Litchfield enquirer., 1875-04-15

next square pew to her own, she glared at me like an unfascinating serpent. She srans6xed me.sa Iafelt my flesh creep and my hair crinkle. She hated me from the beginning with the fatal presc1ence some women possess. I think she felt it in her bones that had come there to see the Widow Case, and being man-hater of the most vicious and aggravated type, she determined to keep that precious morsel from the clutch of any man, and dry it for her own use. I heard her tell an old cro- ny on the church steps that was ''city fool -extremest term ofreprobation from her ips-but did not care. School be- gan the 18th of September, and then should see the Widow Case It was enough for me. So wearied through the fiat solitudes of country village till the blessed day came. was at the closed doors of the academy even before It's prin- cipal, the Rev. Philetus Lamb, came with the key. I was first to explore it's atmos- phere of dust, slate pencils, and old hats, for the glazier's art did not flourish in Canaan, and many specimens of head gear as degraded as imperial Caesar
 Stopped hole to keep the wind away"
 The day passed in marshaling crowd of rough boys and giggling girls, but no widow dawned on my disgusted eyes. I ventured to ask the Reverend Philetus if he expected me to teach the sixty odd scholars all myself, and received for an- swer:
 ''No. Sir; certainly not, Sir. I expect the woman-folks along to-morrer. Miss Case she will teach the English branch es--er-grammar nd 'rithmetic nd sing in; Sewsan Jackson she'll sewperintend the prim'ry department; and you'll do classics an g'ometry. I-wen-I-er- do the generalities--gov' 'nment, manners, finances -eF- --cIleet odds and. ends, as it were. I don't do great sight of teach in'."
 ''Lucky for the scholars thought I; but went home without saying so. And the next day, as I was hanging up my hat in the vestibule, I heard the princi- pal clearing his throat violently just be- hind me-
 ''A-ahem! he-e-e-m! NIT. Goddard, Ie'me make ye acquainted with Miss Case. He's our classical teacher, Miss Case. Pleased to interduce yei !"
 Good gracious! there she was. could only bow and choke and burn up to the roots of my hair; for hers was red-unde- niably red; waving and glossy enough, but dark rich red; and her eyes, that looked so deep and sad in the picture, were bright red hazel, the very color of her hair, under penciled brows and curl ing lashes of dark brown. Pensive eyes, indeed! They had the bright, undaunted look of ioness, and her full scarlet lips quivered with secret fun as she looked at my gasping self. I don't blame her now. l almost hated her then. And when l went home at noon I eyicted her picture from my breast pocket with fury. l should have thrown it in the fire, but there was none. Red hair And I had always said and thought that the tortnres of the lnquisition should not induce me to like woman with red hair. And then l remembered I didn't; and then I recollected did. Here had tied myself down to dirty, troublesome, stupid country school for the sake of woman with red hairi One thing I could and would do. After a week or two I would find teaching too much for me, and leave, But that was not all. I had spent whole summer running after this chimera, this fraud, this mistake. was enraged I had to smoke six cigars and take a three mile walk before could think of sleep that night. How I hated the thought of the Widow Case Had not seen nine of them, all homely? How could I have hoped the tenth would look any better? The Case family were not judges of fe- male beauty, evidently. Iexhausted the English language, as far as eiaculations and explosives go. on the still air of the country, till, tired out and shivering, I went home to bed, only to dream of the Widow Case, with a coronal of waving tire above her brow, and two locomotive headlights for eyes, facing me, which ever way I turned, with intent to burn and slay.
 But morning came, ,and to school must go. was late, of course, for delayed till the last moment; and as entered, the Reverend Philetus was winding up long prayer. I sat down just inside the door, and right before me sat the widow, her head bent on chair back, and blaze of sunshine bathing 1t, and changing the deep redness into living, burning gold. Every stray thread that coiled about the white temples or massive braid glittered like a thread of fire: 1t was my dream. In the course of the day saw her many times, and subtle fascination, akin to terror. fixed my gaze on her always. found out that her complexion was delicate as any rose -gleaming pearl shell, her eyes ra- dlant, her voice-strangest of strange charms in New England-sweet, delicate, cultivated: it had as many tones as the -birds-songs of summer; now 1t was deep and sad, now gay and mocking; pleading, ral!y1ng, incisive, acute, full of sarcasm, full of tenderness. I caught myself won dering what it would be inspired by fer vent passion. informed with love. Yes, I am convinced it,was her vcice that subiu- gated me; itcould not have been her beau ty, for she had red hair. I have perhaps betrayed the fact that I avas subiugated before this confession. Idon't know how It was: did not mean to be; I meant not to be: IL was my helplessness, and not my will, consented. She did not behave ln the least like any of my other loves; she treated me at first with a polite indif- ference. could sometimes see q flash of fun in her bronze eyes if was unusually awkward, and know I was often very awkward when I felt those eyes at hand. When she knew me better, she made per- petual fun of me in lady-like way. She was sweetly sarcastic toward my opinions; she openly scorned my supine notions which were really no notions at all-about things in general; she disagreed with me always l never saw so versatile A crea- ture. To this day regard her with cu- rloslty and amazement; for I know no more now than I did then at what poirt she may face about, abandon her position. and utterly rout mine from some new point of attack. I th1nk she would have made wonderful success as strateoist. had she been in the army. Is it necessa- " to say that I retained my position in Canaan Academy-that I felt my service. irksome as it was, better than absence from this strange. efascinating creature, before whom I dally lay more and more helpless, who voye her threads more closely about me every hour?
 i never could tell if she liked me; was afraid she despised me; but I adorsd her. even came to admire her hair; it's red ness hid under the shifting golden gloss of light and shadow; her lips were red, but that rich and waving mass was bronze! was fathons deep in love, as one may say; and there drowned happily, till i began to hear mutterings from friends and