The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-01-31
Jessie.
BY PAUL PLUME


Jessie Bates was our village queen.
The most cynical bachelor was forced to
confess that she was above the general
average of beauty; not that she was
deficient in mental culture Tor old
Farmer Bates had sent his daughter TO
neighboring city, where she spent nearly
two years in being polished to adorn
more fashionable society than she could
find in our quiet Pennsylvania village.
She was, of course, a proficient musi-
clan, had q good voice, and knew a score
or more of operas, possessed a tOlerable
knowledge of the French tOngue-in
fact, she could have glided along in the
most exclusive circles of our large cities
without it being suspected that she had
milked her fathers cows and cooked
dinner for the field hands. Her return
home threw us all in a fiutter of excite
ment. Her father had purchased a
splendid new piano, and we were all
anxiety to hear Jessie play and sing.
Before Laban Bates got his daughter
the instrument, there was only one in
the village, and its happy possessor was
the wife of Lawyer Rohrer. AS she was
a little "stuek up,n and only con-
descended once in a great while to en-
tertain the young folks with music, We
rarely got an opportunity to appreciate
Mrs. Rohrer's abilities. But now that
Jessie had got home, and we knew her
TO be amiable and obliging moreover
she was one of u.s., We were delighted
at the anticipation of frequent musical
treats.
l had a presentiment that some city
fellow would be coming along by-and-by
and make me feel unhappy by his at
-, Il I lrr loz~a1
Nor was l mistaken, for scarcely n fort
night elapsed ere a stranger, who re
joiced in the name of George Augustus
Mountjoy, appeared in our midst Il
make a visit to Jessie Bates. 1t made
the blood tingle to the very tips of ny
fingers when ] knew that Laban Bate
had sent for the strangers trunk to b.
brought from the village inn to hi
house, and had domiciled Mr.. Mount
Joy under his roof. / sat all tina
day down by the brook under an olC
willow tree, with my mind filled will
distracting thoughts. 1 determined
however to know the worst at once, 81
/ went straight TO Jessie Bates and told
her my tale Of love; how that for years
had loved her; in the times when haC
carried her milk pals and drove tn,
cows into the pen, before she had gone
away TO boarding school to learn to be {
fine lady. "Oh, JESSIE" | said, with my
heart beating and yearning for her, "nC
man on earth can ever love you as de.
votedly and truly as l do. I know it
feel it,"
] waited in breathless silence for hel
reply.
iPaul," she said, 81 will be candid
with you; it would be cruel were / not
so. / am sorry for you-believe me,
am truly sorry for you. / am engaged
TO Mr.. MounUoy. | shall marry him,
forI love him. When you go forth into
the world, Paul, you will meet Others
who will win your love and return it;
others who viii be worthy of your great,
generous heartn
With disappointed shake Of the head
and bitter feeling at my heart, / merely
murmured, NEVER and then / turned
away from the only woman / had ever
loved, and from that moment vowed
that would never marry, and / have
kept that vow.
went to the very city where Jessie
Bates found her lover. Isought out the
school she attended, and many time
would stand and gaze at the bright red
brick front and walk over the pavement
because fancied her feet had trod there
You viii, no doubt, think this foolish
perhaps It was sO-but this know, thai
the memory Of that girl kept my hear
Tor years purer than aught else that
remember.
Follies common to young men wOOeC
me on every side. Temptation in allur
ing guise beckoned me to step aside, bu
the eyes of Jessie Bates seemed to bl
looking into mine in the frank old way
and her words of warning were eve
ready to check my feet from wandering
into forbidden paths.
went regularly to my business, an
when that was over generally strOllei
out alone or read in my chamber. Er
/ was twenty-seven / had more graz
than brown hairs in my head, while a
thirty my hair was perfectly white.
Once there came a man with hand
organ under my window, and he playe'
an air that Jessie Bates used to sing me
could scarcely again weep such bite
tears as 1 did then. How vividly tn
parlOr of Laban Bates came to my recol
lection. l saw the place of every chai
and article Of furniture in the room.
saw Jessie as she used to sit and sing
ana then / remembered how / haI
promised myself that l would maxi
money, and when / had done so / woUlI
"SK ner 10 become my wife.
threw the organ-grindera a handful o
money out Of the window. 1 suppose h,
Ihonght was crazy, for he picked il IN
hastllyt and looked up and grinned
To,!or LUZ my away as rapidly as possible
LhSNeL saw MIN IN the street afterWarl
Only five years, and I was the innio
partner IN the house where / went a,
clerk. But, then, remember there ,vo-, =
few, clerks like me. Pleasures I ba,
none. Business and business only 90
cupied me. l was killing myseif ~
knew it, but wasn't sorry for it. / wa
rather pleased at the prospect Of a shor
life. Perhaps this was wicked.
couldn't help it. was really tired G
everything about me. Jessie Bates ha
been Mrs. Mountjoy for four years.
learned that her husband was wealthy
and was highly connected, but he boz
an equivocal reputation, and that sh
was not as happy as Ieould have wished