Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-01-24

ty made itself felt in everything
She felt that quotation from the
5 common little song just as anybody
: might have done, careleSsly, and
manifestly without a thought of eff
: feet, yet | do not believe there was
, a man at the table who heard it
| from her lips unmOved. Even Web
} ster lifted his eyes to her with
sullen admiration tribute which he
was as unwilling to give as she to
ceive, but which was forced from
him against his will.
My pledge of friendship, l am con-
strained to admit, did not advance
me as | could have wished with Miss
Knowles. A certain degree of pro-
greSs she allowed me to make, but
never one step beyond. Oddly
enough, it wasa kind of disagree
ment which served me most. and
which came about in this way
One evening mad been reading to
her, and had just closed the book
as twilight came on, when my at
tention was attracted by a newly
married pair in the balcony oppo-
site, who regardless of the double |
row of houses, were indulging in
some of those demonstrations pecu-
liar to the honeymoon. 1t would |
only have amused me, as usual, but |
for the effectit had on Miss Knowles. |
Ii shall never forget her look nor her |
tone-the mixture of pity, contempt |
and something that was almost like |
envy, as she said under her breath
''She thinks it will last!-poor foel!"
Involuntarily quotation from the
volume we had been reading togeth-
er came to my lips: 81, too, have
been in Arcadiap' l should hardly
have known that l had spoken aloud
but for the way in which she turned
on me.
"What suggested that to you?p
she said imperiously. "Tell me,
insistr'
"The expression of your face just
now," | answered, smiling. ''There
was a whole romance in it." |
"Indeed!'as he rejoined, with
deliberate emphasis, contrasting
with her former abruptness, ''that
must be an agreeable pastime, try
ing to surprise faces off their guard!
Perhaps you are going to favor me
with other revelations gained in the
same way?"
Aside from the sudden, most I'M
welcome conviction that l had in
deed CHANGED in some jarring chord
in the past, Twas so taken aback bv |
her cold and cutting manners Of
speaking as to be literally without
words to reply. l could only look
at her, but she understood my look,
| suppose, for the next moment she t
said in very different tone: l beg G
your pardon, sincerely, Mr.. Denvers; t
you have right to your thoughts,
and it was l who forced you to S
explain them. Only"-and she
gave forced smile-"take my ad-
vice, don't waste your time in study e
ing my face, the romances you /
might read there might not be good
for much in any sense. And now for e
give me!'' And she reached out her t
hand to me. [ took it and held it n
a moment while our eyes met. What t.
she read in mine don't know, but, s.
whatever it was, it did not appear to s.
please her, for she drew her hand o
away quickly with slight frown.
Still, as l said, after this, though h
she did not admit me to any more o
real intimacy, her manners were less tt
formal and more friendly. Il
Meantime, while / was, as | hop s;
ed, making progress in her good fl
graees, events were working to briug f;
TO the surface the latent feud be-
tween her and Mr.. Webster. That e,
gentleman had taken to de- il
voting himself somewhat demonstra- b
lively to Miss Rosa Morrell to the t.
manifest discontinue of Mr.. Eugene 81
Oeblay, but not ofMiss Rosa her p
self, who, like, most school girls, was a.
IN arrant little firt, and had not the h
slightest objection to any number of p
trings to her bow. She did not al
,heck Webster's rather pronounced
elicitations on the occasion of her tc
9th birthday, but replied with W
ook at once shy and saucy, and h,
Iuite enough to turn any head not hi
urned already, and she went off IN
aughing to school, Miss Knowles W
Ooked after her with a kind and Y
vistful tenderness. Fl
sixteen to-dayr" said she.
What must it seem like to be 16, l re
Vondern' ts ....- "
81 am %, she said, gravely." bt
''Only six years, then"
"0nly six years" she echoed pc
only six ages! That child is just 81
life, and L" 81
"And you-?" [ repeated, as she te
aused, lost in thought, apparent 81
y" pi
'T-must be going to my schol- pi
rs" she rejoined, with a quick look gl
alf suspicious, half mischievous, at tn
lie, as she started up.
"Iiresome little animals, as Mr.. be
horn rightly called Them" said l, to
sing too. As we entered the hall, ca
ne street door was just closing on yC
Webster.
"Will that be a match do you an
link?" asked, the sight ofhim re- l
linding me Of the subject. $50 ,-- na
"Good heavens!' exclaimed Miss dc
movies, stopping short and gazing yc
nxiously in my -'Rosa4Miss IL
Iorrel and Mr.. Webster do you k
iean? Do you see any real reason nc
II asking such a question:" ha
"Only human nature in general. co
ld-it you will excuse my saving
}, of your little friend-AIiss Nor pc
rs nature in particular l don't te
link if l were in Webster's place, W,
should despair" on
Rosa is thoughtless, but l can m
ot believe" She did not finish ed
er sentence, but, with knit brows, tn
alked off, declining, as she invari- as
Die did, my company on the way. in