The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-08-27

That gave me chance to say something
else 1 wanted to say.
"This is good photograph of Miss
Julia Raymond she takes well hers
is Just one of those faces that look best
in picture, because it is unchanging
she has mere pretty features, but no
expression"
Bessie's face frightened little.
" Some people admire her very much,
she said, family.
CT don't know any one who does"
replied, in careless voice.
Then there was silence I saw Arthur
come home, walk up the steps of the
house without even looking across the
street, go in, and presently appear at
the window of his room directly oppo-
site us. Bessie sat with eyes downcast,
her color changing from red to white,
her bosom heaving with the tumultuous
beatings of her heart, her poor little
hands all in qulver.
The young man may have given
swift glance across, but it was only
glance. He closed one of his windows,
and, since the wind was now high,
closed the blinds too, all but one e-half
and then he disappeared. He had been
wont to sit there, and, with some pre-
tence of reading a book in his hand,
keep watch on the girl over the way.
Both of them happy in that companion
ship, though perhaps they did not bow,
even, to each other.
looked at Bessie as the last blind
was closed, and scarcely could restrain
an exclamation, so pale had she grown.
For moment, she seemed on the point
of dropping out of her chair. But as
she did not look up, I kept silence.
Poor child That shutting of blinds
seemed to her, knew, like shutting
her out.
The wind rose, and beat the trees,
and twisted off leaves and branches. 1t
shook the windows, banged the blinds,
tore off slate from roofs. and carried it
about like feathers. Underneath our
window, it bent street lamp off its
post, and scattered the broken glass
about. There was a roaring in the
chimneys, a crash every moment, as
some shutter, skylight, or fence went
by the board. From our sheltered win
dows we looked out on the storm; l
with that interest which such freaks of
nature are calculated to inspire Bessie
with the cold listlessness of a creature
half senseless. She never said word,
only glanced on piece of paper that
lay on the window ledge.
After while, began to suspect that
Mr.. Arthur Blake was not so very far
away from the front of the house, as he
would have us think. A glimpse of a
coat-sleeve was vouchsafed me from be-
hind the blind that was half shut and
| T Il hot
not look or motion of the pallid girl
at the other window was lost on him.
While [ looked, the wind rose in one
of its most fearful gusts it caught the
maple tree under the window, and bent
it's head to the earth it carried on its
wings leaves, dust, tiles, states, every
thing it could catch +; it suddenly dash
ed in pane of glass, and the next mo.
ment it caught and carried out the slip
of paper on which Bessie had been
scribbling for the last half-hour.
She started up with cry, and tried
to catch it back, leaning into the tenn
pest without thougt of its fury, wide
awake now, and as red as she had been
pale the moment before.
"Oh, what shall do ?" she cried, in
distress. ." I have been writing every
sort of nonsense on that. Oh, what
shall 1 do? Cou / get it by going
out, do you think? 1 should die if any
one were to read it My name is writ
ten there"
The wind seemed fairly to laugh rs
it lifted the futtering slip of paper
straight up in the air, then lowered it
tantalizingly again, only to snatch it
away from the two outstretched white
hands that vainly caught at it through
the rain.
Some one besides me was watching.
Arthur Blake was leaning from his win
dow (now open), and looking over with
eager eyes, that were full OF doubt and
questioning. And, he, too, watched
the floating atom on which, of course,
he bad seen Bessie betraying the wan
derings of her wayward thoughts.
It's my immovable belief that the
wind was reading that paper while ii
held it suspended during the tirst min
ute. For all the world 1t looked as
though two invisible hands of an inv1si-
BILE winged creature held the slip then,
with a whirl and a whistle, darted
across tbs way, flung it into the oppo.
site window, and flew off &c l-t-S.I. -.
somebody's chimney over. or wrench
away skylight. o, u;oa possia
standing in the middle OF the room %n
with her hands over her face. p, WI"
shall .a &c slip of paper was flung in a
his window, Arthur Blake grasped 1t
and disappeared a moment Perhap
If was not what is called strictly honor
able, but, of course, he read every wore
of it.
II couldn't have taken him long TO
in about three minutes the street-doo
of the house opened and out he cam
into the storm and, in spite OF gus
and missile, straight across the stree
TO our house. 1 heard tremendou
neal of the bell, then step com -ng
stairs. And all the time, there stoo
T Bessie in the middle of the floor, VII
her hands over her crimson lace, an
! her soft, trembling voice repeatln
over and over the helpless exclamation
:: "What shall do ?"
}, The door of the room was tiung ope
n without a knock, and in stepped u
v Young man, with the truant paper
a his hand, his beautiful hair tossed al
drenched with rain, and such lig
e face as gladdened my heart to see.
r. "Bessie |" he exclaimed, lgnorll
,, nv presence altogether.
v She uttered cry, uncovered her ia
/. one instant, covered it again, and tur
4, ed away from him.
1t "My own little Bessie" he sal
a going to her. "How could you belle
W that I cared for Julia2 She told
= 1loI ~, ElyaI Rivars but it was fal,