The Lincoln County herald., 1870-10-13
LOUI'S FIRST LOvE.LETTER.

youth, ana now IL was az an END. FrOt
Blithewood to New York, from Ne,
York to West Point, afterwards to .h
Catskills, thence to Saratoga, subsequ
to Lake George, and 90 on, by way o
Ticonderogs, to Montreal, Quebec, an,
the White Mountains. The party, whicl
at FIRST, had consisted of 1oui and he
widowed father only, had gradually in
creased, by acquaintances made on th,
way. and intending to take the sam,
route, till il numbered nearly q dozen
But as in all companies Of tho kind, two
or three were the leading spirits. On,
Of these was Loui, now traveller for The
FIRST time, and who was in raptures ai
everything she saw, as bright, animated
seventeen always is, and always should
be. The two others were Mr.. Beverly, q
rising young lawyer Of New York, and
already talked Of as candidate for Con
gress and Miss Julia Conway, a fashion.
able heiress, with the ripe charms Of
twenty. one, and the taste and manners Of
Partisan belle.
1t was the last night, for to morrow the
party was to break upl The Glen, Con.
way, and Crawford had been visited, the
Profile and Flume had been exhausted,
and now one traveller was going to Bur-
liugton, Miss Conway was going home to
Boston, by way Of Plymouth, and Loui
and her father were going to Littleton,
and SO to New York. 1t had been, some.
how, taken for granted that Mr.. Beverly
would accompany the latter, not so much
because he had even positively committed
himself to it, as because it was his most
direct way home but Loui had just
heard that he was to escort Miss Conway
and now, as she watched him and the
beiress slowly promenading in the
shadows Of the piazza, for the first time
she realized why she had been SO happy
this summer, and why she felt so un-
happy now.
Be just to her. Loui was no mere sen
timental school girl, to fall in love with
the first man who talked to her. But
Mr.. Beverly was really dangerous com.
panion, and just the sort Of person to fas-
cinate Loui. He had been all over Eu.
rope, up to the Nile, through Palestine,
aud even to Damascus; the pictures,
statues, cathedrals, castles, temples, pyr.
smids, everything, in short, that Loui
had loDged to see, be had seen, and could
with tho eloquence Of her ia
Vorite Lamartine, and the raciness Of
'Eothen." TO hear him talk Of the des.
'rt and the Orient was like looking at q
picture by Garome. Nor was this his
,nly charm. Already he. had WOW ~.
VI en- said thst wherever there was wrong
% be redrcssed, wherever q noble deed
vas to be done, Mr. Beverly's time and
purse and eloquence were never wanting.
Nor did Loui doubt it, for often his
whole countenance would klndle, and
words would fall from him that made her
i ost worship him.
Loui was not solitary in her admira-
ion. For she had, heretofore, unknown
o herself, q rival IN Miss Conway, who
lad lived abroad for years, and who had
een the most exclusive as we'll as the
most gifted society. Older than Loui,
he knew herself better, snd found out,
,ery early in their acquaintance, that no
nan had ever been so dear to her as Mr..
Beverly. From that time she spared no
fort to attract him and this her knowl
,dge of the world would enable her to do,
Without betraying herself. BY thou.
and little arts she drew Mr.. Beverly to
Ter side and kept him thore. Loui,
ometimes, for moment or two, felt un-
,appy; but she did not know at what
md her blithe, sunny disposition soon re-
tored her to cheerfulness. Not till this
asst night had the truth dawned upon her
lot till she heard Mr.. Beverly was going
o Boston with Miss Conway; not till
he saw the two walking and whispering
o the shadows Of the piazza did she real.
ze what had made her 80 happy for the
ast Eve weeks, or Why she felt so utterly,
10 hopelessly miserable now.
And, as If to try her to the utmost,
Mr.. Norton, another of their party, now
oined her. Mr.. Norton was q man of
'orty, who had acquired q fortune by
spcculations, and who now be-
run to set up for what he called "gen.
leman," meaning by that term, one who
lid nothing for . livelihood, belonged to
he best clubs, and looked down on honest
abor. Among other ambitions, MIR.
Norton was ambitious Of . young and
pretty wife; and il was plain that he
ooked favora bly, on Loui. But as he
vas uncultivated, and even comparatively
Loui avoided him, as far as was
consistent With good breeding.
ut looks like q mstch," he said, tax
ng an empty chair by Loui, and noddiug
o the direction Of Mr.. Beverly and tho
,eiress. sand o very good thing for
hin There's no end to the pile Miss
Conway has, and she belongs to one Of the
irst families our way the Conways have
ived in Beacon street ever since l can
emember, aud have visited all the big
Bugs. Them lawyers are always on the
ook out for rich wives."
Loui was too indignant at first. for
peeoh. 1t was more than she could
,ear, this having her hero called merce
I