Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1873-08-28
EsE Vol. ", No. 2.
MLLERsBURe HOLMES COUNTY, o. THURSDAY AUGUST 49, 1873

her. When she Joined him, he led the
way on to the balcony. There were a
number there enjoying the cool evening
breeze. He walked quite past them to
the further end of the balcony, where,
trifie removed from the others, were
two vacant chairs. He offered her one,
then sat down directly opposite to her.
They talked for full two hours. They
had visited the same places in the Old
World, and had read the same books, and
as Max Muller said, with an odd bit of a
smile, that though they had not known
it, their lives and their thoughts had
been running in the same channel for
years She was an earnest, original, in
telligent talker, and where they differed
sustained her arguments with force and
ability. In conversation her handsome
face was study, a sort of perpetual
surprise in its many expressions. 1t
changed with every feeling. Max Muh-
ler watched it with new fascination.
The light from the drawing-room
streaming out upon her, brought her in
to full relief. As she talked her hands
lay clasped in herlap. He had his usual
bouquet. fastened in his buttoDhole.
Once when she was speaking earnestly,
he took it out and quietly laid it on the
clasped hands. She broke quite off from
what she was saying to thank him, her
whole face flashing with that rare smile
again. She was the first on the balcony
to make the move to go into tke house.
When she had arisen, he said, in his odd,
abrupt way: eeaeuy iaa I'm nHy
"Miss Gunthrie, we are all creatures
of habit. Can you not make it habit
TOGO me here every evening without be-
ing sent for?''
She agreed to do so,with a light,mer-
ry laugh, and left him, with her smile,
and her voice, and her presence haunt
ing him long after she had gone. He
was the very last to go in. The house
was perfectly still. The lights were all
out, save dim one in the hall left for
him. He closed the door, and drew out
his watch. 1t was one o'clock. There
was an odd curve to his proud lips.
siFor have no woman in my head. .",rhe
words flashed across his mind as clear
ly, as sarcastically as if from the lips of
some avenging imp. He met them IN a
cool, speculative way, "Merely Pla-
tonic friendship, "and extinguishing the
light, went up stairs. sr d.. LHF 9a.
After that fall, winter, and a
spring went by, and again it was sum-
mer. In these many months they had
termed themselves Damon and Pythias,
and David and Jonathan. They had
found infinite companionship and varie-
ty in each others intellect, and each
strong, selfsustained nature had expert
enced a sort of pleasurable excitement
in coming in contact with the other.
He, at first, called her Miss Gunthrie,
she, with characteristic frankness, al
ways spoke his name as he had written
it that night when he sent his first note
Max Muller. These very appeIla-
tions were symbolical ofthe friendliness
of their relation, and the entire seelus-
ion of any stronger sentiment, for if q
woman loves that love instantly creates
a certain reticence or shyness that quite
forbids repeating the Christian name of
the man she loves; and when a man be-
comes subject to the same overpowering
passion, his first impulse is to drop the
conventional Miss, and make the given
name, in its very utterance, a sort of
perpetual of that love.
At the very beginning they had each
known the others history, hence all
chance for misunderstanding had been
done away with. In the true Platonic
spirit they had honestly acknowledged
to liking each other, ,and there had been
a wonderful charm in the very ac-
knowledgement. For almost a year
they had spent every evening together.
They had read the same books; all their
pleasures had been in common. After
the first ride, Miss Gunthrie never had
the opportunity of taking her aunt an
other. Max Muller owned his own
turnout, and it came to the door for the
old lady every pleasant morning. That
was the only point that ever brought
them near rupture, for Miss Gunthrie
was very proud, as we have said. Max
Muller carried the day, as he had been
used to doing from his boyhood. She
never went alone on these drives; thus
her aunt, by his request, always took
some of the children Of the house along
for company. The rides and the COM
panionship of the little folks brought up
the old lady's health, since there is moth
ing more deleterious to the health than
solitude, and she was forced to be much
alone, Miss Gunthrie's time being $50
wholly occupied.
Once after that they had been near a
quarrel, when she persistently declined
his escort to church of Saturday night
when she went to practice. He had ask
ed her reason, his proud lips curling,
and she had given it with usual frank
ness t...g-l -. rss3I .5leerr i..-s.-.
"To have our frindship lasting, Max
Muller, it must be beyond the reach of
gossip
He had sneered at it,and had only de-
sisted when she had promised that in
the future she would not come home
alone, but would get the organist, a
kindly old gentleman, to walk to the
door with her. She had proved her wo-
mans wisdom by the act,for at first the
boarders wondered, and whispered, and