Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-03-19
MISS DESMOND.
BY HAnRnr rnrscorr srorronp.

pearls. young and lovely face, all
white and pink, with a cloud of bright
hair about the forehead with little, spark
ling teeth; with gray, shining eyes, now
showing the waxen lids and their long
fringes, now wide open and eloquent
with the dilating darkness of their pupils.
Miss Fsnny Desmond. Poor but honest,
she would have told you, with long
shudder, half real, half affected, over the
first word of the sentence. ooh, why,
why couldn't dearUld Grandpa Desmond
have broken into bank sixty years ago,
or have cheated the revenue, or have
brihed Legislature, or have done some
other dreadful thing that brings in mon.
eyp she would cry. People would have
forgotten all about it, or they would only
call 1t some irTegularity in his accounts,
and should be rolling In wealth instead
OF struggling to make both ends meet.
Roman pearls, indeed, cracking all over
with lhe frosll And this old nix silk
the fourth season-Ohl how l loathe i'll
oh, what made you be so honest, Grand.
pa Desmondw Then they all laughed ut
her comical despair: everything sounded
pleasantly from those rosy lips; nobody
thought 1t meant more than that Fanny
Desmond disliked dependence, and loved
wealth and ease and fine surroundings.
Everybody wished she had all she want
ed. for she was so sweettempered to the
women, so bewitching to the men, that
there was no heart to wish her anything
else. She was helping Helen Denver
loop her lovely satin train, just as if she
didn't envy it to distraction, and giving
1t the final twirl and touch of style with
g out which much of its splendor would
have gone for naught; she was fastening
the diamond knobs in Rosa Humphreys
ears, or showing Anna Humphreys the
last new notion in hair-dressing, of which
she had caught the knack by instinct,
but which their Celeste could never man.
age; buttoning Mary Vance's gloves,
whispering a word of praise to this one,
giving that one her sweetest smile, max
ing them all feel that, if Fanny Desmond
had not been there, there would have
been an aching void.
Well, it was not only Helen and Anna
and the rest to whom it would have been
an aching void. What a legion of lovers
there were, moreoverl Not exactly con-
fessed lovers, but moths lowering round
the flame, two or three of them with
singed wings, indeed, and one who sell
dom suffered her to be seen unless he was
beside her. That last was Arthur Ormes
by, fascinating fellow whose gallant
ways and handsome face, perhaps whose
gold-lined purse-who knows?-made
Fanny turn more kindly to him than to
another. Other lovers of Fannys had
been handsome, others had had gallant
airs, but then Arthur had heart-taking
way with him that might have prevailed
almost anywhere without thought of his
purse. And yeti can't say-it must be
confessed that it had occurred to Fanny
when she first met him that the Ormesby
residence, the Ormesby equipage and
the Ormesby bank account must be very
charming things to have-were, in short,
IN very fortunate conjunction with
Arthur Ormesby's personality.
what 1t was about young Mr.. Ormesby
that pleased her so she could hardly tell.
a certain high breeding and refinement
not inconsistent with that dashing man
ner were very agreeable. Where the one
captiva'ed the other detained. Then his
gayety was delightful, his easy way of
conquering difficulty, of pushing aside
trouble. He had been half over the
world, and could entertain you till you
quite forgot what o'clock It was, and
that 1t would be thought the strangest
thing for you to be lingering on the
piazza SO when every one had gone up
stairs; and for the rest she would have
been absurdly without sensitility if she
could always have met that smile, the
glance of those eyes, without the least
answering stir about her heart. Per-
maps, nay, certainly, she did not love
Arthur Ormesby as yet, but her feelings
were IN that state in which it needs only
the least touch to set the perfect crystal.
And thus gradually and gently the other
lovers had gone to the wall
How different he was, she thought
from Mr. Harden, for instance, the poor
olG schoolmaster at homel Old? Well.
in comparison. A dozen years older
than herself, to be sure, and perhaps
half dozen years older than Arthur.
And poor, certainly; for what did he
have In the world except that little house
half-covered with Virginia creeper and
his pitiful salary as head of the schools
Mhat, indeed, except a great loving
heart that wanted to take her in and
wanted to infold her foreverP That
wanted to-that had done so, whether
she would or not, and that would ALWAYS
hold her, she knew, let her go what way
she would and marry whom she might,
as tende,l ly as If she were still the child
tnat ne had taught and watched and
cherished Yes, he was very nice; she
was very fond of him She didn't know
whaLshe would do if she didn't have
Mr. Harden to go to with her troubles;
Dut then-but then; iron-gray hair
bushy brows, burly frame; no mystery
no romance; acquainted from habyhood
oh, 1t was all a mere dark shadow be. |
side lheIlight of Arthur's exquisite grace |
and beauty and slender symmetry, his |
gayety, his tact, his ready viii, his ready |
money! And suppose she had married |
MT. Harden at that time when be began |
10 speak and she knew what was coming |
Of Il In. - 3
nnlsh though il hurt her to do il. what
would have been her fateY A serge for
her best dress; ride once in a while in
an old one-horse chaise; a class In Sun.
day-school; looking over the cbildren's
compositions; taking a turn at the dust |
ing; neiplng Saturdays at the baking
ana she hated 1t all sol 1t might be |
pleasant enough sitting sewing sunny |
mornings in the little Oriel room over the |
door and looking down the long fields. |
between stitches, where the cloud.shad |
ows were sailing over the clover-the |
little room where Mr.. Harden had built |
me orel, the more than guessed, for |
her. IL might have been pleasant |
sittlng 0y tD winter fire in the study. |
with Mr.. ID. den reading her some as. |
struse thing aud makingit clear by his |
running commentary. Yet what an es |
Ss-FS' eho Couiuu neIp saying now. For |
l, she had ever thought that could he |
pleasant 1t was before she had known |
Arthur Ormesby; before she had been |
driven behind that superb team of Witch |
and Warlock, had been told of the de. |
lights OF the old Ormesby House and its |
laoyrinthine gardens that were waiting
Tor Arthur to bring a bride to stroll |
through their fragrant alleys; before she
had heard that deep voice, had felt her
n md locked In that sudden clasp, had
been fiattered by the multitude OF those
attentions for one Of which the other
girls were signing. And et--yes, it is
tfpe-there was something about Arthur
Ormesby that did not thoroughly and ab.
solutely please the girl. She knew that
he was half ia love with her, but she was
conscious that u was with her pretty