The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1877-06-30

| Well, this was comfort-there was no
denying it. Every day the sweet girl
won upon me. She seemed perfection in
all she did and said Her playing was
exquisite; nor did she depend upon
masters and practice, for her soul was
the depository for beautiful gems of
melody, and she drew them forth at will.
How she had retained her girlish sim
| plicity, the sweet modesty of mien for
which as child she was remarkable, |
never could tell. Certainly, Alice
| Haughton was unlike all other young
| ladies had ever seen. | had rather an
athematized tn, whole class-but Alice
Haughton redeemed them all.
Let me hurry on with my narrative.
Every day | grew more hopelessly en-
amored. She became shy and sensitive
and gave me by her manner occasional
glimpses of hope. / surprised her some
times, singing over softly the songs /
| loved. / saw her read the books /
| and found such passages marked as made
my heart beat more rapidly.
Not long after my symptoms had be-
come thus violent, | received letter
from a younger brother whom I had not
seen for ten years, and then he was a
boy | remembered his extreme beauty.
and my soul grew sick. Impending evil
like horrible vulture tapped its wings
over my head. He wrote me that he
had become prosperous merchant; that
he was coming soon to see me. 1t was
a warm, glowing, impulsive letter, but
strange to say, l crumpled it in my
hand, and threw it in the fire.
1t was a singular coincidence, but the
day he came-as in the case of Alice-I
was called away. When [ returned /
caught the sound of manly voice.
Hate entered and received welcome in
my heart. | went into the parlor; my
brother ran up, his handsome face all
aglow, to greet me, and then returned
to his seat by the side of Alice. He
must have noticed my GOODNESS, my con-
strained demeanor, my abstraction, from
which | was called by Alice's musical
voice.
=" Why, guardy, why didn't you tell
me you had younger brother?'
/" [ thought you would meet him soon,
and the pleasure would be all the
greater" [ answered, bitterly. 1t stung
me to madness to behold him sitting so
near her; to hear them talk together
like old and confidential friends. All
manner of demon thoughts crowded to
my brain. Among them came murder.
[ felt that my countenance must be
awful, and kept myself busily turned
away. Still they chatted, they laugh
ed-oh, how nobly beautiful they looked
together. That evening we were all to-
gether in the music room, Alice at the
piano; | walking, filled with horrible
thoughts; Fred, my brother, leaning
over Alice. How free she seemed with
him. Much too free, it seemed to my
jealous eyes. What business had she to
sing my songs to him? Oh, if they had
seen me took at them. To be sure she
always prefaced her music with this is
guardy's favorite," or 81 often sing this
for your BROTHER" but what sort of balm
was that to such heart as mine? At
last l said "Good night" abruptly.
Alice came to me all anxiety; she asked
me timidly if | was not WELL / could
have howled, "No, hypocrite," but I
Il al
assume: 81 have some business to at
tend to-"
For moment noted that she looked
perplexed, unhappy-but l was still
blinded by jealousy.
/" Look here, Harry, don't 90 to bed SO
early again. said my brother the next
morning, 1T deprives me of good society;
both that of yours and your charming
ward. She did not stay ten minutes
after you had gone. You should not
leave the young folks alone, especially
when one of them is as shy as kitten"
did Alice leave you, them" asked,
suddenly relieved of a great weight.
"Of course she did. What modest
young girl could sit with a stranger
alone; am surprised at you for leaving
us"
Oh, why did ] not disclose to my
brother the great secret of my heart? 1t
would have saved me torture beyond
estimation. But l would not. The evil
one was in me-held absolute sway over
my every faculty.
The next day Fred asked me to walk
with him to the cliff. We went away to-
gether
81 have something wish to say to you,
Harry" said Fred
My heart leaped; my blood was on
fire. | made as if had not understood.
I" Are your nerves steady?" l asked
" Can you stand like this upon the edge
of the bank?"
He paused, looked at me earnestly a
moment, and went forward to try. His
foot was on the very edge; nearer than
mine, his brain might have reeled; mine
did not-until l jostled against him in
stopping. My God, he was over! /
sprang back as if | was shot Not for
thousand worlds would / have ventured
near the edge of the accursed hill.
The day, the week passed. | forgot to
say that Alice on that very day had
gone 10 spend a week with schoolmate.
When she returned she asked for Fred.
l said, waite hing her steadily: "He