Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-05
80 LIKE A WOMAN.
"Do you love her, uncle?"


girl, and very well satisfied that you'll ap-
prove of my choice"
The speakers were Theodore Bligh and
his uncle, the elder Mr.. Bligh. The subject
of the talk was a young girl to whom the
uncle was engaged, and to whom the neph.
ew was a stranger-Madge Dundee, or Bon.
ME Dundee, as she was called.
''Well, uncles don't generally submit theil
choices in such matters to their .nephews
Judgments" Theo Bligh said, recovering bis
normal expression of benignant indifference
as he spoke, and then he added: 81 hodt
with all my heart that you'll be happy"
"You will meet her tonight at dinner,
Mr.. Bligh said to Theo, "She is coming
with her brothers and some friends of theirs
to see her future home"
He did meet her that evening.
81 think Mr.. Bligh has been rather nerv-
GUS about introducing me to YOU" Miss
Dundee said, quickly making way for Thee
to take seat on the sofa by her side, shes
more than half afraid that you won't like
me, and if you don't it will make him very
unhappy" So she spoke in a girlish, al,
most childish outspOken way, without
seeming to consider or to mark the effect
of her words either on the man she adj
dressed or on the bystanders. 81 should
have known you as Theo anywhere I'd
seen you," she went on; "youll be exactly
like Mr.. Bligh when you're " She
paused abruptly and cOlored little, but a
moment she forced herself back into COM
posure and resumed, "when you're as old
as he is, l was going to cay, but l remem-
bered that young men hate to be reminded
of their youth, and so l bungled and blum
dered. Can you forgive me? ?"
Could he forgive her Was the Bonnie
Dundee subtle, or only sweetly simple, that
she asked him this, in that winning voice
of hers? And, by the way, how did she,
with her Scotch name, come with that
touch of accent-that way of softly resting
on the vowels that is speciality of Irish
women's pronunciation of words that they
want to cares? As he asked himself this,
he looked at her more observantly, and
wondered also how she had come by that
face and that expression.
In a remarkably short time the two be-
came the most devoted friends.
Bonnie Dundee was not a mere insatia-
bic coquette. She was not heartless fool,
ready and willing to play fast and loose for
the stake Of gaining little notoriety; but
she was that even more dangerous thing, a
woman afflicted with such a passion for
pleasing that it became a fine art in her
hands, and when she was following it she
could not stay to count the cost of failings
or successes. 1t was a new sensation to her to
have the right TO such attentions, and admit
ration and love as Theo offered at respect
full distance, on the score of being his I'M
cleS nephew. It was 4 new sensation to
her, and she enjoyed it to the full; reveling
in it as one does in sunbeams after long
frost, or in dainty viands after long fast.
The idea of its being wrong or reprehensi-
bic in any way to gather these roses of love
and youth and pleasure, that were blooming
in her path, never entered her mind. She
was not false or tickle in. reality, she was
only intensely fond Of the excitement of
being put upon pedestal, and being only
worshipped in the sight of all men.
There came a day when it was revealed
to her suddenly, SO suddenly that it made
her dizzy, and then she behaved-like a
woman.
One morning, uncle, nephew, and Miss
Dundee met.
'TheO has been talking this morning of
leaving us soon; before he goes, dear, we
must know what day he is to come back
and hail you as an aunt" 1t cost Mr..
Bligh more than slight effort to make this
speech with apparent ease, for during the
last few days he had not been blind ofsight.
But he succeeded in doing so, and only he
himself suspected the pain his own words
gave him.
''Going! TheO going" exclaimed Miss
I finn int
sOlemnity in a moment, and laying her
whip with a frank caressing gesture on
Theo's arm as she spoke. ''Oh, don't think
of going, Theo; can't spare you've can't
spare him, can WEI"
The mems eyes met for a moment as
Madge spoke, and in that moment each
read that the other knew all about it. ale
knows love her, poor Theo moaned in his
heart, and che sees l know it," Mr.. Bligh
thought, with not one whit less pain. And
a silence fell on them, and in that silence
Madge saw things clearly at last.
To recognize the love of one man in the
presence of another man who has right to
feel jealous of her, is to be in a position of
the greatest danger and delicacy and diff
ficulty. Poor Madge fiinched for the first
moment when she found herself in it, but
the next instant she recovered herself, and,
with the generosity Of a woman, sought to
put them well with one another without re-
gard to herself.
'sIt was selfish of me to say l wouldn't
spare you, for it must be dull for you here;
but the fact is, Theo has spoilt me, just as
my brothers do, and have fallen into the
way Of ordering him about as l do them,
forupftinp he isn't q hrOt bpr -
1t was terribly trying work for them all,
with the discoveries they had re-
Gently made about each other. 1t became
to Mr.. Bligh after a short
time, and so he Sauntered out into the gar
den, and Theo and Madge were alone.
Her spirit rose with her sense of danger,
as does that of all finely organized natures,
and she turned to him bright and brave at
to her, and though she knew that he was
horribly on her account. at
seems to me-" she said, ''that we're ali very
weak and wrong to let shadow settle over
the last visit you'll have with us, until | am
an old married woman, with household cares
on my shoulders, that will crush down my
love of visits"
''This will be my last visit with you, Miss
Dundee"
"Theo ~ she threw such world of re-
proachful tenderness into the tone in which
she uttered that one word, that the man she
addressed trembled visibly. His resolve,
when spoken coldly and harshly, shocked
and surprised her out of the bright pruden-
tial tone she had fully intended to adopt.
Why had Mr.. Bligh gone away, leaving
them the prey Of this mischievous opportu-
nifty?
Eyes; for Heavens sake don't speak to
me in that way, or you'll drive me madm
and then he got up and went to the win
dow; and poor Madge saw that his face had
grown very pale, and that an expression of
had settled upon it. She could
not bear it. He had been so thoughtful for
her always-so gentle, and devoted, and
she felt as if she must
comfort him, let what might come of it.
"TheO," she said again, with that same
pathetic cadence in her voice, 'syou have
been so kind to me always; l can't bear to
see you so. Can't l make you happier,
Theo?'
He turned round quickly and caught her
hands as she was standing near to him.
"Bladge, do you love my uncle?" 2
Half frightened, she drew back from him,