The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-03-19

hAA t%& ~ 49,
papers having beer put " order by a law
yer. she Assisting In he filing, etc, she had
Ter the first time discovered her obligation
10 me. and wrote to thank me : thus
taraily." she said. | was surprised and
interested to find the letter charmingiy
written, and that of "A cultivated woman
| begged In my answer that she weuld
write again and tell me of her fathers
health. And so we entered into a cores
rondence that grew 10 be very intimate.
Mr.. Delaney fingered In an invalid
state. falling at last into imbecility and il
was a year after his death, when my stu
dent lie was completed and | was ready
10 return 10 my country, after an absence
of eight years. that | found a strange TX
element in the thought OF seeing julia a
strange dread. too. lest this might be the
end Of our friendship deep sense Of the
necessity that had grown in me for the
c~ompanionship of this mind. The depth
of her thought surprised me : her spiritu-
atty elevated me | learned from her while
she was unconscious of it; | consulted heI
on serious matters; her taste and intuition
seemed to me infallible; and all the while
she thought herself in my debt because |
recommended to her the reading of a few
books. whose names She could have easily
found in any library catalogue. .
When | landed In New York late in
June. finding every body out of town, L
wandered disconsolately about the streets.
given over 10 the vendors of old hats and
strawberries, putting of the hour when |
should take the tram for B.
| realized that there must be a change in
my relation with Julia-that the purely
intellectual companionship possible in a
correspondence kept up at a distance must
in the shock of meeting be either quite
overihrown, or turn TO an emotional AZ
fiction. The first | could not face the
last seemed possible. The image of
Julia. too plump, with a white
dress fastened at the hack, her chestnut
hair. wild and curly. falling on her neck
and about he- blushing and round face.
laughing, shielding her bushes with her
plump hands-constantly rose TO my mind.
1t wa pretty enough. /; was not all my
ideal. returned TO my hotel and read
half a dozen of her last letters. Yes, this
was the woman who could be my COM
panion and helpmeet. who would expect
of me my highest self. and give me a ten
der and comprehensive ;love-if she gave
me any. | paused. She was not a woman
TO be lightly won-this woman of the let
tiers. Suppose she cast me of. and | went
all my life missing what | had almost
known. She might not like me when she
saw me. / might have a dozen unknown
rivals. She had never mentioned any n
10 me in this connection. Yet we had
written of love ~abstractly. OF friendship.
of marriage. Her ideal was a high one.
would not go; Iwould write. IL wa
easier TO write than begin a new relation
viva zoe passed three more disconso-
late lays awaiting her answer. and the lit
tie note in my pocket was all that came.
The delays of the train | was in caused
me much anxiety. as IL was TO connect with
the last one, that evening, 10 B. The
conductor repeatedly assuredly me that il
was all right" but 1 found il all wrong
BY the space of three minutes when /
alighted al the station, and there was moth
ing To do but 70 put up at the hotel for the
night. Ii was a hotel much frequented by
summer visitors on account of its vicinity
10 many attractive places, easily reached
by parties OF pleasure. to which end the
roads Were sown with mile-stones and
sign-posts, which were an aggrayation to
behold, especially by the one setting forth
that IL was forty miles 10 B. Perhaps
1 could get q horse 10 take me there. in
situated as much to the keeper OF the
hotel. but he informed me that there wasn't
a horse left in the village. as a large party
had taken advantage of the full moon TO
visit and keep within sound of a remark
able waterfall.
The piazza and a cigar proved no conso-
lation ia my restless frame of mind. |
took my newspaper into the parlor to read
1t by the usual kerosene lamp, which stood
on the usual worsted mat and marble
topped table. The identical cheap engrav-
ings common to all country inns Of my
native land stared Familiarity at me from
the white walls, the horse-hair sofa stood
u~nc0mfortably in the corner. and certain
ferrotypes and photographs Of people with
an undue proportion of lands adorned the
mantel-piece.
The paper had nothing in it. Itook out
the note. The words had ceased TO have
any meaning TO me. / went TO the win
dow that looked out upon the piazza, at
tracted by heavy footsteps. They were
those Of an old lady VINO tramped in the
moonlight YEARLY, dragging her shadow
behind her with a comic expression of
futile hurry. Now she turned and retraced
her steps, seeming 10 chase the unfortunate
shadow with a conscientious, bordering
haste. as If she was anxious lest In her un-
wieldiness it should get there before her.
With thai puerile interest that small things
have for us In moments of excitement. I
stood watching her till she turned the cor
ner Of the piazza and left my exterior
world ~unpeopled.
was bordering on the effect little
things have upon us, how undoubtedly
old lady had set some seed In nv mind
to bear fruit Of some kind. some DAY, when
we had both fogotten this day and hour,
when " other people came into my
world-a lady and gentleman.
They had seated themselves before I
noticed them. The lady. whose back was
TO me, threw off the black lace
that she had worn over her charm.
ing head. and famed herself with q quaint
fan made Of black ostrich feathers. Her
dress was Of gauzy black. with many well