The Portland daily press., 1877-08-11
from Appleton's Journal
A Midnight Drama.
BY EDWARD BELLAMY.

BY EDWARD BELLAMY.
What sigh was that not noisy, but pro-
found and eloquent at once of an old grief
and fresh perplexity. Bob Withers, the
gentleman in his shirt sleeves before the
mirror, had heaved that sigh every night for
ten years, simultaneously with the act of re-
moving from his head the fine chestnut wig
which conceals the most complete restitution
OF the natural covering. The grief is there.
fore an old one, but an element of perplexity
has mingled with this nightly sigh lately
namely, since having woed and won Angie
McLane in his wig he has been screwing up
his courage to the point of revealing to her
that 1t is a wig, as he feels in fairness he
ought to do. He has put it off and put it off,
never finding just the right opportunity for
the confession, until now the wedding is but
month of, and the task seems harder, more
impossible, than ever. He is at present
spending couple of days at the house of the
McLanes 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 resolv-
ing at once on leaving to write to her and
tell the truth, and by no means to procras.
innate further.
Meantime the process of getting acquainted
with the family does not get on very prosper
ously. Bob is poor match from the pa
rental point of view, and bitter disappoint-
ment to the McLanes. Nothing but Angles
resolute character could have extorted the
grudging consent which their engagement
had at length received. The family con.
sisted, besides Angie, of her father and moth
er and two brothers, John and George. Mr..
McLane kept his room, being a confirmed
Invalid. John, strong-willed and arrogant
in temper, ruled the family with rod of iron
-George being kinder tempered, but of
less strength of character. Angie was the
only m ember of the family whom John could
not rule, and she had carried the point of her
engagement against his bitter opposition.
Mrs. McLane was a mere shuttlecock be-
tween John and Angie, receiving an impulse
from one which lasted till the other got hold
OF her. John had accepted the engagement
with an exceedingly bad grace, and made
scarcely decent pletense OF concealing from
Bob his contempt and hostility, and his de-
sire to ind any pretext for forcing quarrel.
This was particularly unpleasant and demon
alizing to Boo, 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 unable to
quiet lightly he would have liked to assume.
After going to bed he lay awake couple
OF hours thinking over these embarrassing
circumstances, and the delightful fact OF
Angles love, to which they were offsets. In
the course of his tossings he became aware
that his seal ring was not on his finger, and
inst tntly remembered that, after using it for
forfeit in parlor game that evening, he
had forgotten to replace it. Vexatlon at his
carelessness instantly made him wide awake.
The ring must be on the library table. If
not, then he knew not where; and if there,
1t might be filched by servant in the morn
ing Associations made it invaluable, and he
found himself so uneasy about its sa fety that
ne could not sleep. Perhaps the best thing
he could do was tO quietly step down stairs
In his stockings without disturbing anybody
and make sure about it. He knew that he
could even in the.dark, steer his way straight
to the library. In this sleepless, excited
state of his mind the slight tinge of adven-
ture in his plan had an attraction.
Jumping out of bed he put on part of his
clothes, and softly opening the door of the
room went across the hail and down the
stairs to the ground floor. 1t vas quite dark,
but he found his way easily, having good
topographic instinct. From the lower hall
he entered the dining room, and from that
the library. The sea coal fire in the crate
was still Pickering brightly, illuminating the
sumptuously furnished room with faint,
soft glow OF peculiarly rich effect.
There on the table his ring glittered in the
fitful freight, and as he slipped it on his
finger he felicitated himself on his successful
enterprise. The room was so charmingly
coy that he felt it would be a sin not to lin
ger awhile. So, throwing himself on sofa
before the crate, he fell into delightful
Teverie.
just there, in that chair, Angie had sat
during the evening, and there he pictured
her again, finally going and leaning over it In
a caressing attitude, fondly cheating himself.
OSSra there had sat Mrs. McLane, and the
Chair back at once transfxed him with Two
critical eyes till he was fain to look away.
The brothers were there and there.
Bob chuckled with coy sense of surrep-
titiousness as he thought how they would
stare could they see him now. The subtitle
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's of Bob's
sensitive mental atmosphere that pressure is
painful when such minds are hostile, and
often irksome, even when they are friendly,
If not in perfect accord. To that now it was
with a positively voluptuous sensation that
his personality expanded till it filed and felt
the whole room.
The fire burned and busily few the shut
lies Oh MS fancy, weaving once again the
often-varied patterns of the future. Those
shuttles had little leisure nowadays, for all
the web must be unraveled and rewoven, that
through 1t 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
silyery tlnkle the hour of two, but the sound
fell apparently unheeded on the ear of the
dreamer. 1t was a full minute before the
impression reached his mind. There are
times when the thoughts throng so that each
new sensation has to take its place in the
cue and wait its turn to get attention, Then
he stirred and reused himself, emerging re-
luctantly from the warm, voluptuous atmos-
phere of Imagination as one leaves an ener-
waiting bath. He had 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, together with
an undue confidence in his skill in navga-
tion by dead reckoning, rendered him less
careful than when he had come down. How
ever that may be, light stand which he had
easily avoided then be now Numbered fully
upon.
everybody knows that when one stubs the
toe in the dark, instead of delivering the
blow when the foot is moving slowest, at
the beginning or the end OF the step, lit al
ways happens so that the toe strikes with the
maximum momentum. So il was this time.
Ii Bot had been kicking football he could not
have made a nicer calculation of force, and
the shock senL the stand completely over.
1t would have made noise enough anyhow,
but 1t must happen that on this stand the
family silver was laid out for breakfast, and
the ciangor was similar 10 that of Apollo's