Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-08-21
1.-THE MAN NARRATES.

Fifteen years, | find, have made huge
| changes in Whitebeach. On the evening
of my arrival Aunt Edith and l use up
| the half-hour before dinner in paving a
visit to my old friend Tor enemy the or
| chard
On re-entering the house we 90 into the
| parlor. Thus far Aunt Edith has done
| seven good eighths of the talking and |
have monosyllabled for answer with as
much regularity as my chronic absent
| mindedness and my present rather unusu-
al depression will permit
By-the-by, | have grown so much more
stupid since the rupture Of my engage
ment. | begin to conclude that I must
originally have rather liked Letitia, be-
fore discovering that she looked upon me
| as just so much condensed pecuniary ad-
vantage, neatly pantalooned and whisker-
ed in the correct fashion. Am I nipped
-singed-frost-bitten? Well, | am not
quite sure about my condition.
For hours and hours it has quite es-
| capped my memory that there is a Miss
Garthe, when the door opens and in she
glides. recollect tumultuously, and rise
with precipitation. Aunt Edith also rises.
coughing little conscious cough Miss
Garthe advances. | at once take the lib
erty of perceiving that she is handsome
enough to make her infirmity instantly
assume lin my own eyes, at least the light
of a pronounced prOvidential blessing
Miss Garthe-Eric. murmurs Aunt
Edith, with gentle sOlemnity And then,
while | am hOwing, my aunt does curious
things at Miss Garthe with the fingers of
both hands.
The young lady levels her nice eyes
upon me, dimpling DELIGHTFULLY."-. I at
once make myself active in the way of
offering her chair. She accepts it, seats
herself and smiles again. That smile of
hers is like a sudden sunburst on very
calm water. 1t is a sort of etherealized
Thank you" / take seat at her side,
not being specially conscious ofany thing
at the time, except that should like ex-
ceedingly to do something which would
make the smile repeat itself
And then the butler comes in to an
nounce dinner. Aunt Edith rises; we all
rise; and, as we do so, | recollect that
Nature, in the present instance, gives me
full liberty to make my admiration
wholly audible.
''She is simply exquisite" | inform
Aunt Edith, while we stroll dining-room-
ward in slow trio. Mother said pretty
Mothers good taste has forever lost my
Lltbi itopNtt. II 10 tCl tttiliiN dlI 1Dli1tUSt
benefit to the male portion of society that
she can't talk. She makes one think of a
Circe without her INTERCHANGEABLE
wand, wasn't ii? Oh, no, wine"
While | am speaking, Miss Garthe
walks in front of me- and | do not catch
sight Of her face again till we assemble at
dinner. Then it has vivid pink flush
tinting the delicate oval of each cheek
Can she have vaguely guessed" | ask
myself, that | have been dealing in per-
sonal criticisms?" Doubtless, | make
mental response.
Because of this reflection I refrain dur
ing dinner, from any thing except casual
common places Aunt Edith talks grace
fully about nothing. AS for Miss Garthe,
she is either ignorant, or affects ignorance,
that | am devOutly trying not to stare
her out of countenance. After dinner,
when Aunt Edith and | reach the piazza,
| unleash my enthusiasm, after vast ex-
halation of cigarette-smoke. "Miss
Garthe is superb. l am afraid she thought
me boorish at dinner for staring so. Pray,
Aunt Edith, does she know when people
talk about herr"
Certainly not. How should she?"
laughs my aunt Poor girl you can say
what you please before her"
bul incTtWlln the ODleCI OF our rem arkS
reappears, pausing a moment at the hall
threshold, and then gliding toward us.
Il am glad you told me- answer Aunt
Edith; ut is a satisfaction to speak your
mind before such an houri, and know that
you are not thrilling her with vanity
while you do So"
Meanwhile, | watch the hoHris face,
Just seen, and no more, in the dubious
dusk. Over every feature there is ditfused
a sweet, selfabsOrbed pensiveness | can
not describe the feeling that seems, all in
a moment, to lay itself like quick, fer
vid hand-gras about my heart. I real
ize, with one absolute rush of realization,
the terrible alternating charm, the mighty
vet viewless barrier between this woman's
being and mine The thought staggers
me. ! tremble and turn away. My eyes
fill with sudden tears, that blur the dim
lawns | look upon.
y moment later | am smiling in su-
preme surprise at my own most undream-
ed-of weakness. How has it occurred ?
What can possibly have caused it?
Presently we are all three seated there
upon the piazza together, in the deepen
ing summer nightfall Aunt Edith makes
several efforts to engage me in something
like sustained and rational conversation,
but fails, as | ann only too conscious. Per
petually | revert to the subject of Miss
Garthe's infrmity, asking odd questions
about it. and passing upon IL all sorts OF
iree-spoken criticisms. The sensation OF