Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1871-11-25
GALES 3 Sketches.
FAINT HEART.

8
John Everett had known Elinor eve
since he could remember they.had gop
} to school together lie had spelled aboy
her and refused TO take his place he ha
envied the more daring boys who wake
/ Home with her through the green lanes
beneath empowering elms, as If it were tn
most commonplace thing to do in tn
tworld, while he, with his heart In hi
mouth, tried to find courage for the effort
and found himself left behind for his pains
Later, when they first began to go out int,
the world together, what oortures he en-
dured when she danced with some hand
some strangers n she rode with bis brave
companions /; if Carl Hughes took her OF
in his wherry down the silver length Of tn,
river, and lost his way among the creeks o
the silent marshes, only returning hom,
when the evening was far spent, and the
stars trembled in the heavens, and unwit
tingiy brushing past poor John, waiting or
the wharf in the shadow Of some warehouse
TO see them landed and safe. Life began
early to them like pleasant difficulty to him
lie was always wondering what she was
doing how she passed the long days while
ne was so busy in the counting-room what
Were her everyday thoughts, her dreams.
ana did he hold any share therein. Sum
uay, TOO, soon became the first of HOLIDAYS.
ior tnen he was sure to see her, His IA
ther's square, old-fashioned pew almost
iaced The congregation, and not breath
or blush, the ilutter of an evelid or the
ghost OF diinple, was lost upon him. In
The meantime it is probable that Elinor
was not blind. Chances are easily inter.
preted actions sometimes speak louder
than words. There is little doubt, when
Carl hughes or any of the others stepped
out OF concert or lecture room and offer.
ed an arm to her door, but she understood
that John had been waiting and wavering
and longing for the favorable moment in
which to anticipate this attention, Which
moment would have arrived, sooner or
later, hnt that Carl, intent on his purpose,
and unhesitating in its performance, had
pushed his desperate way through the
crowd TO her side, and had gained the day
before John had thought of losing it.
But by insensible degrees one outgrows
this sort of faint-heartedness, and pushes
out before Carl Hughes and the indulgent
crowd, and wins the prize for the notice,
but delays to take the next decided step in
the right path And so it was with John.
One day he heard that Elnor had given
away her heart to Mr.. Denormandy, now
on his travels. However much pain this
a19Honncement gave John, his faint-hcart-
eoness-whlnh, perhaps, was only an ex-
desire-became n somcth:.,o snnerGuous
since, if he had already lost her, WY should
he fear 1t is at this stage that one ct,.s..
to doubt and begins to suller. So now that
he had nothing to lose, he went in and out
Of her presence, with fatal fascination, as
bold as u lion. He asked her hand in a.
dance without qualm he took her out
to supper or down to dinner, as the case
might be; he strolled with her on the moon
lighted terrace he played melodies of his
own composition upon the flute; he even
ventured to take her in his own wherry
down the dazzling reach of the river; and
though he failed to tangle himself among
the ribbons oilthe marshes, yet the wheery
sprung q leak, and which he pulled home
against the tide--as ii seemed to him he
had always been doing Einor bailed the
boat with her slipper, which he begged
when they were safe ashore, and the Slip
per no further use to the owner.
Il should like to keep it myself she
said, as a mOmento of tie day in which
we made shipwreck together but you may
have it,
One day he happened to say something
about the time when Mr.. Depormandy |
should return from abroad and carry her /
beyond his reach.
Mr.. Denormandy = she said, knitting |
her eyebrows what should possess him !
to carry me anywhere p
The right of possession
Il don't understand you. Mr.. Denor- !
mandy has no right of any sort in me-
Excuse me; but | thought had |
heard
That was going to marry him Don't
,l,nt ;,
he never asked me, though my friends de-
some reason to expect it /; but faint heart,
you know
Never won fair lady. And you?
Il was relieved when he left for Europe.
II is so hard to say NO that one is in
danger of saying Yes from compassion. |
Love is so sweet that it is difficult to refuse |
l., aud then one has haunting fear Of some .
lime needing it,
And woeful waste makes woful want.
What a pity that Mr.. Denormandy had
not known your compassionate tempera-
nent, and been enabled TO take advantage |
1fi fit!'
DO you think so p she asked.
No; / shouldn't wish goddess TO mar
y Inc nom cOmpassion-a thousand times
10 =
But this did not mend matters. Now
hat there was ererg thing TO gain or lose
now that the affair was assuming a critical
lspect, since the responsibility of the crisis
md the event were his-the native timidity
,f his character stepped in to hinder him.
Not that he abandoned his position mt
,nce it had become too much matter of
labit for him TO meet her at home and
Ibroad on terms of intimacy, aud the habit
vas too precious to be easily broken. Only
nch by inch, aud almost without his own
consent, he retreatod from the ground
which he had honestly won. lie Invited
ler for no more lonely pleasurings down
he river ii they went together, il was
With crowd of friends. On one such eX-
ursion they became detached from the
,thers by some accident, aud were leil, like
hells, forgotten upon ths sands for walk
ng around the bend OF the beach, where
,lnR hid them from sight, with the wind
flowing the other way, they neither heard
lOr saw their companions embark for
iome, too busy with their own affairs 10
emark the absence of John aud ElinOr,
Who only understood the situation when
hey turned back 20 where the b0at had
,een moored, aud found the tents siruek