Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-08-28

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 (and
physicaD performance upon her own
shoulders. Literally, am bowed down
with shame and self-disgust. | feel as
though were discovered fraud-an i'm
position that has gone on succeeding
finely for a number of years, and is at
length left without deceptive leg to
stand on.
Aunt Edith stares at me with an amused
smile, which l find intolerable.
"You look wretched, Eric" she begins
"What has happened? Miss Garthe
hasn't been offending you. trust?"
NO" / state, raising complete scowl
on my face; ~ have been offending my
self" While jerk forth that sentence
leave the hall at hot speed, hurrying to-
ward the piazza after having made fly
ing manual leap, so to speak, for GER
tain side-table on which my hat is placed
Before returning to the house, | spend
good hour out amid the mornings de-
licious freshness and fragrance. All this
while Miss Garthe's face images itself be-
fore me, wearing about the lips kind of
vaguely melancholy contempt. For there
is no doubt, tell myself, that she despises
my bungling incapacity.
! Can | be the same man who came to
Whitebeach yesterday evening with Ian
guild aversion for Miss Garthe's tablets,
and no special desire to encounter the
poor young creatures company outside OF
meal hours? At length | find my way to
the shore, and indulge for long time in
the important employment of firing peb-
bles at nothing. Finally | discontinue
this selfsought exertion, and ask my inner
man for Heavens sake what is the matter
with him.
A little downright deliberation gives
me the answer. He is morbidly regretful
of ever having seen Miss Garthe-consid
ering that she Is Miss Garthe. He recol-
lects, with shiyers of contriton, his flip
pant letter to Mrs. Ramsay. He feels an
almost passionate yearning to hear a hui
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 unawares flung his silly satire at
| what now seems to him the woman's maj
esty of atiliction.
81 shall go back to the house." | sud
denly resolve, ''and make another desper
ate attempt with the tablets. Perhaps
shall redeem my reputation rs man of
at least microscopic attainmcnts. Any
how, this desire for being in her sweet
presence wholly conquers me. l 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
re-enter the house. Remembering my
late contemplate exit, bite my under
lip in an agony of embarrassment when
her great, meditative gray eyes lift them
selves to my face. Nevertheless, / force
myself upon chair at her side, take the
writing-materials she gently offers, and
plunge into 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
versation will result in something dimly
like improvement.
All, how beautiful her face lights up
and flushes 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.
I thought 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 were going to be excellent friends"
AS read these words with quickened
heart and with dancing eyes, the walls of
my mental Imprisonment seem to broaden
out into a boundless and delightful liber-
ty My right hand fairly itches for the
pencil; / feel capable of marvels, now.
1t is plain fact for me to declare that
/ take no note of time after this, until
Aunt Edith's voice breaks upon nae an
nouncing that luncheon is ready.
"Luncheon!" | calculate, dragging
forth my watch.
As l opened it 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
IU.-THE sToRY-TELLER NARRATEs.
"Gladys," murmurs Mrs. Ramsay, while
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.
ut should never have begun" Gladys
answered, cOloring family.
"Then let it end as soon as possible.
You know am right. End it to-day"
| Gladys suddenly straightens herself into
the most conventional of attitudes. END
it for me-" she pleads, while her face is in
itself very supplication. Il turn cold
from head to foot every time / think OF
of doing it myself. would rather fire an
actual bombshell at the man, in good ear
nest"
Mrs. Ramsay rises from her chair, look
ing panied and stern. 81 see why-l see
why" she whispers, and sighingly. "You
know what know-what any one must
know who had watched him when near
you"
"Psbaw!" the girl falters, with a little