Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-11-17


ooh, / do like to dance-anything-
I'm very much obliged to you, but /
can't dance again"
The young autocrat in society, whose
invitation to dance had never before been
refused by any lady, looked at Christy in
surprise.
FYou oughtn't to dance with me; I'm
not grown up" said Christy, checking
sob "They all want you to dance with
them"
Mr.. Ross would have laughed if his
politeness would have allowed. He only
said, leaning closer to Christy in the
moonlight, and speaking low:
"But want to dance with you"
And Christy, of course, yielded. What
happy evening that was that followed
| If people looked amazed at Mr.. Ross
dancing with schoolgirl, it was no
matter. He wanted to dance with her,
and the thought made her eyes shine
and her cheeks glow, as she moved
through the quadrille with the prettiest
grace in the world. A waltz followed,
then polka, then another quadrille, and
still she monopolized the lion of the even
ing, apparently to the lions satisfac-
| tion.
"And now," he said, as they returned
to the piazza, knitting his brows over
| his dance-card-" now | must go and
dance with Miss Honoria Clapham. But
l shall come back for you. You will
give me the rest of the dances after sup
per, won't your"
"Oh, haven't you any names on your
card9"
" Not one. But perhaps you would like
to dance with some one else?"
o no; nobody wants to dance with
me-"
"Then you will wait for me here till
after this dancer" he said, hurriedly, as
the music sounded.
Christy felt as if she were in dream,
as she sat alone, the moonlight falling
round her, the music drifting out to her,
waiting for Mr.. Ross to come back.
She had rude awakening therefrom.
A hand grasped her shoulders so harshly
that she almost cried out, and Bellies
voice said, in fierce whisper:
"Go straight upstairs to bed, miss
do you hear me? Go this instantp and
each pause was emphasized with a shake.
"Oh, Belle"
been making yourself ridiculous, and
mamma and l are ashamed of you. Go
straight round the piazza and upstairs" "
Christy never thought of disobeying.
Her rose-colored visions all floated away,
and she went slowly around the house
and up the back way into her little room.
There she sat down in the moonlight,
with wide eyes and burning cheeks. Oh,
what had she done9 And finally all her
wondering resolved itself in bitter
burst of crying
When Belle came upstairs, after the
last guest had gone, and looked in her
sisters room, Christy was lying across
the foot of the bed, asleep, her pretty
dress all crumpled and her cheeks
stained with tears. So her indignation
did not break upon Christy's head till
morning, at the breakfast table,
when her piqued bride sought revenge.
Poor Christyl before the meal was
through she saw herself forward, pert,
bold chit, at whom Mr.. Ross had laughed
in his sleeve, and of whose simplicity he
had made capital.
"If you could have seen yourself
whirling around with that silly smile,
and he playing mock-devotionw
Did he say anything about me,
BELIEF"
BAIL why should he? We had better
things to talk about" said her sister
with little conscious toss of the head
Why need tell of the days that fol
lowed9 Surely every girl will understand
the change that came over Christy's school
girl life. Why say that her cheeks grew
pale, that she had frequent fits of crying,
and that the very mention of Mr.. Ross
name brought guilty flush to hel
cheeks? She would not have met him
for the world, and it would not have
been hard to calculate how many times
? she avoided him on the street; yet even
|, ing after evening she waited, and hoped
he would come. The evening after the
party he had come. She heard HIM ask
for her in the hall, and heard Belle say,
with laugh, that these schoolgirls
always were deep in study, evenings
Then, crouched in the dark, after David
had been put to bed, she listened to his
rare tenor voice as he sang song after
song, his notes blending with Bellies, his
laugh mingling with hers. What a foo
she had been! she drearily thought, as
she closed the French grammar, whose
leaves were wet with tears, and crept tC
bed. He was Bellies beau, that was all.
But after that evening he did moi
come, which was strange for Bellies
beau Nay, more: his lady mother men
toned, in the course of call, that they
would return to New York in the middle
of October.
"We have stayed IN the country much
longer than usual this year." she con,
tinued, land l wish I could persuade
Charlton to go to the city at once"
He wants to stay on Bellies account, y
mused Christy; but wonder he does
not come and see her."
One thing was certain-Belle was un-
|, usually cross; so cross that Christy was
fain to do her studying out-of-doors OIL
locked in her own room. A little sum
mer-house covered with vines was hei
favorite retreat, and thither she repaired
| every afternoon upon returning from
, school. She had no more river expedi
, tions, for, poor child, she was afraid oi
: meeting the proprietor of the scarlet
wherry But, perhaps, the secret of hel
liking the summer-house was because
she could see the aforesaid wherry pass
and repass, and watch the rover from
behind the sheltering vines.
: Two weeks passed. Then crisis
came. One Indian.summer afternoon
when Belle and her mother were out call
ing, Christy was having a romp with the
dog on the side piazza. In the midst o.
, this romp she was Mortified to see Mr.
Ross entering the street gate. Her frs
impulse was to run away; but, knowing
, that he had seen her, there was nothing
, for it but to meet him with flaming
cheeks and disordered attire. The darl
eyes that had haunted her waking anC
| sleeping dreams so long were lit by {
merry smile,
Why, Miss Christy, if had not jus
, shaken hands with you should hav'
supposed you a myth, he said, with ont
of his bright laughs. " What are yol
going to say to me in excuse for running
, away fortnight ago and keeping ava,
ever since? Do YOU know YOU robbed