The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-11-12

lively Walls the lnlANt. VINO Has Ntth
closely examining a spot of ground out
81 my rang Of sight.
=. Eta" laughs.
=. Bury il over again. then, she calls.
in one of those sweet, low-pitched
voices which. be they raised ever 80
high, do not jar upon the nerves.
She fingers a moment, looking down
AZ the child Where j. my opera-glass?
Yes, as thought, pretty face, a very
pretty face. fair and soft, with flicker
inc rose bloom on the rounded cheeks.
and cloudy. golden hair. waving rather
low on the dark, straight brows. The
eyes are dark. too. | think, and the
mouth i firm and Yet tender-a little
haughty. perhaps. but the smile brings
out a tiny dimple AZ each corner, and
shows such white, even teeth that You
don't mind that. Not'a perfect face at
all. not even beautiful one. but sweet
aud fresh and refined, with look Of
purity and health. morally and phySi-
cally, about IL. The figure, a much a
| can see of it, Is light and firm-one Of
thosefgures which cannot be other than
graceful, let them DO what they will.
\ bell clangs in the house luncheon.
Of course. ..Etta" vanishes, and only
blank wall and empty. staring win
dows are left for my inspection Not
I interesting, decidedly not interesting
and up AT home, among the New Eng
land hills, the willows are yelled in
their soft green mist. and wave after
wave of verdure i sweeping up the hill
sides day by day among the great gran
lite powders, grim and gray. Does the
sun shine there. and does the foliage
glimmer. 1 wonder? And are the brown
mountain streams dancing downward,
with their whirling flakes of white foam,
between the messy rocks?
= God made the country" they say;
but He must have had some little hand
in the city too. fancy-at least in the
making Of such creatures as that Eta"
over there.
April 20.-This Eta" is becoming
quite fascinating study-fascinating
because bewildering and perplexing
What Is she? Has the girl two natures,
or i the mystery only in me2 hope
my brain i not giving way under pres
sure: but why does she do sucn pro-
voking, unaccountable things? Not that
any thing she does j. remarkable in it.
self. now that come to think Of il. only
her looks and acts and WAYS at different
times contradict each other so strangely.
After all, 1 believe the difference is in
my own mind, and not in her. How
else can il be that whereas at one time
| feel such a strange attraction toward
her. at another feel an equally strange
repulsion2 No, repulsion is too strong
a word; il i rather an absolute indiffer-
ence, utterly devoid even Of admira-
ton. SO strong has this feeling grown
that the instant she appears / feel,
- Now | shall like her, or, :. Now |
shall hate her," and the instinct never
deceives.
Last night Eta went to ball or
something Of that sort. At any rate she
came 10 the window gorgeous in some
white shimmering stuff, with wreaths Of
pink heath Q .hink) trailing all over it.
She stopped a moment To clasp a brace
let on her round white arm, and the
subtle charm and attraction were
stronger than ever.
a few minutes afterward | saw her in
the parlor. The gas was turned up to
its full height, and the windows were
wide open. Apparently she was posing
and practicing before the pier-glass.
Nothing in that? OF course not. We
all like women TO be at their ease, and
how can they be that If they are not sure
Of looking well, and how could they be
sure of looking well il pier-glasses did
not exist? But surely she need not have
pranced and ambled as she did before
that mirror, with sidewise sweepings Of
her train. with airy fiutterings of her
fan, with bridlings and mincings, perk-
ings Of chin and droopings Of eyelids.
/ was glad when the carriage was an
nounced and the house was left TO dark
ness and silence.
April 27.-No chance Of my being out
and about for two weeks vet, so the doc
tor tells me. Perfect stiffness under
penalty of lameness for life. Wretched
for man in full health TO be tied by
the leg in this way Once in a while /
am tempted to give it all up and 90 out
into life again. / am tired Of fighting
this incessant thirst to be in the midst
Of the stir and hustle. one Of a mass of
struggling atoms. and not a mere solita-
", sluggish, molecUle, a sort Of hermit
crab, sitting here :. my lane = and fight
ing off ennui But-lame for life ?
Well, il wouldn't be pleasant. The
words gave me rather shivery feeling
as they dropped so glibly from the doc
tors lips. To hobble through life
mere distorted wreck Of a man? No, on
the whole, had better eat my heart out
here little longer than to knaw il in
vain for the rest Of my life.
wonder if am becoming too much
interested in that girl over there? Ger
tainly watch for her eagerly, and
count the day blank when have not
seen her, Nonsense, II is only the !
utter lack Of any excitement in my life /.