River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-01-25
A SMALL BOY.

ION i say, SneS out, SAID small
Ned, as he opened the door. "She's
gone to the dress-maker S, but she'll
be back soon, cause she's got to friz
her hair for dinner. Come in and
watt
| accepted the invitation, and in
stalled myself in the easiest chair in
the parlor, after rolling it to the bay
window, so as to command view of
the street, while Ned 'histed' him.
self, as he called it, on a marble-top-
ped table beside me, and sat there,
with the crispy chez mess of early
boyhood, whistling am swinging his
feet.
Ned was chap of ten years, with a
remarkable memory-as | was fated
to discover-the youngest brother of
Miss Victoria Conrad and Miss Vic.
toria Conrad was a handsome dash
ing clever girl whom had met at a
picnic the preceding summer and with
whom had Immediately fallen des-
perately in love.
use the word desperately" adj
visedly, for it was my first really seri-
Gus ENHANCEMENT, and my charmer.
being thorough mistress of the arts
by which young and susceptible male
hearts are subjugated, had enthralled
me most completely.
True, before | cast myself at her
| feet. l had felt great tenderness for a
| sweet little third or fourth cousin of
mine, slight pale young girl, with
hair of the faintest gold and eyes of
the softest blue, and an innocent,
| trusting, child-like look in her pretty
| face.
But beside Miss Conrad, with heI
magnificent form. glorious auburn
tresses, and wonderful big black eyes
May Newton faded into insigniiicance
1t was though one placed delicate,
cream-colOred lily in the same vase
with a gorgeous, flame-dashed-wit
crimson-leaved. brown-throated glad
iole.
And so / found on becoming ac
quainted with Miss Conrad, that my
feeling for May, which had existed
ever since our earliest childhood, was
only tenderness, while my feeling
for Victoria, although but three
months old, had already amounted t.
a passion.
But in spite of my infatuation FOL
the latter, was not blind to the fac
that she was finished coquette, and
didn't half like the way, after the very
decided encouragement she had giveI
me, she firted with my intimate
friend Charley Thornton. Sometimes
indeed, it flashed upon me that there
was an old love affair between then
which had not entirely ended ever
now, and it was after one of thes'
flashes | had sought her house, deter
mined to discover what her real feel
ings toward me were, and resolved
that when left her it should either b.
as an accepted or rejected sutton.
To speak frankly / had every reason
to believe that il would be an accepted
one. in spite of flashes, For as mucl
as Thornton was distinguished b!
Miss Conrad above her other admir-
ers, just so much had | been of lat
distinguished above Thornton. AM
we two were equal in age, looks, fam
lily, education, land our lady-lov
thought fortune. | say our lady-loy
thought, for the truth was, compares
to me Charley was poor. How Itch
was | had taken care should not b
known for although only three-and
twenty, had already grown tired o
p single life, with its attendant board
ing-houses, and was looking for
wife, with view to a comfortable
home of my own. And like Lore
Burleigh and other romantic poetica
fellows, | wanted to be loved fer my
self alone.
Only Charley Thornton knew of m.
recently inherited wealth, and him
had bound by all that is sacred II
friendship not to disclose it.
$50 in singing me out for favor,
argued, "VictOria leads me to SuppoS
she loves me. And if she consents t,
become my wife, that supposition vii
turn into happy certainty, for sh
certainly, with her beauty and talents
might make much finer match thai
the one offer her. And what deligh
it will be when the words are said tina
seal my happiness and make her all m.
own, to see her resplendent eyes grow
larger and brighter as she learns tina
in accepting a few thousands, she ha
become the mistress of half mil
lion -
But to go back to the small boy
|
ious to enter into conversation.
Il saw" he bluIts out at last, ''dC
you like to look at photographs
Charley Thornton does. lie and VII
looked at this book taking one from
the table on which he sat-''fol
more n an hour the other day. like
rim. He gave me two white mice anC
guinea-pig the cat ate the white
nice, and the guinea. pigs dead. Bu
they wasn't looking at it all the time
either. They was talking. You
pictures there, you know. lie used
to be on the other page, but he coaxet
Vic to put it somewhere else"
"Why :" | asked, ceasing to watcl
for the coming of my divinity, anC
turning toward the small boy will
awakened curiosity.
/" Cause" said Ned, evidently try
ing to repeat the very words caus'
he couldn't bear even his picture &
have always before it the face of hi
rival, his succe1sful-yes. that's it
his successful rival.
My heart gave bound. She die
love me, then. Poor Charley
Sand what reply did your sistel
make to that % | asked
.sOh she said nonsense but sh'
took the picture out-Charley' you
know-and he kissed her hand, anC
she carried it up to her room, and it,
there now hanging between thu
sHuCuenot Lovers and His Only
Friend He's a poor bare.footed bo!
a-lying fast asleep in the road, and hi
only friends a dog-one of them bis
fellows, you know
Eyes, yes" | interrupted, rather i'm
patiently Il know all about it.
Ned, evidently somewhat offended
was silent for about three minutes, ant
then began again. sob, my. didn'i
they talk that day! Vic sent word t.
everybody else that came that she wa
out. Wasn't that whopper | wa
snuggled up on the sofa over in Una
dark corner there, and they didn't SCI
Il \