The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1872-05-02

pie, AS Mrs. Hurd thought she had a con
firmed habit of doing when she went to
the asylum mistook him for comet
at first, or a heavenly body"
'He is a heavenly body; and though
he resembles an interrogation point with
his wings as much as anything, I thought
his bow and arrow would speak for him -
ooh, the little blind god, to be sure -
eyes; none so blind as those who
won't see''
Having broken the ice of Violet's re-
serve, Mr.. Ingersoll never gave it time to
skim over again, but presented himself al
most daily. He always took his position
now on the other side of the screen, where
the two sat, withdrawn from observation
in world Of their own. The family call
ed the space behind the screen "Violet's
reception room," but no other person was
admitted there. 1t made a sort of barrier
| between the other persons In the room
and the lovers. in whose shadow they
could pass and take glances full of sig
niticance, words tull of tenderness; there
he held her silks and wound her worsteds,
and drew grotesque pictures in her pock-
ct Diary, and made absurd records OF
events that had never occurred, and wrote
impromptu love verses, and talked as
lovers will, of anything or nothing. He
brought her great Towering plants to
hang in her window, dropping hundred
sprays of bloom, and breathing out per-
tume with every current Of air; he brought
her the qnarteries, and read to her while
she worked on her cushion; he lowered
The shade to suit her eyes, arranged her
hassock. shifted the screen, and was in
all things hers to command. Every
action. every look expressed devotion,
| declared that no chance nor change could
ALLEVIATE his regard. By degrees he drew
her out into places of public resort-some-
times they went together to sit under the
inspired teachings of a modern prophet :;
sometimes an eloquent lecturer enticed
them out ot their happy seclusion; often
/ er the tull-throateh melodies of some re-
nowned soprano entrancei them; the i'm.
paS~l0ned in1ginatiDn, of the Old masters
( Ut harmony lent Them the "open sesame"
into larry land, and enriched their exist
ence with the lavish tmbroiderieS of tam
I cv; or the vivid creations OF Shakespeare
walked before them, lived and breathed
In their presence, tran>lating the lovers
INTO their own time and place, and sur
rounding them with an atmosphere of
love and romance. In those happy davs
Violet almost forgot that she had ever
been beautiful, or had ever desired to be-
She dressed herself at the mirror daily,
without ever relating the SCARED image
reflected there to herself whose beng
was Il poem. Since it made no difference
to Philip, had rather cemented his friend
ship, ii became a thing of no importance
10 her that the classic profile Of her nose
was detaced. that her wounds had puck
cred the skin upon her cheek and drawn
the eve-lils ont of place, and had given
| totally new and strange expression to the
whole countenance, that she no longer
hehel,l herself reelected in the amiring
gaze ot pt>>ers in the street However
great The blow might have continued to
be-, it had been SkillfuIly treated by The
ten Ter hand Of Philip Inyersol.
They We're returning winter after
noon, from a matinee. Volet's hand
slipped into his arm and held there; the
gas-Iigh flckered against the steel-blue
sky where a handful of stars we're
sprinklel; every body was hurrying and
hngging himself against the cold but
these Two l"tered along the way, happy
and warm enough in each others neigh
bolhoud
Il have an Unsuitable curiosity" said
Violet, 'to know where al these people
are gong-into what sort OF homes, along
what rough highways of life. Ii one
could get behiud these masks which they
ali wear, and know what was taking
place in their experience. what plans and
hopes and disappnintments they conceal,
wouldn't it be finer than any novel ?'
Let US begin with each other, then"
said Philip: Tell me, first, what hopes
and plans YOU hide away from the com
mon gaze ?"
Il ?" she laughed. Eyes; hope some
time to 60 to all symphony concerts and
to wear a caneI's hair shawl"
"Mv hope is more presumptuous than
that, Violet. | hope to take you to all
the symphony concerts with a wedding
ring on your finger May ?" and Violet
must have given consent, for the next day
there was diamond like a dew-drop
flashing upon her hand, and, in spite of
scars, Il look of happiness that dazzled the
beholder.
The diamond had reposed on Violet's
finger hardly a month"; when Mr.. Inger-
soil was called out of town to paint the
portrait of beautiful heiress, the ward of
his uncle, who had occasionally visited at
his mothers
The idea of jealousy in connection with
his absence never occurred to Violet,
while he wrote letters tull OF the extrava-
gance of lovers, that read 50 much like
pure poetry; but having several other Or
ders in the neighborhood, he was obliged
to postpone his return almost daily 'sMr.
CLAYTON wishes me to paint his child" he
would write; ..Mrs. Vermilion wishes to
cit tnr NJ ~ hns I oh I'll ha |,
ed to stay away from you still longer,
which disappoints me sorely, till Maud
said:
Il suspect he's having too fine time
out there; YOU had better have him home
without delay. | wouldn't trust lover
of mine within eve shot Of Miss Heather's
fa>cinationS. Violet slays her thousands
but Miss Heather her ten thousands"
"rm sure | shall not ask him to return"
answered Violet. who tor the first time
experienced an unfortunate sensation.
at he wishes to do su he will need NJ,
nrging; If he prefers to stay. would not
have him come at any solicitation of
mine. Besides he has finished Miss
Heather's sittinys, and he said she had
begun to fade"
But somehow the suggestion rankleG
and refused to be exercised, till she forgo'
it for while; but every now and then it
returned to her, like pain that one
vaguely remembers at waking, cropping
about in ones conscience for the
wound that caused it, What if he
should succumb to Miss Heather's beauty
1t would not be wonderful. The only
W. nder was that he should ever had
cared for herself-with her ugly scars;
and they began to burn and throb forth
WITH
She had been out shopping one day,
and getting into crowded car to return,
was Obliged to stand jtmmed so closely
against two ladies who were seated that
she could overhear their remarks without
effort.
''lt would never have happened, sus-
pect, but tor that accident" the elder
lady was SAY ing "lt was dreadful mis-
fortune, truly. have only seen her once
since, and | should never have guessed
that she was beautiful. You see broken
nose changes the outlines and the expires
| l.,