New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-18

her head away, and held her parasol be-
tween, how we're you to know her from
Adam : declare to you, couldn, arrive
affirmed that she was tall. he added the
next instant: "Now l come to think on it,
she stepped might quick; so ! guess she
must ha' been short"
By the time we reached the hotel, I was
in a state of fever; opiates and lotions had
their will OF me for the rest of the day. l
was glad to escape the worry of questions.
infections of the voice which are meant to
soothe, and only exasperate. The next
morning, as l lay upon my sofa. restiul,
patient, and properly cheerful. the waiter
entered with boquet of wild flowers.
who sent them" asked.
IL found them outside your door cir.
Maybe there's q card; yes. here's bit .
paper"
opened the twisted slip he handed me.
/ and read: "From your de!l--and mine." !
! took the flowers; among them were two or
| three rare and beautiful varieties, which !
had only found in that ons spot. Fool,
| again! noiselessly kissed while pretend
| ing to smell them. had them placed on q
| stand within reach, and fell into state Of
! quiet and agreeable contemplation.
! Tell me yourself whether any male hui
man being is ever too old for sentiment,
provided that it strikes him at the right
| time and in The right way! What did that
bunch of wild flowers bstoken: Knowl-
edge first; then sympathy, and, finally. en-.
! couragement, at least. Of course she had
| seen my accident from above; of course she
had sent the harvest laborer to aid me
home. It was quite natural she should
! imagine come special. romantic interest in
the lonely dell, on my part, and the gift
took additional value from her conjecture.
-Four days afterward there was hop in
the large diningroOm Of the hotel. Early
in the morning fresh bouquet had been
left at my door. l was tired OF my enforced
idleness. eager to discover the fair IN.
known ishe was again fair, to my fancy,
and ] determined to 60 down. believing
that q cane and a crimson velvet slipper on
the left foot would provoke q glance of
sympathy from certain eyes, ana thus en-.
able me to detect them.
The fact was tho sympathy was too gen.
eral and ELUSIVE. Everybody. it seemed,
came to me with kindly greetings; seats
were vacated At my approach; even tat Mrs.
Huxter insisted on my taking her warm
place at the head Of the room. But Bob
Leroy-yOu know him-as gallant q gentle.
man as over lived. put me down at the
right point, and kept me there. He only
meant to divert me. yet gave the only place
where I could quietly inspect all the
younger ladies. - dance or supper brought
them near.
One of the dances was an old fashioned
cotillon, and one of the figures, the ''co.
guette." brought every one in turn before
me. I received a pleasant word or two
from those whom knew. and long, kind,
silent glance from Miss May Danvers.
Where had been my eyes! She was tall,
stately, twenty five. had large dark eyes.
and long dark lashes. Again the changes
of the dance brought her near me. threw
Tor strOve to throw unutterable meanings
into my ewes. and cast them upon hers.
She seemed startled, looked suddenly away,
looked back to me and-blushed. I knew
her for what is called "a nice girl''-that is,
tolerably frank, gently feminine and not
dangerously Intelligent. Was it possible
that ] had overlooked SO much character
and intellect!
As the cotilfon closed she was again In
my neighborhood, and her partner led her
in my direction. ] was rising painfully
from By chair, when Bob Leroy pushed me
down again, whisked another seat from
somewhere. planted it at my side. and there |
she was!
She knew who was her neighbor. plain. |
~ saw: but in turning toward me, she |
began to fan herself in . nervous way and
to fidget with the buttons Of her gloves.
grew impatient.
"Miss Danvers" said. at last.
"Ohr' was all her answer, ~ she looked |
at me for moment.
"Where are your thoughts Z" asked.
Then she turned, with wild, astonished |
eyes. coloring softly up 10 the roots Of her |
hair. My heart gave sudden leap.
"Iow can you tell. if can not :" che !
asked.
MAY guess:'
She made slight inclination of the head,
saying nothing. I was then quite sure.
'Ths second ravine. to the LETT Of the |
main driver
This time she actually started; her color |
became deeper. and leaf of the ivory fan !
snapped between her fingers.
"Let there be no more a secret" ex. |
claimed. "YOur flowers have brought me |
yOnr messages; l knew / should find you |
Full of certainty. was speaking in a |
low, impassioned voice. She cut me short |
by rising from her seat; felt that she was |
both angry and alarmed. Fisher, of Phla. |
delphia, iostling right and left in his haste, |
snatched his ann. chung to it with a warmth |
l had never seen expressed in q ball room, |
and began to whisper in his ear. 1t was |
not five minutes before he came to me |
alone. with a very stern face. bent down.
and said:
"If you have discovered our secret you !,
will keep silent. You are certainly a gen.
tleman."
bowed coldly and sayagely. There was
a draft from the open window; my ankle
became suddenly weary and painful and ] |
went to bed. Can you believe that didn't |
guess. Immediately. what it all meant In /
a vague way, l fancied that had been pre-.
mature in my attempt to drop our mutual
incognitO, and that Fisher. rival lover,
was jealous of me. This was rather flatter.
ing than otherwise: but when l limped
down to the ladies' parlor tie next day. no
Miss Danvers was to be seen. did not |
venture to ask for her. it might seem impor.
tunate. and woman of much hidden
capacity was evidently not to be woOed in
the ordinary way.
SD another night passed by. and then.
with the morning. came letter which made
me feel at the same instant like fool and
hero. 1t had been dropped in the Wamp.
socket postoffce. wac legibly addressed to
me. and delivered with some other letters
which had arrived by the night mail. Here
it is; listen:
''Noso Ig,,oto Haste is not . gift of the
gods, and you have been impatient. with
the usua! resHlt. ! was almost prepared
tor this. and thus am not wholly disap.
discover your mistake. which, 60 tar as
can learn, has done no particular harm. If
you wish to find me, there is only one way
to seek me: should tell you what it is,
should run the rick Of losing you-that is,
/ should preclude the manifestation of a
certain quality which hope to find in the
man who mayor rather must-be my
[rierd. This sounds enigmatical, yet you
nave read enough of my nature, as written
n those random notes in my sketch book,
% guess. at least. how much require. Only
his let me add: mere guessing is useless.
'Being unknown. can write freely. If
,ou find me, ehall be justified; if not,
=, ~ l. 60 I