The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-01-25


Grgaw,
For It haUa.s uy hraia lac murder, and j.,
burag,h hac caal.
And that las. fary0cu is ringing like a curisv
through my soul. w. {. Il.
A SMALL BOY.
'Obi / say. she's ont. said small
Nei. SIS he opened the door " She's
gene 81 the oreSsmaker's, but she'll be
back soon, cause she's soln' % irja her
halr for dinner. Come in and wait
i accepted the invitation, and installed
uvslli n the easiest char IN the parlor.
after rolling it 90 the bay window. 50 as
e. Command q view of the street, while
Ned "his.al himself, Is he called il, ON
. marble top table beside me, and Say
there. with the crispv cheekineSs Of early
hoyhool, vhss,Ang and swinging his
fest.
Nei vas chap u ten Years. with a
rcmarkab-e mewllN-aS | Was fated T.
disc5vgr-tAe youngest brother Of Miss
Victoria Conrad: ana Miss Victoria Con
A--a- NH --s----+Ha'---Ns N--eN-A---s hAtNtA %tA-
whom l ErG met at picnic the preced-
ing summer. and with whom l had I'M
ue>liatelv fallen desperately In love.
use .ae woul " desperately alvis-
e.lv, for s. WAS my first really serious
eaanglemeut. aud my charner beng
thorough mistress Of the arts by which
Young and susceptible male hearts are
subiusated, had Inthralied me most
completely.
True, before / east myself at her feet.
/ had t-lt "a great tenderness for "a sweet
little tliul lr fourth cousin az mine.
Sigh. pale Young girl, with hair of the
f.iufest gold and ewes OF the softeSt blue.
and an innocent, trusting, chlldLke look
in her pretty face.
But beside Miss Conrad, with her
magnificent form. glorious auburn
tress5s. and wonderful big black ewes,
May Newton faded into insignificance. II
WAS as though one placed a delicate,
cream cclored lily in the same vase with
a gorgeous. Observation-Disclosures
leaved, brown throatei glatGole
And s1 I found. ON becoming acluaint-
al with Miss Conrad. that my feeling Tor
Nay, which had existed since cur earliest
childhood. was only tenderness, while
nv feeling for Victoria, although but
three months old. already amounted to
passion.
But, in spite Of NV iniatuation for the
latter. I was not blind 10 the fact that
she was a finished c1lue5te, and didn't
half Ike the way, after the very decided
encouragement she had given me, she
hlrJed with u.v intimate friend Charley
Thornton. Sometimes, indeed. It flashed
upon me that there had been a love affair
between them which had not entirely
ended even ngw, and 1t was after one OF
these flashes Z had sought her house. de-
terIuluel % discover what her real feel
inEs toward me were, and resolved that
when / left her it should be either as an
accepted or rejected suitor.
To speak frankly. / had every reason
10 believe. IN spite of the flashes, it
would be as IA accepted one. For Us
much rs Thornton was distinguished by
Miss Conrad above her other admirers.
Just 50 much had I been Of late distin-
guishel above Thornton. And we two
were equal in age, looks. family. educa-
ton and jour ladv-loye thoughtl for
tune. say our lady-love thought, for
the truth was. compared to me. Charley
was poor. How rich was had taken
care should not be known; for though
only Internationally, I had already
grown tired Of a single life, with It's at
tendant boarding houses, and was look
ing Tor q wife, with view 10 a comfort
able home of my own. And ike Lord
Burleigh and other romantic, poetical
fellows, wanted 70 he loved for myself
aisne
Only Charley Thornton knew Of my
recently inherited wealth, and him had
bound by all that is sacred in friendship
not 10 disclose t.
So in singing me ont for favor, l
argued, Victoria leads me 20 suppose
she loves NE. And if she consents to
become my wife, that suppositiOn will
turn into o happy certainty, for she GER
tainiy, with her beauty and talents.
might make q much finer match than
the one / offer her Aud what delight il
VIII be when the words are said that seal
my, happiness and make her all nv own.
70 see her resplendent ewes. grow larger
and brighter as she learns that in accept
ing few thousands, she has become
the mistress Of half q million ~
But 10 go back to the small boy.
swinging his feet and evidently anxious
to enter into conversation.
'sI say, " he blurts ont at last. "do
you like to look at photographs? Char
ley Thornton does. BE and Vic looked at
this book taking one from the table
on which he sat" for moren an hour
the other dry. / like him. He give me
two white mice and guinea pig; the cat
ate the white mice, and the guinea pigs
dead But they wasn't looking at it all
the time either. They was talking
Your pictures there, you know. His
used to be on the other page, but he
coaxed Vic to put it somewhere else"
Why?" l asked, ceasing to watch
for the coming Of my divinity, and turn
ing toward the small boy with awakened
curiosity.
Cause" said Ned, evidently trying
to repeat the very words cause he
couldn't bear even his picture to have
always before it the face Of his rival, his
successful-yes, that's this successful
rival
Ny beart gave a bound. She did
love me, then. Poor Charley
9 And what reply did your sister make
to that 2" I asked
"Oh she said nonsense : but she
took the picture Charley's, you
know-ald he kissed her hand, and she
carried it up to her room, and it's there
now, hanging between the 'Huguenot
Lovers aud = His Only Friend. He's
poor barefooted boy lying fast asleep
in the road, and his only friends dog
one Of them big fellows, you know -
g Yes, yes" l interrupted, rather i'm
patiently 4 know all about II. "
Ned, evidently somewhat offended, was
silent for about three minutes, and then
began again "Oh, my, didn't they
talk that day! Vic sent word to every
body else that came that she was out.
Wasn't that whopper? was SNUG
gled up on the sofa over in that dark
corner there, and they didn't see me, and
heard every word they said. Wouldn't
Vic have boxed my ears if she'd caught
mel"
Il wonder what they talked of,"
said to myself, with jealous qualm-to
tell the truth, I'd been a little staggered
by the picture episode and then, though