The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-04-10
THE WRoNo PICTURE.

to get perspective view, and scru
tinized it closely with my eye.glass.
Dorwin Wallace looked pleased !;
and man naturally likes to have his
fancee duly admired and apprecla-
ted.
$50 this is Bessie Armitsge have
heard so much of; really, Wallace,
she does credit your taste. A blonde,
Isuppose ?"
"Fair as as lilly, with blue eyes,
aud sunny golden hair"
"Ah ! well, l must say l prefer the
brunette style, so far as my individu
al taste goes; but then. fancies diff.
fer, you know"
1t was all very we'll for Darwin
Wallace to go into ecstacies about
his pallid, fair-haired little Bessie
Armitage he had never met the
glance of Cecilia Vernon's dark eyes.
What did he know about the true
type of feminine beauty?
GAS you say, fancies differ" Wal.
lace returned lightly. "But I wish
you would select handsome frame
for it when you 60 to R-next time,
blue velvet, with a gold rim on the
margin, or some such tasteful ar
rangement."
cpl see to it," l said, depositing
the picture in its envelope, and re.
turning it to my inside breast book
ct.
"You'll be very careful ofit?"
"Careful Of course l shall"
1 smiled little lottily at Wallace's
solicitude, and we parted.
After all Darwin Wallace was bet
ter off than l was, for he was secure
ly engaged to the dimpled, yellow,
tressed little object of his affections /;
while was yet, as it were, in utter
darkness, uncertain whether my
peerless Cecilia returned my ardent
devotion, or whether she secretly
inclined to that unprincipled scoun-
drel Fitzhugh Tretoil. A thousand
times l had resolved to settle the
question score of times | had gone
the old Vernon house with the very
formula of a declaration on my lips,
and as often had the words died
away unvoiced and unspoken.
If fate had only gifted me with
one-thousandth part of Fitzhugh
Trefoil's off hand audacity! / don't
think anything less than the Deluge
could check that fellows cool self.
possession an earthquake wouldn't,
and | don't think the millennium
could.
However. love inspires the feeb-
lest heart with sort OF fictitious
courage, and l was new man since
Miss Vernon had smiled upon me.
What was the use of doubling, hes
itating, trembling ? Why not decide
my fate at once? Darwin Wallace's
serene content exercised a stimula.
ting influence upon me. l would
fain have been even as be was.
"There is no sense in procrastina.
ting matters any further I said, half
aloud, as walked up and down the
rather limited domains of my little
law office. 81 have been a doubling
fool long enough"
am afraid l was not very amia.
BILE member of the domestic circle,
that afternoon.
81 think Paul Is growing crossel
every day." saidsmy sister, shrug
ging her little plump shoulders
another I wish you would speak te
him 20
But mother, bless her wise old
soul, knew better than that. She
looked at me over the rims of her
spectacles, and went on darning hel
stockings.
"Paul is worried with business
matters, I suppose" she said apollo
getically. "He will do we'll enough
if you only let him alone"
l went up to my room after supper
and made an elaborate toilet; bu
all the pains l bestowed upon il
served only to heighten the effect o.
awdwardness.
"I have two minds to wait unit
to. morrow night" quote I to myself
stopping abruptly, with my cravat
half tied. ''No I might be coward
but was not such an unmitigated
poltroon as that, 1 had begun the
entirprise and would carry it through
though it cost me the last drop OF
my hearts blood.
Moreover, l had had an inspira
aion! An entirely new and origina
method of putting the momento u'
query-''popping the question:" is {
vulgarism that /, for one could never
torerate-had occurred TO me.
"Hang Fitzhugh Trefoil 20 l ex
claimed gleefully, half aloud, though
there was no ear to hear my ejacula
ton. "I'll win the dark-eyed trea
sure yet, in spite of him !"
/ opened my writing csae, ant
carefully took out little carte d
visite wrapp d in tissue paper, an,
tenderly laid away with pink sill
perfume sachel that Minnie ha,
once made for me. 1t was Cecilia
picture she had allowed me to stes
is away from her, with scarcely a re
monstrance, q week before. Then wa
the time ought to have proposed
but, like timorous, doubling moor
calf as l was, l had let the golde
, tide of opportunity slip unimprove
away from me.
/ drew Bessie Armitage's vacsn
doll.like face from its envelope, an
compared the two with a thrill {
triumph in my heart.
l "Colorless water beside crimson
sparkling champagne a pale viol'
t in the shadow of royal rose pear
+ eclipsed by the fiery flesh of di
monds !" l exclaimed. "Darwi
Wallace's taste may be very corre'
r and classical, but give me my n
: dient brunette! These bleaohed o,
beauties don't correspond with m
ideas of perfection"
1t was alovely spring night as
entered the wide graveled path tn
led up to the wide porch of the ol
8 fashionable Vernon mansion.
? Squire Vernon sat there smokiu
+ his meerschaum.
, "Won't you sit down and have
smoke ?" he demanded Hospitality.
ssIts a real luxury to be able
take a Whit out doors, after beir
shut up in the house all winter.
Q may be you prefer going in to 81
a Cecilia"
!, Sensible old gentleman! he hs
fo~.ok<ov, hso -0nn,. Ia.c