The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-08-09
A MIDNIGHT DRAMA.

-Ionkers Gasstte.
A MIDNIGHT DRAMA.
WHAT sigh was that! Bob Withers
the gentleman in his shirt sleeves before
the mirror, had hcaved that sigh every
night tor ten years, simultaneously with
the act of removing from his head the fine
chestnut wig which conceals the almost
complete destitution Of the natural COW
ering. An element of perplexity has
mingled with this nightly sigh lately
namely, since having wooed and won An
gle McLane in his wig, he has Been screw
ing up his courage to the point of reveal.
ing to her that it is a wig, as he feels in
fairness he ought to do. He has put il
off, and put it of, never finding just the
right opportunity for the confession, until
now the wedding is but month off, and
tine task seems harder, more impossible,
than ever. He is at present spending a
couple of days at the house of the Nc.
Lanes in the country, with view to get.
ting acquainted with the family. For the
sake of enjoying unalloyed the pleasure
of Angles society for this short time, he
has compromised with his conscience by
resolving at once on leaving to write to her
and tell the truth, and by no means pro-
crastinate further.
Meantime the process of getting &C
quainted with the family does not get on
very prosperously. Bob is poor match
from the pate.nal point of view, and a
bitter disappointment to the McLanes.
Nothing but Angles resolute character
could have extorted the grudging consent
which their engagement had at length
received. The family consisted, besides
Angie, of her father and mother, and two
brothers, John aud George. Mr.. McLane
kept his room, being confirmed invalid
John, strong.willed and arrogant in tenn
per, ruled the family with q rod OF
iron-George being kinder. tempered, but
of much less strength of character. An.
gle was the only member of the family
whom John could not rule, and she had
carried the point Of her engagement
against his bitter opposition. Mrs. Nc
Lane was mere shuttlecOck between
John and Angie, receiving an impulse
from one which lasted till the other got
hold of her. John had accepted the en-
gagement with an exceedingly bad grace,
and made scarcely decent pretense of
conceaiing from Bob his contempt and
hostility, and his desire to find any pre-.
text for forcing a quarrel. This was par
ticularly unpleasant and demoralizing to
Bob, because the injury to his own self
respect by the sense of the tacit deceit he
was guilty of as to his wig left him un.
able to meet Johns overbearing insolence
with the quiet dignity he would have liked
to assume.
After going to bed he lay awake a
couple of hours thinking over these EN-.
barrassing circumstances, and the delight
full fact OF Angles love, to which they
were offsets. In the course of his tossings
he became aware that his scal-ring was
not on his finger, and instantly remem-
bered that, after using it for forfeit in q
parlor- game that evening, he had forgotten
to replace it. Vexation at his careless
ness instantly made him wide awake.
The ring must be on the library table.
not, then he knew not where; and, if
there, it might be filched by a servant in
the morning. Associations made it inval-
liable, and he found himself so uneasy
about its safety that he could not sleep.
Perhaps the best thing he could do was to
quietly step downstairs in his stockings
without disturbing anybody, and make
sure about it,
Jumping out of bed he put on part of
his clothes, and, softly opening the door
of the room, went across the hall and down
the stairs to the ground-floor. From the
lower hall he entered the dining-rOOm,
and from that the library.
There on the table his ring glittered in
the titful freight, and. as he slipped it ON
his finger, he felicltated himself on his
successful enterprise. The room was so
charmingly coy that he felt it would be
sin not to linger awhile. So, throwing
himself on a sofa before the crate, he fell
into "A delightful rcverie.
Bob chuckled with cOzy sense of sur
Righteousness as he thought how they
would stare could they see him now. The
subtle pleasure of clandestine things is
doubtless partly the exaggeration of the
personality which takes place as the
pressure of other minds is withdrawn. To
persons OF BOb's sensitive mental atmOs-
phere that pressure is painful when such
minds are hostile, and often irksOme even
when they are friendly, if not in perfect
accord. So that now it was with posi-.
lively vOluptuous sensation that his person.
ality expanded till it filled and felt the
whole room.
The fire burned, and busily flew the
shuttles of his fancy, weaving once again
the often-varied patterns of the future.
those shuttles had little leisure nowadays,
for all the web must be unrxveled and re.
woven, that through it all might run the
golden thread of Angles love-. How
rarely did it light up the fabric, before so
dull and dark!
The bronze mantel-clock sounded with
silvery tinkle the hour of two, but the
sound fell apparently unheeded on the ear
of the dreamer. 1t was full minute be-
fore the impression reached his mind.
Then he stirred and HOused himself.
anNornin ro1,,ct Ht1~r fr.<,,,> ~~c~~>
luptuOus atmosphere of imagination, as
been lying thus full hour, and it was
high time to return to bed. He left the
library and started across the dining room
with hasty step.
Perhaps long gazing at the fire had
dazzled his eyes, or perhaps his haste rem
dered him less careful than when he had
come down. However that NAV be. 3
light-stand which he had easily avoided
then, he now blundered fully upon. II
Bob had been kicking football ho could
not have made q nicer calculation Of
force, and the shock sent the stand com.
pletely over.
1t would have made noise enough any.
how, but 1t must happen that on this
stand the family silver was laid out for
breakfast, and the clangor was similar to
that OF Apollo's silver bow, what time he
let fly at the Grecian host before Troy.
Bob stood paralyzed with horror. Even
the anguish Of . terribly. stubbed toe -
forgotten in an overp0wering sense Of The
awfu! mess he had made, and the unim.
aginable consequences that would 1t once
ensue. As the hideous claneor and clat.
Ter rang through the house, he shrsnk "a.
getner and made himself small, a. II he
could impart . sympathetic shrinkaee to
the noise. The racket to his own can
was splitting enough, but he felt, in addi-
tion: a. If he heard it with the ears of iii re
family, and he wilted before the concep.
uon OF the feelings that were ct that mo.
ment STARTING up in their minds toward the
unknown cause Of it. IgE7G
his nrst rational idea was, to bolt for
ms loom, and gain it beforesanyone W
fairly reused. But the shock had 20
scattered his wits that he could not e once
recoliect his bearings, and he feslixed.
WIN i1descrthAble sensations, that he Vas
lost. He consumed prscioci nomsnis