Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-06-26

the way" sweeping my face for second
with keen eyes,, "these tidings are not go
ing to dam the current of your future
civility, trust Some men are so NOR
bidly afraid of being thought fortune
hunters. And you're not just as pleas
ant to Lily henceforth as you have pre-
viously been, | shall feel that have done
her quite serious injury by throwing
you this little apple Of knowledge"
After that our interview is more or less
concluded. That woman has grown to be
the very sultana of diplomatists. Could
anything have been more delicately puts
The blow to my dignity and the balsamic
salve of healing were offered simultane-
ously. In those few strong words, too,
she forgave me for all the past-she who
can so well afford to forgive now! Her
benign finger has pointed for me path
to prosperity. So many finger, similar
ly circumstanced, would have withered in
Its socket rather than perform any such
piece of digital benevolence. Bless her.
she has taken the noblest ofall revenges-
utter forgiveness.
1t will be best for me to gain little
time with Uncle Crawford, | conclude,
about that Cleveland business he offers
me. Let there not be any out-and out re-
fusal of the proposition; let there be only
a polite demur, a gentle procrastlnation.
After all, / still further deliberate, a few
days will decisively settle matters am
too old veteran not to understand a final
repulse, when it as final. No doubt, in
deed, the repulse will come. | am decent
looking enough, have perfect enough
manners, am yet distant enough from the
seignorial domain of forty although it is
true | feel the pangs of premature decrep-
itude to the extent of at least one averaged
gray hair per fortnight, each being a pallid
little ghostly avenger, | suppose, of some
separate sin, pecadillo indiscretion, late
supper, brandy y-and-soda of the past; and
lastly, when | get up my best energy
toward the putting together of words, my
designs escape respectfully enough, |
should judge, the effect of complete trivi-
atty. Altogether, provided | bring to
bear upon this proposed undertaking a
good deal of determined force, there are
more than even chances, perhaps, of my
success in it.
SO | reflect; and with such reflections
after consuming cigarette or two among
the strawberries, | stroll indoors and 90
to bed without again seeing Miss Martel.
On the following morning, when we
meet at breakfast, | make an attempt to
discover what other nice things there are
about her besides her nice hair Quite a
number, | decider to-wit, genial gray eyes,
a nose that is selt-asscrtant without being
selfsatisfied, mouth that YOU don't
specially care to have any smaller because
OF the regular shapely teeth its frequent
smile shows, and figure that is full of
easy curves, though trim and slender.
She presents an exact physical reverse
of Mrs. Heath's lazy, lavish-molded Ju-
IL,
mans and other tufted temptations of the
flesh, and the weather of J ava itself doesn't
seem to affect her disregard for fans NV
first attempt at being downright entertain
ing is made a little after breakfast. Heath,
good, accommodating nOndescript that he
is, has ust permitted himself to be drag
ged out into some dolefully idyllic situa-
ton under tree by that inane little Bar
tholomew girl, who either can't or won't
see the ugly antagOnism between
fresh green grass and virginia. col
ored duck trousers. Mrs. Heath has
posed herself on one of the hall
lounges in an attitude oriental
enough narrowly to miss being improper,
though it is beyond all question becom-
ing; while Louis Burnette having his
curled yellow head probably less than an
inch from her cheek, treats what he reads
aloud from blue-and gold Lucille"
with enough elocutional cruelty to make
Mr.. Owen Meredith commit justitiable
homicide.
Under these circumstances we in the
slttlng-rO0m begin an exchange of re-
marks. | grow nervous very soon, and
lose lots of confidence. | am trying to do
what | have never before tried to do
create good impression. | find it anna
zingly hard work | discover that through
out my mortal career, up to the present
moment, have rigidly avoided the most
shadowv sort of effort to make anybody
like me. have Systematically adopted a
course of coolest Indifference as to whether
Toms opinion of me surpassed Dicks in
friendly feryor, or whether Harry's was
more cordial than either. As for women,
they generally have done three good
fourihs of the talking, made every vestige
of anything like an advance" and shown
dispositions to continue gracious as long
as | remained near by to render them SO.
1t is the old story. Set a "lily-handed
baronet' to breaking stones, and you will
find what sad work is the result. | STUN
bic in my sentences; | serve up an over
done piece of ciyility one moment and an
underdone piece the next; am the vile
antipodes of my customary suave self
She appears, however, to be quite IN
conscious of all this. l feel intin;' ely com
forted by the thought. That loathed
Cleveland business wears already faint
haze of distance across its hideous pros
pect. A vague picture begins even now
to shape itself in my fancy. l repossess
all the old lost luxurics of living; regain
that beati1ic state which prevents man
from having any special regard about
how the few odd thousands of his income
happen to take flight. All, what three
fold JOY to have again after once having
hadi
Yes, she undoubtedly talks to me as
though She liked ne. Perhaps she de-
| tccts certain Turing felicity about my
moustache, or powerful fascination in
the size OF my ear, or an intense attrac
tiveness III the way my hair meets the
nape of my neck, or any other feature of
the nonsensical sort by which women are
very often charmed into nonsensical at
tachmentS.
. moustache, 0 ear, Q hair. O nape of
neck, o every personal beauty which
may have the good luck to possess, plead
now in my behalf. Perhaps by to-mor-
row my awkwardness will have worn off
trifle, and something OF such pleading
may be done with my own lips. Mean
while | cannot despond. | have indeed
every reason to hope.