Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-11-26
POND LILIES.

| the Oak Hall Store.
r-.:-a-.t, -: a.
POND LILIES.
Little May Marchmont held up i;
handful of those fresh and fragran
flowers, just as Lon Harrison, The
favorite guest of Schroon Lake, pass
ed by with the aristocratic Miss Heller
Hartley. Lon with characteristic
good nature, lifted the tiny giver and
kissed her heartily on both cheeks
Miss Hartley thanked her with /;
pleasant smile, and the couple went
their way.
GA desperate tlirtation," the care
locker on called it; but there were
those who believed this intimacy
something more ser ons than ordinary
Irritation. The young lady's hand il
his arm must have been more tasci
mating than ever, for Lon, after ;
careful contemplation, remarked gay
ly:
"If there is anything'under HEAVIER
that can cnhince the beauty of :
beautiful hand, Miss Hartley, tha
thing is Il bunch Of water lilies.
have been trying to admire them sep
prately; but one might as well try to
enjoy the mountains without the lake
or the lake without the mountains
''It seems to me, Mr.. Harrison, thai
the grandeur of your smile is rather
inappropriate for so insignificant 8
subject"
''It seems to me that your choice OF
adjectiveS, Miss Hartley, is decidedly
malapropos. How dare you call any
anything insignificant which so plain
ly bears the mark of divinity? o.
more account than lakes, mountains
or the great world itself, is one sucl
little hand rs this, because it speak,
to lis OF lite imperishable, life eter
nal"
Miss Hartley was silent. Some
thing within her rushed forward tc
argum ut; but something else more
powertul-something which had be
come second nature with her, viz.
the habit Of repression-ruled the
impulse down, and she walked OH
without Il ord
81 hope | haven't dispIeased you?'
said Lon, after 2 moment. "rhos,
lilies started me off, and"
"Why should | be displcased?" she
answered. 81 was trying to think i
little, that is all"
I'm which You are wiser than |.
always think aloud"
Miss Hartley was a Virginian by
birth-a Northener by cducation.-
To the world, generally, she was cold
and imperious; to few, a very few
intimate friends she was sympathetic
aad unreserved. TO Lon Harrison
whose glasses were clearer than most
young men, she was a 'pertect wo-
man, nobly pl nned.''
1t had taken him considerably
longer to make up his mind about
her than was usually necessary; but
the analysis had been one of the
pleasantest studies of his life.
He had doubted at one time hel
capacity for feeling; but this was
finally set to rest by little inciden,
which served a double purpose. 1t
showed up his own heart, as well as
the nature of the young lady under
scrutiny. One of the servants in the
hotel had been taken very Ill, and the
news brought to the piazza where q
number Of guests were sitting. Lon
observed that Miss Hartley alone was
silent. Amid the storm Of ooh!
oh's!" and "Ah,. who!" and GLOW
sad"' and "What a PITY" not a sound
was uttered by her.
"How very DREADFUL" said one OF
the most garrulous Of the guests to
Helen. ellis agony is excreciating
they say, and the doctor says he mus,
die!"
Even then she did not speak. Lon
looked on and wondered. A few
moments after she had slipped quietly
away, and when tea time came, Miss
Hartley did not occupy her accustom
ed seat. Two hours after, Lon sent
to her room. "Miss Hartley wishe.
to be excused this evening"" said the
messenger, "she is very busy"
At midnight, Lon, deep in thought
sauntered out to the back of the
house. From this point both noun
,ains and lake were very beautiful
The soft, tender moonlight developed
|the whole scene, and Lon shiyered Il.
he found how far he was from being
satisfied in the midst of all this
beauty. Three months before, sucl
surroundings would have completely
absorbed bin; now there was a vac
um which all the beauty Of nature
could not fill. Annoyed and alarmed
at the discovery, he tried to solac.
himself with the reflection that the
woman who had taken so fast hole
of his affections was OF a nature toe
cold and unsympathetlc to make hin
happy, even supposing he could viii
her-which last seemed to him i'm
possible. This was something ht
had always fattered himself coult
never happen to him. "ln love with
a girl who will never love me?" he hal
laughed to himself; "and worse thar
that, with woman whose disposition
| can not even re~pect--self-contain
ed!-haughty! Bah! what a fool
ami"
That very moment he looked up
To see Miss Hartlay standing h1, ont