The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-03-26
SELECT STORY.
A WOMAN's CHOICE.
Fyom HArDer's Monthly.

with sunshine, OF cOursep HaS hcr -Iacc'
was ever brighter, fairer, more dainty,
delicate and fine? The color glowed in
her cheek like fame, then paled rapid
Iy away. OF what combination was
composed that subtle bloom, and whence
came that wonderful blue in her eyes?-
so blue that no color was ever on his
palette like it.
She was even more than fashionably
fair, for all this fiIagree and fuss about
her, there was that in the grace and
rythm of her every movement that ap-
pealed to the artistic soul Of LoFrimer.
You viii not, you must not CO. she
murmured, and her tones We're full Of
coaxing anxiety; but her glance wander
ed away to the whirling pairs in corri-
dors, and her foot beat time TO the mu-
sic.
How you envy these dancing der
yishesv said Lorrimer.
No, no. she Whispered In return.
You know l would rather talk with
Won. But was there ever anything so
ravishing as that gallop"
1T is the one dance hate above all
Others said Lorrimer-'s dashing, des-
perate hand -to-hand conflict, that when
you are engaged in. | must be out of
sight and hearingp
Blanche sighed. 1t was doubtful if
she even heard this last remark. Every
faculty of her being was absorbed just
then in that throbbing Of the tumultu-
ous strained galIop, now in the very
height and fervor of its maddsst temp
tations.
And now Mr.. Lennox appeared at the
further end OF the corridor. He put up
his glass and looked upon one side and
the other. Oh, could he be looking for
her, and already the gallop was on the
wanel Blanche's color rose, her eyes
sought eagerly the trained steps of yon-
der Terpsichorean, and Lorrimer knew
that whatever soul was in this beautiful
body had gone out to meet the master
of the dance. All too soon there is moth
ing left him but the glimpse of white
arm and hand upon black dress coat
and away she whirls out Of his sight in
the arms of this Lennox, the emptiest
headed coxcomb that Lorrimer knew.
What could he do but go back to her
prototype, the mountain peak that even
now rested fair and still in the star-lit
valley of New Hampshire? Going from
the train the next evening, the mile and
half to the farmhouse was one long
revelation of beauty.
Lorrimer knew that the sturdy, pow
erful step that strobe past him and was
fast becoming lost in the distance was
that of the son of his land-lady at the
farm, and was dimly conscious of lack
of courtesy in not haiiing him as a COM
panion; but Nature was in one of those
delicious moods that he wanted to be
alone with her, and, besides this, John
Bradshaw was a morose, surly cross
grained boor at the best-a fellow born
in heritage of beauty which he was
sacrilegions enough to despise.
Lorrimer had heard this young man
declare that if the whole mountain were
his own-he would swap it-ravines,
glens, wind-blown SUBMITS, and all-for
q bit of good rolling prairie land, and
from that time Lorrimer had held him
as one who would sell his birthright
for a mess of pottage.
At the breakfast table the next morn
ing Lorrimer did not fail to contrast the
yiands at the farm with those resting at
that moment on the sumptIeus board he
had just left, and remarked to himself
that perhaps the very stint of a luxury
to which they were condemned added to
the'bounty of those palaces of pleasure
wherein the lovely Blanche found her
home during the summer months.
Not that he cared pin for himself
Thanks to the life he led, he was blessed
with the digestion of an ostrich, and
could live upon any sort of food for the
time being; but at the further end of
the long barren table his eyes rested up
on the slim, somewhat bent form of the
village school-teacher; Ter thin little
hand dallies with the spoon in the wretch
ed connection called coffee in her cup,
ON her 6re-blistered plate swims again
4he stingy bit of ham in the sea of turgid
gravy, and in the steam that exhales
from the pyramid of yellow biscuit be-
fore her Lorrimer fancies that he can
see the familiar afrite of saleratus
threatening the poor child's weary day.
He would have taken any trouble just
then to have transported this poor little
blighted woman to the side of the beau
tiful Blanche, and would have tasted
rare felicity in seeing her enjoy what he
estimated as "a square meal And now
she rises from the table and goes forth
TO be the victim of this small Inquisi-
tion in the shape of school.
Lorrimore caught up his sketching
apparatus and Joined her at q turn of
the road. The red dust had already
fallen thickly on her black dress, the
little figure dropped wearily. One Of
her hands had instinctively sought her
forehead and pushed back her hat that
seemed to compress her brain.
'Sdch headache this bright morningl'
she said, smiling family up at Lorrimer.
What blot mnst seem on this lovely
landscape-nothing but tremours Of
nerves and throbbing aches and pains
Isn't it strange in this mountain airT
Not at sll,' said Lorrimer, looking
frst at his knapsack, half inclined &c
drop the one and carry the other.
The imountain air is sadly diluted
when it reaches our bed-chambers, MIS-
Whorton. It comes to us fresh from
the kitchen drain, and is strongly tine
tured by the favor of our breakfast Ia.
bic, only il has the disadvantage of be-
ing live pork in this case. Our noun
tain air is deadly poisonP
do you then thrive upon poisonsf
Nffaa Wha-<or. arl ba~ Aa~tiuu ulanoc