American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-08-23

poor young creatures company outside q
meal hours? At length | find my way to
the shore and indulge for IA long time il
the important employment of firing pcb
bles at nothing. Finally l discontinue
/ this seltsought cXertion, and ask my inner
| man for Heavens sake what is the matter
with him.
y little downright deliberation gives
me the answer. He is morbidly rcgretiu
of ever having seen Miss Garthc-consid
ering that she is Miss Garthe. He recol
| lects, with shivers of contritiOn, his flip
| pant letter to Mrs. Ramsay. He feels an
| almost passionate ycarning to hear Il hu
man voice issue from those lovely lips
| The more he dwells upon her misfortune,
| the more wofully irreparable it seems.
| He is nearly ready to curse himself for
having unawarcs flung his silly satire ut
what now seems to him the woman's maj
! csty of ailliction.
~ shall go back TO the house," / sud
denly resolve, land make another despcr-
| ate attempt with the tablets. Perhaps
shall redeem my reputation as man of
at least microscopic attainments. Any
how, this desire for being in her sweet
1 presence wholly conquers me. | cannot
explain i'll don't know what is the rea-
son-it is all most puzzling and curious ~
She is alone in the hall reading as |
rc-cnter the house. Remembering my
late contemplate exit, bite my under
| lip in an agony of embarrassment when
| her great, meditativc gray eyes lift them
| selves to my face. Nevertheless, | force
myself upon a chair 1T her side, take the
writing materials she gently offers, and
! plunge into Il sea of selfinvective, CON
| Tossing my own recent idealessness, tell
| ing her that she no doubt considers me
an utter dolt, and fervently hoping that a
little practice at this new method of con-
| vcrsation will result in something dimly
like improvement
All, how beautiful her face lights up
and fiushes as she reads my words! Sure
ly, utter and perfect sympathy could not
be spoken as she now looks it, A mo-
ment or two later her fair, round fingers
have framed me this reply:
''Pray take back your useless excuses.
l thoaght it only strange that you should
do so well the first time. Indeed, you
should see what wild jargon | usually get
from strangers Do not think me queerly
forward, but | was far from sharing, this
morning, your own opinions of what you
wrote, that, in truth, | felt quite pleasant
ly surprised; and, until your sudden de
parture took place, | assured myself that
we We're going to be excellent friends"
As read these words with a quickened
heart and with dancing eyes, the walls of
out into boundless and delightful liber-
ty. My right hand fairly itches for the
pencil; l feel capable of marvels, now.
1t is a plain fact for me to declare that
| take no note of time after this, until
Aunt Edith's voice breaks upon me an
nouncing that luncheon is ready.
"Luncheon!" l calculate, dragging
forth my watch.
As l opened it l felt slight stiffness in
my right thumb One O'Clock, Wehave
been sitting there two full hours, and
those hours have seemed like ten minutes
and short ones at that.
IH.-THE SToRY-TELLER NARRATES.
"Gladys," murmurs Mrs. Ramsay, while
a real cloud darkens that smooth forehead
of hers-"Gladys, this monstrous masque-
rade is two weeks old, and ought to have
ceased days ago"
Guest and hostess are together in Mrs.
Ramsay's bedchamber as she delivers the
above statement.
at should never have begun" Gladys
answered, coloring family.
'Then let it end as soon as possible
You know | am right. End it today"
Gladys suddenly straightens herself into
the most conventional of attitudes. END
it for me- she pleads, while hey face is in
itself very supplication. 81 turn cold
from head to foot every time | think of
of doing it myself. l would rather fire an
actual bombshell at the man, in good ear
nest"
Mrs Ramsay rises from her chair, look
ing panied and stern. II see why-I see
why" she whispers, and sighingly. ''You
know what | know-what any one must
know who had watched him when near
you"
''Psliaw." the girl falters, with a little
laugh that is right hollow and mirthless.
Il don't know anything of the sort you
mcan-how should I?'' Then she seems
to look clean past Mrs. Ramsay, with
troubled eyes and hardening face. "But
| admit you are right" she progresses,
her words low and slow. perhaps may
make a great, brave resolve before 1 see
him again. We are engaged to take IA
walk somewhere at four o'clock, l be
lievc"
Mrs. Ramsay consults her watch. 'You
have Il good hour for the making of that
resolve, Gladys. 1t is now just three"
Eric Palmer is down stairs in a nook
like corner of the piazza, endeavoring to
read a novel, whose pages are by no means
hard of comprehension. But the result
is most futile endeavor, for his thoughts
make very persistent nomadS of themselves
in the way of wool gathering.
At last Mrs. Ramsay suddenly dawns
upon his solitude through side window,
with an abrupt criticism upon the after
moons loneliness and adds:
'Have you and Miss Garthe written
yourselves Out?"
"Oh, no. We are to have walk togeth-
or, | think" he tries to say indit1erently,
Eat about four o'clock"
you find her society very pleasant, do
you not:"
Eric starts noticeably, and says:
am not fool enough, Aunt Edith, to
suppose that you care much whether l an
swer your question or not. l feel sure
provided, of course, you have observed me
at ALL
"Yes, Eric. Do you know, the whole
thing strikes me as-as sadly untortu-
nate?"
Eric almost leaps from his chair, start
ling her by the quick heat of his answer.
"Why unfortunate, pray? She is superb
ly superior to all the other women whom
have met. Do you remember how, be-
fore having seen her, | called her infirmitv
"A charm, in that stupid letter of mine?
Well, | repeat my words now. | esteem it
a charm that completes all the others in
her possession. A week ago | was men,
tally grooming over the fact of so bright Il
jewel being so terribly flawed. Now | see
clearer, / find that | have misnamed and
grace"
Mrs. Ramsay has grown quite pale.
''You don't mean to tell me, Eric, that, if
If she could, by any strange circum-
stance, regain her speech"
He breaks in rapidly, right here: Il
want no change in her. To me she is per
feet as she is. | love her for just aohat she