The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-04-25


after pause, ''but don't say anything to
him about it-don't say | was abed.
Mr. McCloSky's face beamed. You was
alters good girl jimmy, he said, dropping
on one knee the better TO imprint res pect-
full kiss on her forehead But Jenny caught
him by the wrists and for moment held him
captive. "Father," she said, trying to fix
his shy eyes with the clear, steady glance of
her own, ''all the girls that were there to-
night had some one with them. Name Rob-
inson had ner aunt, Lucy Rance had her
mother, Kate Pierson had her sister-all ex-
cept me had some other women. Father,
| DEAR" her lips trembled just little, Il
| wish mother hadn't died when L was SO
| small. | wish there was some other woman
| in the family besides me. l amt Lonely with
you, father, dear; but if there was only some
| one, you know, when the time comes for
John and me-"
| her brave eve, that was still fixed earnestly
unon his face. Mr.. McClosky, apparently
| tracing out a pattern on the bed quilt, es-
| saves words OF comfort:
ssThere amt one of them gals ez you've
named, jimmy, ez could do what you've done
with whole Noah's ark of relations at their
backs! Thar amt one ez wouldn't sacrifice
her nearest relation to make the strike that
you hev. Ez to mothers, may be, my dear,
|
suddenly and walked toward the door. When
he reached it he turned, and, in his old depre-
eating manner, said: Don't be long, jim
n.y." smiled and vanishished from the head
downward, his canvass slippers assertin G
| themselves resOlutely to the last.
When Mr.. McCosky reached his parlor
| again his troublesome guest was not there.
The decanter stood ON the table untouched
three or four books lay upon the floor, num-
| Der of Photographic views OF the Serras were
scattered over the sofa; two sofa pillows, a
newspaper and Mexican blanket lay on the
carpet as if the late occupant OF the room had
triel to read in -ecnm Ient position. A
French window, opening upon veranda,
which never before in the history of the
| house had been unfastened, now betrayed by
its waving lace curtain the way that the fug-
tive had escaped. Mr.. McClosky heaved a
sigh of despair: he looked at the gorgeous
carpet purchased in Sacramento at fabu-
| lous price, at the satin and rosewood furni-
ture unparalleled in the history of Tuolumne
| at the massively-framed pictures on the walls,
and looked beyond it, through the open win
| dow, to the reckless man who, fleeing these
| sybaritic allurements. was smoking cigar
| upon the moonlit road This room, which
had so often awed the youth of Tuolumne in
to filial respect, was evidently failure. 1t
remained to be seen if the Rose herself had
lost her fragrance. 81 reckon jimmy will
fetch him yet,'' said Mr.. McClosky, with pa
rental faith.
He stepped from the window upon the We
randa. But he had scarcely done this before
his figure was:dstected by the stranger, who
at once crossed the road. When within a
few feet of McClusky he stopped. "You per-
sistent old plantigrade," he said, in low
voice, audible only to the person addressed,
and face full of affected anxiety, ''why
don't you go to bed. Didn't tell you to 90
and leave me here alone In the name of all
that's idiotc and imbecile, why do you con-
tinue to shuttle about here. Or are you try
ing to dive me crazy with your presence, as
| you have with that wretched music-box that
I've just dropped under yonder tree? It's
all hour and halt yet before the stage pass
es; do you think, do you imagine for single
moment, that l can tolerate you until then
Ell? Why don't you speakp Are you asleep?
| You don't mean to say that you have the au-
dacity to add somnambulism to your other
weaknesses; you re not low enough to repeat
yourself ,nder any such weak pretext as
that-eh ?"
A fit of nervous coughing ended this extra
ordinary exordium, and half sitting half lean
ing against the veranda, Mr.. McClosky's
guest turned his face and part of slight ele-
giant figure toward his host. The lower por-
ton of his upturned face wore an habitual
expression OF fdstidious discomfort with an
occasional lire of physical suffering. But
! the brow above was frank and critical, and
| pair OF dark, mrthful eyes sat in playful
Judgment over the representative mouth and
its suggestion.
II allowed to go TO bed. Ridgeway," said
Mr.. McClosky, moekly. ''but my girl Jinny's
jist got back flom little tear up at Robin
sons, and amt inclined TO turn ip yet. You
know what girls is.SO thought we three would
jist nave a social chat together TO pass away
the time"
''You mendacious old hypocrite, she got
back an hour ago." said Ridgeway ''as that
! savage-looking escoi. of hers, who has been
| haunting the house ever since, can testify.
My beliefs, that, like an enteIprsing idiot
as you are, you've dragged that girl out of
| her bed that we might mutually bore each
| other"
Mr.. McClosky was too much stunned by
1nrs cvrurnUo of isiusvwuy9 TssrvH.iy snner-
human penetration to reply. After enjoying
his hosts confusion for moment with his
eyes, Rdgeway's mouth asked grimly:
And who is this girl, anyway!'
''Nancy's."
"Your wife's?''
eyes. But look var, Ridgeway," said Nc
Closky, laying one hand imploringly on
Ridgeway's sleeve, mot word about her to
jimmy. She thinks her mothers dead-died
III MISSOURI. Eli r.
Ridgeway nearly rolled from the veranda
in excess of rage. "Good God! Do you
mean to say that you have been concealing
from her fact that any day, any moment,
may come to her ears? That you've been
letting her grow up in ignorance of some
thing that by this time she might outgrown
and forgotten? That you've been, like be-
sotted old ass, all these years slowly forging a
thunderbo-t that any one may crush her
with? That but here Ridgeway's cough
took possession of his voice, and even put a
moisture into his dark eyes, as he looked at
| McClosky's aimless hand feebly employed
upon his beard.
But" said McClosky' s1ook how she's
done. She's held her head as high as any of
'em. She's to be married in month to the
richest man in the county, and''- he added,
cuuningly, Jack Ashe amt the kind o. man
to sit by and hear anything said of his wife
or her relations, you bet. But hush-that's
her foot on the stairs. She cummin.''
She came. don't think the French win
dow ever held a finer view than when she
put aside the curtains and stepped out. She
had dressed herself simply and hurriedly, but
with wOman's knowledge of her best points,
SO that you get the long curves of her shape
ly limbs, the shorter curves of her round
waist ank shoulders, the long sweep of her
yellow braids, the light of her blue eyes, and
even Inc uellcdIe rose OF ner complexion,
without knowing how it was delivered to
you.
The introduction by Mr.. McClosky was
brief When Ridgeway had got over the fact
that it was 2 o'clock in the morning, and
that the cheek of this Tuolumne goddess
nearest him was as dewy and fresh as an in
fant's-that she looked like Marguerite,
without probably ever having heard of Goe-
the's heroine, he talked. dare say, very SEN
slbly. When Miss Jenny, who from her
childhood had been brought up among the
sons OF Anak, and who was accustomed to
have the supremacy of our noble sex present.
ed to her as physical fact, found herself in
the presence OF a new and strange power in
the slight and elegant figure beside her, she
was at first frightened and cold. But finding
that this power, against which the weapons
OF her own physical charms were of no avail,
was kindly one, albeit general, she fell to
worshipping 1t, after the fashion of woman,
and casting before it the fetiches and other
idols other youth. She even confessed to it. So
that in half an hour Ridgeway was in posses
sion of all the facts connected with her lfe
and great many, fear, of her fances-ex-
cept one. When Mr.. McClosky found the
your people thus amicably disposed, he
calmly went to sleep.
1t was pleasant time to each. To Miss