Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-08-12
wind this yarn of Mr.. Elcaren's hands;


wind this yarn on Mr.. Elcaren's ) hand'
everybody else is busy"
How little Miss Katinka knew, Z
she waited to supervise her visitor
compliance, how thunder-bolt like he
simple request had been!
Sylvia took in s'the situation" q
they say in the paper. at glance.
Most of the company had looked u
at Miss Creevy's ting-a-ling voice. ant
were taking in Sylvia's movements witt
placid observation. How those eye
would have widened, and those tongue
ratified, if Sylvia hal acted out her i'm
pulse before theml She could not d.
that; but 1t was scarcely easier to tax,
the thread from her hostess's hands
and wind round after round from thes,
others, whose owner had done sucl
heart despite, and between whom and
herself word even had not passed
for months.
The company soon resumed their oc.
cupation, and Sylvia wound on and on
it seemed for hours almost = only
vaguely glad the often treacherous
thread did not tangle. A little snap,
and lol the supply had ceased. and
the end of the yarn had hidden in the
skein, and was not to be seen!
The gentleman leaned forward for
her to regain it, and as she sought flu,
tilely, with fingers nearly quivering,
spite of her almost fierce effort to keep
them firm, she heard a question. as
others might have done, but whose
two-fold meaning was for her, and un-
derstood by her only.
"What has made this breach?"
She looked up at him instinctively
for the first time, and found his eyes,
full and earnest, steadily on her.
"Ask yourself, SIR"
81 have done so often, and there is
no reply in me"
"Then your mind fails to include a
conversation some time ago at Mrs.
Mahew's, with her son."
He seemed in surprised reflection.
81 certainly remember a talk with
young Mathew; but wherein anything
then said offensive to you can lie de-
clare | do not know
"You do not see, l presume and
her voice was full of indignant pain
--"how a lady can hear herself ad-
judged forward and unmaidenly; nay,
desirous of forcing herself upon a man,
and yet feel no displeasure?"
We can believe the yarn was got in
a fine tangle by this time, albeit Miss
Creevy, glancing that way just then,
wondered, in an undertone to DR..
Akerley, who was officiating as her
holder, how some folks could contrive
to snarl and fool over yarn in such a
purblind way; whereat the worthy
doctor, who, by dint of holding the
skein close to his nose, had not slipped
thread, proudly braced out his yarn,
and watched it till his elderly eyes and
arm must have ached.
Meanwhile Phil. Elcaren's memory
had run swiftly back, and was sharply
reviewing every word of that long-for-
gotten dialogue. Then he looked men
tally around the parlor whose festive
garlands had been three months dead
saw Sylvia at chess with the doctor,
and heard himself warding off the
green young collegian's accusation as
regarded himself and that shallow little
flirt, Euphrasia Lancet
Eurekal He didn't say the word,
but long before the yarn began to reel
of smoothly it would have told two
young folks mental state thoroughly.
Two-thirds of the great skein had
vanished into the growing sphere she
held, when, fearing to tire him, asked:
"Shall we not break off now, and
throw the rest aside?"
"Stop minute" said he, in a low,
quick voice; "the threads have run
double almost from the first. If you
break off this miserable grey one /
shall take it the other is snapped be-
yond repair; otherwise (oh, happy
chance it will run on goldenly
through life, and take us both to wind
It side by side !"
She did not break the thread but
after one quick look, wound on and on
until, finished, it slipped softly
through his fingers.
And SO Sylvia set out on her journey
nome over the winter hills. The moon
vas up in the sky no less than in the
1eart; and it is wonderful that under
he glamour of two moons the trees
Ihould have turned from dead giants
o harps of Eolus, which seemed
ouched by hands of fair spirits as the
Wind stirred softly in their million
,oughs; and the land no longer grim,
,ut lying with calm smiie-pure
white, undefiled-as it were Natures
come.