River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-09-05

the oratorios, Schubert, and the works of
the "severe' school decomposition, FORM
ed the groundwork of my discourses, and
never attempted to catch her alone. Bo.
ing by chance one day wandering about.
| met the fair Elsie coming across the hill
toward me. Two were company, | thought,
and here was happy occasion for re.
hearsing my part Llughingly | talked
to her-l cannot say with her ioked and
told stories. spoke of my travels. nv
college life, my London experiences
as lady might hear-and enlarged upon
them almost to the verge of rornance-to
interest and amuse her. Not a word
above monosyllable could / extract in
reply. Shall admit that had begun TO
feel what slow work it was, when luckily
the sister, also lonely pilgrim upon the
hills, appeared before us ? Although il
placed me between two fires, felt it almost
as relief | could play the two parts at
once, | thought, and SO we proceeded ON
Ia trio. The knowledge that was the
protector Of a young lady who had been
described to me as of retiring and almost
timid disposition, made me dOubly anxious
to prove my powers of entertaining. /
continued to rattle on in slight asides TO
Elsie, and then at length, after we had
gone some way in silence, | turned to
Delliah with some remark about the
weather. Don't laugh, lisa very genuine
remark. She turned away, and thought
she laughed, but perhaps ii was only
thought, for when she replied il was u
quiet acquiescence in my observation.
Then again there was silence, and an
aside with fair Elsie, who blushed and
turned away A few minutes afterward
ventured to inquire of Delilah, with all the
modesty | could, if she were fond of
poetry. Did she like Shelley She stared
at me so hard for moment, thought she
believed was questioning her as to her
knowledge. | was about to relieve her
from what | thought an embarrassment,
when she said:
"No, he's so jolly dry p
"You know the old saving, you might
knock me down with feather2' 1t was
true in my case. The manner was so
rough and boisterous that | was quite
taken by surprise. ! ventured, however,
another remark, aud said, mildly, that |
thought Cumberland very charming, and
that | should not mind living there forever.
And then turning to Elsie, whispered
softly, With you'
"Delilah answered quickly
"' II may be charming, but it's awlully
slow, and you'd soon get the odd notion out
OF your head
" And then she ran on telling me of the
opera she was dying to hear, the fetes
at the Horticultural Gardans she
pinned TO 90 to, and the thousand and one
of the jolly old London lions so she
expressed it she had heard of by name
and knew nothing of by acquaintance.
Elsie said never word, and the retiring
tlmld Dell ratified on as if she possessed
a fund OF information of London life, and
only longed to be in it. My mind was in
a whirl of confusion. | remembered nv
friends description, fair and good
humored, with high spirits; dark, modest,
and full of quiet grace had made no
mistake.
"fhat walk did not finish as it had begun
at our meeting. In almost total silence
we approached the house. Delilah had
long since stopped the flow of her talk
cannot say our conversation for in truth
she quite run me of and / could but
think The sisters exchanged looks, and
Elsie shrank away from me, as though |
were mad and would bite, when | ad-
dressed her The other only curled her
lip in scorn, or turned away her head If |
only looked toward her and at last was
so annoyed with them not with myself-
that could scarcely tell what | did say.
l knew was right, however, and was glad
when we reached their home. Would
not stayY said mamma-the girls had
fled away the moment we arrived, and as
soon as they had crossed the hall could
have sworn | heard laugh. MOP
thanked the good lady, and said that had
a particular engagement few miles away
which would detain me two days. After
that, ] hoped to he permitted to call on
her and her charming daughters again.
With this lame excuse, | left for two DAYS.
Is Unnecessary to tell you how employ.
ed them | was wild, excited, mad, be-
cause in youth one feels these little crosses
somewhat mere keenly than we do in later
life, and when we know that man is not
T tSAANNtf h'A hputbl Htu ucLtT-
mined, then, to write 10 Jack, my good
FRIEND and tell HIM of the extraordinary
conducts | thought of his modest
and retiring maiden, and request any ex.
PLANTATION il might be in his power to af.
ford. ] caught that nights post, and
throughout the next day remained indoors,
fearing, if | stirred out, TO meet the family
L had made my friends, and so give the lie
TO my assertion that had gone away for
two days Those two days, shall never
forget them, the fever Of excitement was
in, and the monotony Of the selEcOnstituted
imprisonment The pest ON the second
morning brought me letter from Jack.
tore il OF en-, and dashed at once into the
pith Of his epistle. How | cursed his
circumlocution Instead Of at once reply
ing to the question had put to him, he
commenced with roundabout story of
has acquaintanceship with the ladies Of the
Lodge ! skipped the pages one, two,
and three, and determined to know the
worst, went at once 10 the last break q
his letter. This was it
:" After all, you see, had jolly time
of it, and between the two, wonder that /
came away faithful 10 the liltie woman