The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-04-22
ONLYA MISTAKE.

ONLYA MISTAKE.
1t was a winter morning, cold and cheer
less, with the clammy dampness of a com
ing snow storm in the air The strips O
blue sky, upon which even the poorest beg
gar of the street may sometimes look witt
q faint glimpse of the heaven beyond, were
quite hidden by dark masses of cloud, thai
reflected their own somber hues on the
faces of the hurrying passers-by.
Ralph Field ran down the steps of his
boarding house, and hailed q passing car
The downtown rush had just begun, and
an involuntary shiver of discomfort ran be
meath his wrappings, as he saw, on step
ping in, that all the seats were taken. =
Dingl ding! went the conductors bell and
one after another dropped in, till even
standing-room was limited. Another stop;
and this time the new arrival was an elder
= ~ly woman, very poorly and thinly clad, stag
gering under the weight of huge laundry
basket. Her thin features were unnatural
ly pinched with cold, and her whole frame
trembled as she shifted her benumbed
hands painfully, still holding up the heavy
burden, unable to find room for it on the
floor of the car.
Such weary, pitiful look, in the worn
face, shaded by its thin grey hair-such q
patent endurance in the eyes, meekly cast
down. The comfortably seated gentlemen
shrank closer into their gay scarfs and muf-
fers; but if any one thought, sit might
have been my mother" the gentle charity
was stifed in its first up-springing and
there was no Outward sign.
little rustic of silk, as lady rose In
one corner, made Ralph look around, and
q voice, clear and sweet as a silver bell,
said, ''Take this seat, my good woman. y
A glnnce Of quick, grateful surprise shot
up from the woman's eyes, as she murmur-
ed, Thank you, Miss, kindly" andsunk,
with sigh of exhaustion, into the place
Just vacated.
Three or four gentlemen sprang up with
a simultaneous offer of their seats, but
glow of indignant color famed into the
lady's cheeks, as she answered, with a
slight bow, 81 thank you-I will stand"
And stand she did, her little gloved hand
holding the strap firmly, and her face turn
ed little aside, so that Ralph dared study
her with his admiring eyes.
ttNo ordinary girl" His artist sense
would have told him that at a glance, even
though his heart had not come in to aid
his judgment, with his quick response to
her generous action. Ralph Field had too
tender memories of his dead mother and
in all that is noblest and truest in woman.
And so he fell into half dream, waking
only as the lady signaled to the conductor
and stepped lightly down. Then he saw,
with start, that he was quite beyond Flint
q Chattertons, and must walk uDthe street
again, two squares at least. Hurrying out,
he caught sight of lace handkerchief, ly-
ing on the floor, just where the lady had
stood. He picked it up hastily, but its fair
owner had disappeared in the crowded
street A faint perfume foated up as he
shook it from the dust. and there. on one
corner, was name, stEtta Stuart"
'tEtta Stuart, Eta Stuart" said Ralph
to himself, as he walked up the street, |
drawing his brows together in q puzzled
trown; 81 have surely heard the name be-
fore"
Just then, Frank Evans bore down upon
him, with hearty morning greeting.
stHallo, Ralph, my boyi What are you
bordering, that you look like judge, all
but the wig? You must get off that face,
and come up to the house this evening
Sister Lou is just home from Springfield,
and cousin Eta, the peerless, has come
home with her for the winter"
"Ah!"
Frank Evans was hardly prepared for
the sudden illumination of Ralph Fields
face. He stared minute, and then went
ON:
s'You know I told you about Eta Stuart
before, and promised you an introduc-
ton"
''Yes. yes, I remember. Thank you,
Frank. Ilcome."
What an interminably long day it wasl
Ralph caught himself once sketching pair
of dark eyes on the margin of business |
ssIVboA ole ,,aop 1,ac - o1f
energetically, as he thrust the offending
sheet into the waste-basket, and dashed off
fresh order.
But, If the day was long, the evening
hours were winged. He found in Franks
''Etta, the peerless" none other than his
fair companion of the morning. She did
not recognize him-how should she, from
among score of fellow-passengers?- but
he would have known her from among q
thousand. The dainty 1aouchoir was in his
breast pocket, but before the evening was
half over he had decided upon his first theft |
he would not give It back. Perhaps its |
owner had already exacted more than fair
equivalent from the finder; but of that we
can only guess.
That was Ralph Fields never-to-be-for.
gotten winter. 1t was the old, old story; so
we need not linger over it. No matter
MHhI NlblO1b Vi AOfS uOAOI CdluG 10
him, in his bachelor den, others have
dreamed before him, in all ages; no matter
how fair and stately were the Spanish cas-
ties he built in the dusk and dimness of
the counting has had its own
school of architecture since the world be- |
gan
Did Eta love him? He had never asked
her In words; but the heart has more than
one avenue of expression, and there is an
eloquence of look and touch that is some
times even more than audible language
He waited the promised advancement, that
should place him where he need not be
ashamed to ask Eta Stuart's father for the
keeping of his dearest treasure; and mean
while, was it not enough that she read the
books and sang the songs he loved; that
her cheeks took tenderer color and her
eyes softer smile at his coming?
Winter had worn into spring again.
Charley Marks placed his hand in Mr.. |
Fields arm, as they left the supper-room |
together one evening. Somebody was an
nounced to speak in Music Hall-wouldn't |
Ralph Field go down? 1t was still early
when they took their seats, and there were
few people in. Slowly up the aisle came Q
lady and gentleman. Ralph Field looked
up to see his Eta; but who was this, with
his bronzed, handsome face and foreign
air?.
ssCapt- Tileston, as liEei" said Marks.
I didn't know he had arrived-you know
him?"
''No," said Ralph, shortly.
''Ah, I thoughtyou did; but he has been
abroad two years. What q beautiful girl
that Miss Stuart isl 1 haven't seen her
equal in the city this season. She looks
happy to get back her knight-errant. Well,
Tileston is lucky dogp
fWLat do you mean?" said Ralph Field,
with an sgitation he could scarcely con-
ceal
''why, don't you know? They have been
engaged three years. Capt. hleston went
with Frank Evans TO Springfield, and met
this girl there-Frank's cousin, you know.
1t was all up with him from the first time
he saw her. The day was fixed for their
wedding, but Tileston had a severe hemor-
rhage Of the lungs, and the doctors said
nothing would save him but travel. He
looks well enough now"
"You know all this, Charley? It's no
mere rumor?" Ralphs hand was on his