The Republican journal., 1877-05-17
A Pane of Blue Glass.

| managers OF the great POntOOSac Mills,
was on his way home from the Office one
| bright, April afternoon, when, by some
dim process which could hardly be called
observation, he became aware that a
change had taken place in an old house
which for years he had passed twice Il
day without ever particularly noticing it..
1t was Il large, rather shabby house set
i'll a walled garden, but with u narrow
gable end abutting directly on to the
street. In this gable end We're two Win
dows-one above, small, with lattice ::
one below, larger, with an ordinary sash
divided into six pancs. The three lower
panes Of this sash had been removed, and
i'll their stead Il large oblong pane of dark
blue glass inserted. This was the change
which had attracted GOrlons eve with
that inevitable certainty which belongs
to all change, even in an indifferent or
unobscrved object.
The blue glass theory was still in its
cradle at that time. No hint of it had
crept into the newspapers, and the azure
pane in the old sash was puZZlng enough
to make Gordon pause and stare. On the
other side was something which he could
not make out-a shimmering, glinting
something which sWayed little, like Il
shining flower bending from its stalk.
Was it a tlowcr9 He gazed and Won
dered, and almost unconsclously. had
drawn nearer, till his ewes We're within a
foot Of the glass, when suddenly the sash
was raised, and the mysterious object re-
vealed itself as Il girls head fair, pen
siye, and framed in il loosely hanging
cloud of light brown hair. Her chetk Ks
flushed Il little as their eyes met, and she
inquired in Il sweet, surprised Voice, ''Did
You want any thing, SIR"
Gordon Gray, in his own opinion, at
least, was IL man Of the world, but he felt
himself turn scarlet as he stammered out ::
Excuse me. Il had no intention of
being SO ilnpertinent. 1t was the oddness
Of the blue glass. | could not see that
any one was inside. Pray excuse me-"
his brown eyes seconding the appeal with
better eloquence than his confused speech
was capable Of.
The young lady smiled little, in a dim,
SHY way. as OF one who had forgotten the
trick of smiling, and answered Ger
talnN. don't wonder You were SUI
prised The blue glass does look Very
odd" Then she raised her hand, us if
about to draw the sash down again.
cone moment" cried Gordon, whose
presence of mind rarely failed him long
lone moment. Would you mind telling
me il this glass is used for Il scientific eX-
pertinent, Or
"A medical experiment. believe" was
the answer. My uncle read somewhere
that it was good thing for delicate peo-
pie to sit in sunshine filtered through blue
glass. So he had this pane inserted, and
wishes me to try the experiment.
''Was it You, then. sitting inside? /
thought it a rose tree, or some towering
plant OF other"
'-No, it was l." with another shy smile.
Il hope the experiment may prove Il
success raising his hat.
:. Thank YOU" Then the sash was
pulled down, gently, but decidedly, and
Gordon resumed his walk
'Confounded ass" was his mental COM
ment, addressed to himself. "She must
have thought me a regular Peeping
Tom What a pretty little thing she is
How did it happen that | never heard of
her before? Such blue eyes are not seen
every day. Let me see. Who does own
liltl HOttSt 1 Nolutl never thought
to inquire
But inquiry brought little satisfaction
Mr.. Lang lived in the house-always had
lived there. Did any body know him
Bless you, no. He was a queer old chap,
full of theories, always trying expert
ments, and coming to grief with them.
Blew his roof off once with Illuminating
powder, and all but burned down, sum
mcr before last, testing Il new system of
lightning rods. Never went out anywhere
except to the post office, and never asked
any one inside his door. Had he tami-
ly? No. Lived all alone with an old ser
want, Or-stay. did somebody say that Il
nelce or cousin came to live with him in
the autumn Probably a mistake, or if
not, she must be some cracked creature
like himself, who never showed out doors
Had Mr.. Gray noticed the blue pane in
that end window? Droll, wasn't it, Just
like old Lang and his crotchets.
With such scanty statements Gordon
was forced to satisfy himself No one
seemed to know more than this of Mr.
Lang, and though he passed the house
daily, he caught no farther glimpse of the
pretty face which had once blessed his
eyes. Only the nebulous shadow behind
the blue pane told of her existence, and
towards this shadow Gordon raised his
hat punctiliously every afternoon. \
slight answering movement was some
times visible, which he chose to interpret
as Il return to his salutation that was
all: a bow, a shadow, u vibratOn-thin
fabric for fancy to weave webs OF, uncer-
| tam ann for the fairy arrows of the tabled
god but enough; for the unseen is some
times more potent than the seen, and once
a lovers imagination sets to work, it finds
material in lightest token and least pal
pable substance.
Gordon, for all the WollulineSs on which
he prided himself, was young still, and it
took more than month Of these passngs
and repassings before he gained courage
for the bolder step OF laying a rose on the
sill of the closed window There it lay in
the morning, dewy and fresh, as he went
| 10y. Returning at night, he glanced across
| the street. and felt a heartbeat the rose
was gone, and-Did the gloritied shadow
within yibrate a little more distinctly
| than usual Gordon dared to hope So
Another morning, and another
roses. On the fourth day, grown bolder,
Gordon ventured on a bouquet bou-
quet of violets, save for one great Mare
chal Neil in the centre. On the fifth day
he took desperate step, and armed with
another bunch of violets, crossed the
street, and tapped ever SO gently on the
blue glass pane.
The window opened, and the sweet
face appeared, a deepened flush on the
cheeks, and frank light in the blue eyes.
al beg pardon for interrupting your
se0ace," said Gordon gravely. "But
have ventured to bring you a few blue
flowers; ] believe they are recommended
for use with the blue glass"
"You are very thoughtful"
"The experiment interests me, went on
Gordon, audaciously. at is such new
idea, and yet there may be a great truth
involved in it. | am anxious to know
how it works Do you feel benefited thus
far?"
I-don't know" the dimples dying
out, and sad little signs forming about
the mouth "It doesn't seem as if it could