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

ment | begin to conclude that | mus
originally have rather liked Letitia, be
fore discovering that she looked upon mt
as just so much condensed pecuniary ad
vantage, neatly pantalooned and whisker
ed in the correct fashion. Am | nipped
-singcd-irost bitten? Well, l am moi
quite sure about my condition.
For hours and hours it has quite es
capped my memory that there is Il Miss
Garthc, when the door opens and in she
glides. | recollect unanimously, and rise
with precipitation. Aunt Edith also rises
coughing a little conscious cough. Miss
Garthe advances. | at once take the lib
erty of perceiving that she is handsome
enough 10 make her infirmity instantly
assume lin my own eyes, at least the light
of "A pronounced providential blessing.
Miss Garthc-Eric" murmurs Aunt
Edith, with gentle solemnity. And then,
while | am bowling my aunt does curious
things ut Miss Garthc with the fingers of
both hands
The young lady levels her nice eyes
upon me, dimpiing delightfully."-. l at
once make myself active in the way of
offering her a chair. She accepts it, seats
herself and smiles again. That smile of
hers is like a sudden sunburst on very
calm water. 1t is sort of cthercaliZed
Thank YOU l take a scat 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" I inform
Aunt Edith, while we stroll dininr-room-
ward in slow trio. "Mothcr said pretty
Mothers good taste has forever lost my
filial respect. 1t is certainly an immense
benefit to the male portion of society that
she can't talk. She makes one think of a
Gree without her what-you- Ill
wand, wasn't it? Oh, no, wine"
| While l 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 a vivid pink flush
t;nting the delicate oval of each cheek
''Can she have vaguely guessed" 1 ask
myself ''that l have been dealing in per
sonal criticisms?' Doubtless, l make
mental response.
Because of this reflection 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 l am devoutly trying not to stare
| her out of countenance. After dinner,
when Aunt Edith and l 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"
But Herewith the object ofou rem arks
reappears, pausing a moment at the hall
threshold, and then gliding toward us.
Il am glad you told me- answer Aunt
Edith; ''it is satisfaction to speak your
mind before such an houri, and know that
you are not thrilling her with vanity
while you do so.''
Meanwhile, l watch the houri's face,
just seen, and no more, in the dubious
dusk. Over every feature there is difiused
a sweet, selfabsorbed pensiveness. l can
not describe the feeling that seems, all in
a moment, to lay itself like a quick, fer
vid hand-g grasp about my heart. l real
iZe, with one absolute rush of realization,
the terrible alternating charm, the mighty
yet viewless barrier between this woman's
being and mine. The thought staggers
me. l tremble and turn away. My eyes
fill with sudden tears, that blur the dim
lawns l look upon.
A moment later I am smiling in SUI
preme surprise at my own most undream-
ed-of weakness. How has it occurred:
What can possibly have caused il?
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 a sustained and rational conversation,
but fails, as l am only too conscious. Per
petually / revert to the subject of Miss
Garthe's infirmity, asking odd questions
about it, and passing upon it all sorts of
iree-spoken criticisms. The sensation of
knowing myself able to say what l choose
regarding her while she herself is present,
fascinates me the more | indulge it. / am
like a child possessed of Il new toy
whose newness half perplexes, half de-
lights.
you say that she is fond of using her
tablets:" inquire of my aunt, trying Il
little to hide with my tones the interest
underlying them.
'Yes; and she writes charmingly. But
of course, after your letter, l made her
conceal the tablets"
Good Heavensr' burst forth. &c Did
you read her that absurd scrawl?"
Aunt Edith laughs serenely.
"Oh, no, Eric There We're other means
of ministering to your prejudice. | adj
vised leaving them upstairs. | told her
that you hau nervous dislike OF putting
yourself upon paper"
{" In other words, you limited that was
an ignoramus. Well, it's my own fault
l suppose. By-the-by, aunt, you couldn't
induce her to reproduce the tablets?'
Certainly, if you desire. Tomorrow
morning l engage that she shall appear
with them.''
Aunt Edith keeps her word. A little
while after breakfast Miss Garthe and
are seated alone together in the pleasant
hall, interchanging ideas.
Her sentences are models of tersc, ner-
vOus, and simple English. Their exquis-
lite good sense first amaZes, then charms
lowed up in one of biting personal morti-
ficatiOn. | discover that | can do nothing
of this impromptu literary kind which is
not failure, dire and conspicuous What
would sound creditably enough when de
livered by word of mouth, seems only
pointless platitude when put into black
and white. Before five minutes have
elapsed, Aunt Edith enters the hall to find
us seated together in state of most awk-
ward inertness. | cannot go on without
merely multiplying stupidities, and my
companion is neither so forward nor so
undignified as to take all the mental land
physicaD performance upon her own
shoulders. Literally, am bowed down
with shame and selfdisgust. l feel as
though | were a discovered fraud-an i'm
position that has gone on succeeding
finely for a number of years. and is at
length left without Il deceptive leg to
stand on.
Aunt Edith stares at me with an amused
smile, which find intolerablc.