Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-11-24
From the Old Bachelor, in Harper's Bazaar.
A Little Love Story.

| men and he conquered women, and like most
conquerors he knew his own power. My cous-
in Mary Latimer and he were neighbors. They
played together, first then, as they grew older,
they walked, and rode, and boated, while yet
he was a boy and she a girl Next came col
lege, and away he went. They said bithe
ood-bye and parted, nor did they meet again
until the long vacation. Home came the hand
some Algernon, no more a boy. Frank, IA
miliar, buoyant, he was even more welcome
than before. The swift years few. Each ad-
ded grace to her, a charm to him. He told
her of his college life, the mad pranks, the
hopes, the triumphs She told him of the
town gossip, the books she read, the journeys
she made, the friends she gained. my friend
college companions, lis one Of the noblest of
women; we are the best of friends" "My
friend Algernon Ridley" said Mary to her
mother lis the brightest man in college. |
am very fortunate in having such friend
Don't you think so, mamma?
1t was curious how much she talked of AL
gernon, how constantly she congratulated her
self upon her good fortune in his friendship,
and how very intimate they were when he came
home People seem to think that Algernon
and l cannot be good friends without being
lovers, mama how foolish people are p Then
Mary told her mother little of the heart his
tory of her friend how they would fall in love
with him; how sorry he was, but what could
was, needing, evidently, nothing but firm and
faithful woman for friend, with whom there
was no danger of falling in love. Home came
Algernon graduate. For a few weeks he was
to enjoy the delights of idleness before begin
ming the study of his profession. It was sum-
mer; it was lovely country and almost all
day Algernon and Mary were together. She
took her work into the woods, and while she
sat fair as a nymph upon rock, he smiled and
swung himself into the pine trees with his stall
wart arms, and hidden in the evergreen foliage,
his voice rang out in the warm silence of the
woods in a tone half gay, but rich and strong
and sweet:
$50 now my summer task is ended, Mary,
And | return to thee, my own hearts home,'
AS to his queen some victor knight of fairy,
Earning bright spoils for her enchanted DOME"
Then he bounded, laughing, to her feet, and
said, ''Do you know that? It is the prelude
to Shelley's Prometheus. | like Shelly be-
cause he despised the conventions He thought
the dismal old world fool, and he told it So.
And who had a better right to tell it so? He
was a poet Hark hear that woodthrush !
Shenstone was poet, too, when he sang
~ have found out gift for my fair,
[ have found where the wood-pigeOns breed;
She will say twas barbarous Decd
For he ne'er could be true she averred,
Who would rob a poor bird of her young;
And loved her the more when [ heard
Such tenderness fall from her tongue
He looked up in her face as he repeated the
lines Fair as wood nymph, [ say, Mary Lat
inner sat upon the rock, and her busy fingers
flew and her soft eyes answered his, and her
happy heart was contented with such friend
Busy, busy-always busy he would say,
MARY, you country girl, you village maiden,
do you remember those lovely lines that gruff
old Ursa Major used to like to repeat
''Verse sweetens toll, however rude the sound
Still at her work the village maiden sings
And as she turns the busy wheel around,
Resolves the sad vicssitude of things.
Well, | too must turn the busy wheel around,
although | am not exactly village maiden;
and, Mary, | shall want to hold in my hand
some clew to the dear old days; SO you will
write to me, and we can be just as good friends
as ever"
With the evening they returned and so the
summer days of idleness passed by-to her all
poetry and music, and manly beauty and fasci-
nation He went and Mary told her mother
about the correspondence. Her mother was
wise and begged her not to consent. ''Why,
mother, how absurd Algernon and [ under
stand each other perfectly. Our friendship is
purely Platonic" Then for an hour she talked
of him, describing everything he said, repeat
ing everything he said, until her mother re-
piled:
MARY. it is in which my experience
must decide. Unless you love Algernon more
than me, you will not write to him. When
you see him you are conscious of some faults,
but they do not overcome your feeling for him.
When he writes he will seem faultless. He
has no right to ask you to give him all your
confidence, except upon one condition.
Mary looked at her mother and burst into
tears
When she told Algernon that her mother was
unwilling that she should correspond with him,
he said that it was extraordinary, because they
understood each other perfectly, and knew that
they were capable of a Platonic friendship.
1--WE know that it is just that and nothing
more, don't we Mary?'
'Certainly we do, said Mary.
He went, and Mary had no life lett but in
remembering wood walks and the poetry, and
his tones and his looks as he repeated it. But
she did not write. The next summer he came
again The walks were renewed there was
more Shelly; and one day soon after he re-
turned, Algernon said to her:
MARY, [ am off for week-for | am en-
gagged to the most beautiful woman in the
world [ want you to know each other, for
am sure we shall all three be as good friends as
we two have been. And, now, don't believe
your mother will object to our corresponding
We, at least, have shown that young man
and woman may have Platonic friendship
Algernon Ridley never brought the most
beautiful woman in the world to see his Platon-
ic friend and Mary Latimer never married
An exchange gives some excellent advice to
young ladies, who should accord it a practical
acceptation, especially those just entering the
circle. Man is by no means all ii at he seems,
and the thoughtless unwittingly cause unhap-
piness: Young ladies. you need not fatter
yourselves that you are such good students of
human nature that you can always distinguish
between a genuine young gentleman and the
mere young ''man." Your means Of Judging
are entirely inadequate, and the signs from
which you draw your conclusions are generally
false. Besides many young men Of the most
honorable intentions are thougtless. These do
more harm, perhaps, than those who are mali
cious, The only safety for you, girls, is TO move
within the strictest rules of social propriety, SO
far as conversation with gentlemen is concern
ed. Always keep an eye 10 leeward. -
Modern science is literally making the des-
ert to blossom as the rose in the great desert
Of Sahara. In 1860 five artesian wells had
been opened, around which vegetation thrives
luxuriantly 10000 palm trees, and l 100 fruit
trees were planted, and two thriving villages
established At the depth of little over FIVE
hundred feet, an underground river or lake
was struck and live fish have been thrown up,
showing that there is large body of water un-
| derneath.