Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-08-30

| NY ulG Buy6SJ On JHe SOleUlu OCCdSlOHS
1t was probably owing to the atmosphere
in which she had been brought up. AL
most any other girl in the village would
have manifested, If not real at least a
pretty simulated fear but in her keen
sense of enjoyment Elma grew as bright,
as winsome, as natural as a child: even
forgetting her little wicked design on the
proud, courtly gentleman beside her.
Ralph Hartford watched her with his
grave eyes full of latent admiration, and
once or twice looked oddly at the restless
little hand, from which she had hastily
drawn off her glove, then smiled cynical
ly at himself
Once Elma caught the smile it puz-
zled her she asked, bluntly:
"Your smile Is half sneer--why 2"
The wind at that moment blew as If it
would tip the buggy over. He did not
answer, but drew the light robe up over
her drenched white dress.
"You have not answered my question: ~
she persisted.
81 !" coolly.
'You are not going to ?" trihe petu-
lantly.
II think not"
~ shall think you were smiling at me.
1t is rude," half Grossly, and started bit
| dG AOI OWH udIlHB III luuS w u
| gentleman Of such rare grace of manner.
He did not notice the latter part of her
remark, and answered the first by a smile
so kind and so winning, that the girls
cheeks grew wondrous bright, and she
found herself oddly specializing ON the
calibre of different smiles.
The storm blew over as quickly as it had
arisen, and the sky and earth were
| iridescent with sunset glory.
Ralph tried to lower the buggy top; it
persistently refused to give. He gave the
reins into the young girls hand, and
sprang out. Ema leaned out the opening
in the back to curiously watch the opera
tons. The sunlight made her light hair
ripping gold; her blue eyes flashed and
sparkled, whilst the dimples played a
witching game on the rosy cheeks.
''Thirty-five and never in lover She
had quite forgotten it. He, with a
strange vivid intensity, realized the posi-
ton. A moment he looked at her, then
the eyebrows raised in their quizzical
way, for the first time in his life, quite
at himself just as if he had been another
distinct personality.
Then, again, the same odd play to the
proud lips, that had been there when he
watched the little hand. This time the
impulse that prompted this play, had its
way.
Through the open window he kissed
her. Instantly the proud girl was meta.
morphosed into the proud, dignitied
woman. She spoke not word, but turn
ing, sat cold and quiet, whilst he lowered
the buggy top and took his seat beside
her. She handed him the reins without
looking at him. Almost any man would
have been annoyed, embarrassed, apollo
getic. Ralph Hartford looked simply
! pleased. They rode in utter silence; Elma
! looked straight before her, yet never see
ing the pleasant land, freshened into rich
emerald hue, and flooded everywhere with
tho on'biont sunlight. Tho morry faoo,
for the first time, was troubled. She did
not even realize that it was quiet; never
heard the twitter, twitter of birds innum-
| erable; did not even know the horses
head was homewnrd turned.
AT length he drew rein at her own gate.
lie assisted her to alight, and for one mo-
ment detained her hand in his, saying, with
a sort of grave admiration: "Miss Elma,
you have been waiting for me to apollo
gize."
She interrupted him, impetuously.
"You are mistakenl The apology is
due from me to you. If had not acted
in trifling, unwomanly manner, you
would not have done it. This afternoon,
for the first time in my life, l inten-
tionally flirted l have learned my
lesson" And with flushed cheeks, and
lips trembling half in humility, half in
pride, she bowed and went into the
garden.
Ralph Hartford drove home with
strange light in his eyes, and the proud
lips under the fine moustache firmly set
Then week passed. In that week
one would never have known Elma Lee
for her gladstone self--so quiet had she
grown, so troubled did she look. Miss
Sophronia watched her with gratifed
emotions, and, wiping her eyes, said pi-
ously, to herself "At last my prayers
are answered she is under concern of
mind"
In all that week, added to the keen les.
son of modification and humiliation,
Elma Lee was learning still another lesson
namely this, the answer to the poets
query :.
Among thy fancies tell me this
What is the thing we call kiss =,
The touch of those proud, quiet lips
she could not lose. She was no longer a
heart free girl but woman brought face
to face with life, comprehending to its
utmost intensity a joy, and strangely feel
ing it dashed out, and in its place an in
finite blank.
She was never to meet him again save
as a stranger. The case admitted of no
other course. This that had parted them
would be between them a wide hiatus,
though they should be side by side.
In that week, Ralph Hartford, the in
Vincible-a man whose self-control was
imperturable, who thought himself quite
his own master, fought battle with this
same self and lost.
He could not blot out the picture, with
its rude, dripping leather frame in the
afternoon sunlight; nor yet the winsome
dignity that went with the words:
THE apology is due from me to you"
His elegant home had never seemed
more desolote. His proud, naughty
mouth grew bitter and cynical, and the
grave eyes graver yet.
So the week had passed, and they had
never met.
At its end, one evening at the village
hall there was lecture. Elma had ac-
cepted an invitation. Fate condescends
to very little things. Her escort, never
dreaming that he was filling one of the
unchangable DEGREES, gave her seat di.
rectly between himself and Ralph Hart
ford. AS she took it, he bowed. She re-
turned it coldly, growing very white.
She neither heard nor comprehended
word of the lecture. When the others
laughed, she laughed, too, in strange,
unnatural way. The lecturer seemed
miles away; she saw him only through
the medium of her own intense excite.
ment. She answered the constant volley
of small talk her escort poured into her
ears, in an absent way, several times say
ing the actual reverse of what she should.
In all that crowded building, she was
conscious of but one presence-that, the
quiet one beside her.
Once, by some little nervous motion,
she dropped her fan. He picked itup for
her She thanked him without looking at
him.
Several times she felt his grave eyes on
her face, but did not meet them; if she
had, she would have started at their in.
tensty
This man and this woman loved each
other. During this week, the knowledge