The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-05-02

iy. "a cheerful sort of hostess" said Yves
bonrne 70 himself. but with the girls bcani
full face near he did not long Waste ~
thoughts on an odd old woman That lovely
artless face, fresh as the summer morning
and changeful as its shadows, charmed nm
more and more; and by the time his hoihih,
and milk was finished, he had cohcluueu
not only that it was exact y what nc hGeue'
ms study, but that, IN order to get the Dehe
fl of it. he ought not to depend on chance
meetngs-in short he must be living unde
the same roof. He rather hcSitated III max
ing this proposal TO the still, still fgurc 0p
posite; but she replied, with the utmost indif
ference, that there was nothing to prevent M
coming if he thought he could be satisheo
with their way OF living.
So Mr.. WestbOurn's portmancau was trahs
ferred from the staring white country tavern
to the low-roofed implanted farm house ana
he was settled in lean-to chamber, smeiiing
of dried sage and mint and marJoram, ana
with the beauty of the freshest cleanliness for
its sole adornment The young man laugh
ed at himself as lie reviewed the quar-
tiers into which his artistic fcelings-aS nc
chose to call the impulsc--had brought him
81 have gone off half cooked as usual
However, what does il matter! It's not
French cookery precisely they give one at
the hotel, and milk and roses IS as good Us
any other country fare. BY Jove! ought 10
make something good out OF that child
face"
Child! did Mr.. Harvey Wes,bourne really
think of Nelly Morris as child! lie was
rather fond, at any rate, of calling her so;
perhaps as a sort of salve to his conscience
for not treating her like one. For, all through
those bright, sweet summer days, the young
artist was making love to his study ~ hrst
only with eyes and tones then ut length open
| " by word and manner. He ana not 40 thlS
deliberately, but Nelly was very lovely, and
| it was not his fault, perhaps, that he worship.
ped beauty as he saw it, or that he saw only
on the surface
| She, on her side, found the lesson he was
teaching her an easy one The young artist
must have been blind indeed not to read the
language Of her changing face; and in such
matters Mr. Harvey Wcstbourne was very far
from blind. lie hardly need to ask the ques-
ton that he did ask one night
1t was one Of those still August evenings
when nature seems to drop into a swoon, as
if lite were going out with gong down OF the
sun. There was scarcely sound to be heard, |
ave now then moan rather than cry from
distant marshbird, and the trckle of little
water corsc getting brewster apparently each
minute, as if gradually hushing into the gen
eral silence. Faint sunset tints were fading
into q soft primrose sky and behind the hazy
hlll-range the moon was rounding into her
full circle of light. AtHH
Harvey WestbournC's nerves were, so to
say, on the surface, ana responded to the
slightest touch To degree he recognized |
This, only he often made the mistake of attri- !
buting 20 genuine feeling what was really Z.
only momenary effusion of that artistic
of his, which vihrated 90 easily
IN harmony with its surroundings The still |
ness and beauty Of this August night wrought
Their charm on him had he. been before his
easel it would have found expression in some
dreamy, 'low-toncd' little 'bit;' failing in
that, he translated it into corresponding IAN
guage talking to the girl beside him of life
and love, OF their approaching separation and
Loneliness, in a poetic and halfmclancholy /
way which quite touched himself so that he
'ndcd by saying softly; "YOu do love me,
ionr you, Nclly?'
Nelly, who had listened with clasped !,
lands, ald eyes that darkcncd and dilatcd I
through the dim light, answered in a tone
almost solemn in its carnestncss: "Oh, DO,
Heaven knows do love you"
But Harvey Westbourne's sentiment, which
vas only sentiment, shrank uncomfortably
,ctorc real passion. What had Heaven,
What had those eloquent tears in the eyes, {
hat icrvid blood in the checks, that answered
lis appeal, to do with the light feeling that
,allcd them forth? That was not the way he ;
wanted her TO feel toward him, certainly not
he way he felt toward her. He had not {
meant to stir such depths, indeed he had not
nCaEt anything one way or another, having {
merely followed his impulse; butnow he had q
vague notion hardly acknowledged to him {
clf that had he known there was such in J
onstv in the girl, he would have nothing to !
10 with the affair at all He grew suddenly +
ircd OF the summer nights beauty. The dew |
vas falling, that confounded birds Croak !
AIRED through his decidedly, they would be
letter in doors. !
Aunt Elvira was ON the porch, and, as they :
'amc up, turned her eyes full on Westbourne. !
For the first time, It occurred Ia him what a {
ingUlar resemblance there was between the {
rcsh face NJ his side, and the haggard one S
'ondcr That was the finishing touch to his {
dissatisfaction. 1t was very seldom that a
Aunt Elyira took any notice OF hun, but now 9
he looked at him long and liYedly, and with q
strange Kind If smile that on those rigid /
fps became a distortion, 1t made him feel a
omchow less ut ease than usual i'll this wo- y
mans presence; he congratulated himself a
bat he should SO soon bid goodbye TO that r
5orgon mask while she, ms If divining his "
houghts still stared at him, the smile stfen. v
VI WI iltl NNpuN I'LL, w. llt
y through the doorway, it changed into a il
augh harsh, abrupt, and mirthless that h
rated on Wcsbourncs ear still more than
he moan of the marsh bird. How, he asked h
himself impatiently, as he shut himself into v
he gloom of the little lean-to chamber, how v
had he existed all these past weeks among s
these dismal surroundings! At least he !
would no longer waste his time there he i
would he oiI--ycs, tomorrow, if he could &
manage it. For there was just a trace of
cowardice in Harvey Westbourne's sensitive r
ness; so long as the outward impressions
were bright and fair, he yielded to them will f
ingly, but let shadow intrudc, and he shrank d
back, and would have run from il like a child
runs from the dark. ,
But with the morrow came the sunshine :;
the marsh-bird was STILL and Miss Elvira out
of sight; Nclly's eyes were full of light in
stead of tears; altogether the young artist ,
found his surroundings so much less dismal,