Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-02-01

cu. II AOt y real ~ least y pretfV Aaul-
ulaled fear; bnt In her keen sense OF
enjoyment ElmA grew As bright, As
HinsOme, as natural IS child: even
forgetting her little wicked design
on The proud, courily gentleman be-
side he's.
Ralph Hartford watched her with
his grave eyes full OF latent Admira-
ton, and once or twice looked odd-
Is ST the restless little hand, frOp,
which she had hastily drawn on her
glove, then smiled cyRicslly At him
self
Once Elma caught the smilc; IL
puzzled her; she asked. bluntiy:
Your smile is half a sneer-
whyY"
The wind al that saoInent blew as
II it would tip the buggy ever
he did not answer, but drew the
| light robe up ever her dTenchea
white dress.
"You have not answered my ques-
tioRp' she persisted
'FSo;" coolly.
You are not going to:' tribe
| petulSntly.
II think net
Il shall think YOU were smiling Al
/ tlNs IL - LAEH uaAA EAONHANH An4
started bit Ht her own daring Ia
thus speaking TO gentleman OF
I such rare grace Of manner. He did
not notice the latter part of her re-
/ marx, aud answered the firEt by =
smile so kind and 90 winning, that
the girls cheeks grew wondrous
! bright, aud she found herself oddly
sPeeuiatiHg on Tie calibTe Of differ
( ent smiles. .. u
The storm blew over as quickly
As Il had arisen, and the sky and
earth were iridesceut with suESet
| glory.
Ralph tried to lower the buggy
top; il persistently refused to give.
lie gave the reins into the young
/ girls hand, and spranS out. Elma
| leaned out the opening in the back
| to euriously watch the operations.
| The sunlight made her light hair
1 ripping gold; her blue eyes dashed
and spsrkled, whilst the dimples
played q witchiHg game on the rosy
| cheeks.
''Thirty-ivs, and never in.lOvel"
/ She had quite fOfgottdn il. lie,
| with a strange vivid intensity, re-
allied the position. A moment he
looked At her, then the eyebrows
| raised in their quizzical way, for the
drst time in his lite, quite At HIM
self just as il he had been another
Distinct personality.
TheE, Again, the same odd play to
the prond lips, that had been there
wheR he watched the little hand
This time the impulse that prompt
sd this play, had It's way.
Through the opening window he
kissed her. Instantly the proud
girl was metAInOrphOsed iRio the
proud, diguified woman. She spoke
not = word, but turning, sat cold
and quiet, whilst he lowered the
| buggy top and took his seat beside
her. She handed him the reins
without looking at him. Almost
any man would have been annoyed,
embarrassed, apologetic Ralph
! Hartford looked simply pleased.-
They rode in utter silence; Elna
looked straight before her, yet new
er seeing the pleasant land, fresh
ened into rich emerald hue, aud
! flooded everywhere with the Embi-
ent sunlight. The merry face, for
the frst time, was troubled. She
| did not even realize that il was qui-
ell; never heard the tWitter, twitter
OF birds innumerable; did not even
know the horses head WAS home
ward turned,
At length he drew rein at her own
gate. lie assisted her TO alight, and
for one moment detained her hand
in his, saying, with a sort of grave
admiration: '1Miss Elma, you have
been waiting for me 10 apologize"
She Interrupted him, impetuOus-
''You are mistaken. The spolo-
" is due from me to you. If had
not acted in trihinE, unwOmanly
manner, you would not have done
IL. This afternoon, for the frat time
in my life, Intentionally hirted. |
have learned nv lesson" And with
nushed cheeks, and lips trembling
half in humility, half in pride, she
bowed and went into the garden.
Ralph Hartford drove home with
arrange light eyes, and the proud
lips under the fiHe mOuStAche iirmly
set.
Then a week passed. In that week
one would never have known ElmA
Lee for her gladstone Self-SO quiet
had she grown, 50 troubled did che
| look. Miss Sophronia watched her
with sratilied emotions, aHd, Wlp-
ing her eyes, said piously, 10 her
self: AT last my prayers are an
Bwered; she is under concern of
mind"
In all that week, added 10 the
keen lesson of mOrtiticAtion and hu-
initiation, Elma Lee was learning
still another lesson-Aamely this,
the answer TO the poets query:
..ARsug thy fAucies tell me tLi,:
what il the thing we call a kiss.T
The touch or those proud, quiet
lips she could not lose. She was no
Iehger a heart free girl, but a wo-
man brought face to face with life,
coInprshendinS 10 its utmost inten-
rity a joy, and strAngely feeling it
finite blank.
She was never 20 meet again save
a. \ stranger. The case admitted
OF no other course. This that had
parted them would be between them
a wide hiatus, though they should
be side by aide.
In that week, Ralph Hartford, the
inVineible-a man whose aelf-cOn-
LID4 va III pei LHA HD4cB wiz IAOhE ~
himself qEite his own master, fought
= battle with this same self and lost.
lie could not blot out the picture,
with its rude, dripping leather frame
in the afternoon sunlight; nor yet
the wiRsOne dignity that went with
the words:
The apology i due from IHe to
YOU"
HE sts.r,i,t hotue ksd rev-, .se.,-
ed more desOlAts. Ills proud,
naughty mouth grew bitter and
clinical, and the grave eyes sraver
yet.
80 the week had passed, aud they
had never met.
At its end, one evening At the vii
lase hail there was lecture. Elm2
had accepted 2n Invitation. Fate
/ eondeseends 10 VeIy little things
: Her escort, never dreaming that he
HSs filing one Of IKE unchzngea-
bic DEGREES, gave her seat directly
| between himself and Ralph Hart
ford. As she took il, he bowed
/ She returned it cOIdly, growing
very white. She neither heard nor
comprehended word OF the lee
tuFe. When the others laughed, she
| laughed. too, in q strange, unnatural
way. The lecturer seemed miles
away; she saw him only through the
medium Of her own intense excite
ment. She answered the constant
| VOlley OF small talk her escort pour