Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-08-21

knowing myself able to say what l choose
regarding her while she herself is present,
fascinates me the more l indulge it. I am
like child possessed Of a new toy,
whose neWness half perpleYes, half de-
lights
you say that she is fond of using her
tablets?" | inquire of my aunt, trying a
little to hide with my tones the interest
underlying them.
eyes; and she writes charmingly. But,
of course, after your letter, l made her
conceal the tablets"
Good Heavens!" burst forth. " Did
you read her that absurd scrawl?"
Aunt Edith laughs serenely.
ooh, no, Eric. There were other means
of ministering to your prejudice. l ad-
vised leaving them upstairs. I told her
that you had nervous dislike of putting
yourself upon paper"
. In other words, you limited that was
an ignoramus. Well, it's my own fault,
| suppose. By-the-by, aunt, you couldn't
induce her to reproduce the tablets?"
Certainly, if you desire. Tomorrow
morning l engage that she shall appear
with them"
Aunt Edith keeps her word A little
while after breakfast Miss Garthe and
are seated alone together in the pleasant
hall, lnterchanging ideas.
Her sentences are models of tersc, ner-
vous, and simple English. Their exQuis
ite good sense first amazes, then charms
me. But very soon all feelings are swal-
lowed up in one Of biting personal morti-
tication. | discover that can do nothing
OF this impromptu literary kind which is
not failure, dire and conspicuous What
would sound creditably enough when de-
livered by word of mouth, seems only
polntless 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 90 on without
merely multiplying stupidities, and my
companion is neither so forward nor so
undignifed as to take all the mental land
physieaD 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 a deceptive leg to
stand on.
Aunt Edith stares at me with an amused
smile, which | 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; II have been offending my
self" While jerk forth that sentence l
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
a 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 dcspises
my bungling incapacity.
Can L 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 self-sought 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 shivers of contrition, his flip
pant letter to Mrs. Ramsay. He feels an
almost passionate yearning to hear a hu-
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 mai
esty of atfiiction.
II shall go back to the house." I sud
denly resolve, land make another desper-
ate attempt with the tablets. Perhaps |
shall redeem my reputation as a man of
at least microscopic attainments Any
how, this desire for being in her sweet
presence wholly cOnquers me. l cannot
explain it-I 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
myself upon chair at her side, take the
writing-material she gently offers, and
plunge into a sea of self-invective, con-
Tossing my own recent idealessness, tell
ing her that she no doubt considers me
an utter dolt, and fervently hoping that
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.
| thonght it only strange that you should
do so well the first time. Indeed, you
should see what wild jargon l 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 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 me an
nouncing that luncheon is ready.
"Luncheon" | calculate, dragging
forth my watch.
AS opened it felt slight stiffness in