@ in her face - '0o'
ITS as well didn't let him come in,o was
a. ner lnterhal comment. He looks as il he
might be little crazed.' -
- While Col. Templar stroked his moustacbe
and pondered obviously within himself
Il wonder ri l DO look like rogue? ?0
''Herbert, BERTHE, don't YOU hear tb. door.
bel" p Bertie, say?" -I'f.lti
The gentleman apostiophized as "Bertieo
was slttmg at an old-fashioned mahogany
desk, ABSORBED in pile of blotted nanuscrinf
with dsheveed hair and middle finoer deem
ly stained with lnk-evidently young auth
or very much in love with his profession Di-
rectly before him stood the speaker, a vouno
lady of twenty three or thereabouts,
She was exceedingly pretty, with the mno-
cent dmpled beauty of white kitten or net
rabbit; biue eyed, with complexion where
faint roses seemed to glow through the trans
parent skin, and mouth like dash of scar
let velvet. While her lovely golden hair was
ias!ened straight back, in great lustrous
tw twsa, nh en- hasshaoilte evidently but quite pref
-F' S enough TO excuse all defects of flour sprin-
LED hands, and hair half loose n -
;no uana,'t. repeated the young man star
iDg VacanJy.
les, some one to see the house, suppose,
and such figure. Do please, 90 fn tbe
door, Bertie; there's jewel Marv has oomo
to the grocer's and see what state I'm e e1"' ;,
She held up both dimpled hands and noddod
archly in the glass at 4 huge noury patch ou
the peach bloom cheek. '
There it goes again. DO make haste. Ber
te, ard on your life, don't show any one into
the kitchen: Tell 'em its gem OF a little ktch-
en-, put don't let 'em in, for the cake is half
made and the bread half baked and I'm half
distracted, and the rollmgpin and spice boxes,
and eggbeaters all lying around loose. and
And the young lady expedited matters with
push that left five white dots from her five
.. hnger ends on the back of Mr. BerIerfs
cashmere dressing gown.
The DEAR absent-mnded goose - she non
dered, as she fluttered down stairs into the
kitchen; "if there's any mistake to be made
he'll he sure to make it. The more absent
minded he grows do believe"
why, yes, this house is to let" said Mr.
BERTHE in answer 10 the courteous inquiry of
.HF NJ
.r.4.