Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-11-07
A MODERN ROMEO AND JULIET.
BY GUssIE PACKARD.


tain Sunday, followed the highly re
| spectacle usher up tie softly. carpetet
aisle, settled yourself comfortably il
the corner of the proffered seat, AMI
| glanced up at the organ and choir be
hind the Rev. Speecham's desk, you
attention would probably have teer
attracted as was mine by an undenia
bly, attractive subject. A girl in /:
dark gray dress and hat, with dasl
OF color like the breast OF a bird II
the latter, and charming poise ant
quick motion of the head to carry on
your thought A slender, graceful
girl, with warm, red dirnpled cheeks
full red lips that gave the chief ex
preston to the face, and were con,
sian,ly changing that expression by
little curves and quivers, steady blue
eyes and strong forehead and chin
II, at the end of the first hymn, you
had been unable to tell what she had
been singing about, it would not nave
been because you had not been
watching her all the time from unde,
cautious eyelids; and, after the read.
ing, you would probably have found
yourself, as did, old bachelor that
am, wondering what the girl was
thinking about.
First she pulled off one neat, little
gray glove, rolled it up into ball
and threw it into the book rack in q
very impetuous manner, and when
the quiet little Mr.. Speeham gave out
the hymn she glowered at him saw.
agely, then shut her lips tightly. ma
king a straight scarlet line that surely
was not called out by the sentiment,
"Blest be the tie that binds"
After the audience was settled
down for its morning, well, nap
think, to tell the truth the blue eyes
took far away look, as if they saw
something beyond the back of the
minister's head, beyond the up turned
faces, beyond the carved doors and
stone walls and beyond the touch OF
the closely clasped fingers.
This expression prevailed to the
end OF the sermon, toned down now
and then by an evident thinking on,
of the matter in question. After the
benediction had been pronounced and
the people sufficiently awakened by a
terrible blast from the organ to walk
mechanically out of the chilly church
into the bright sunshine outside,
saw my morning puzzle slip by DIR.
Speecham. JOIN middle-aged lady
OF the highly respectable sort and &c
out with the crowd. As for mel be.
took myself to humdrum boarding
house with dim feeling of regret til at
| was no longer young
Now all this is simply a prologue,
as 1t were, to the little drama which !
found out afterward, and started out
in the beginning to tell you under the
title which has, | believe, been used
for similar purpose by some one.
Having given the Introduction in
due order the curtain will now rise on
the first act of the play.
Picture to yourselves a Sunday af
ternoon, slowly waning into evening
a gothic house with a great many por.
ticos, and on one of them my puzzle
Juliet, and the middle aged lady
whom she addresses as aunt, sitting
Uisauis. Juliet locks up now and
then into the elderly lady's face as
she speaks to her, but oftener, it mus,
be confessed, chances dreamily be-
yond over the wide slope of lawn a,
the side of the house.
Auntie Gray, impressively, Now
Juliet, l am very certain you would
find your feelings changing toward
dear DR.. Speecham, if you would on
ly stop thinking of that wild harum
scarum, Hal Lane cH'm,' thinks the
maiden, 1T is good thing you dom,
know who | am thinking too much
of. y 1t isn't the most violent love
that lasts the longest, and besides ITS
dangerous to trust too much to the
feelings. The dear Doctor is a good
man and he would restrain your sud
den impulses and freaks Juliet's lips
curl suspiciously, but she says moth
ing.
Auntie Grav resumes, sYou do like
him, don't you Juliet?'
Yes, auntle, | respect and like Mr.
Speecham, bat that isn't loving and
don't love him.
A sudden vivid blush finishes the
sentence, for, as sac looks up she has
the horror of seeing that reverend
gentleman standing at the end of the
porch, having come over the lawn as
usual to take tea, and walk to church
with them, after custom of some
years standing. The instant she
glances up he makes a gesture for ST.
lence, so much sterner than any she
ever saw him make before, that she i.
literally astonished into complying.
There is no need of your blushing
like that over a man that you only
like drones on her aunt, in a state oil
sweet consciousness; but, before
she has finished speaking the man
who has unintentionally played caves
dropper has disappeared. He is late
10 coming to tea that night, but when
Juliet comes down from her room in
answer to the bell, she finds him
chatting quite the same as usual,
though she cannot help noticing that
change has come over his counter
ance.
There is a certain young artist. Rex
Cant by name, only son of her aunt's
intimate friends who has for some
time made his home with that worthy
lady, and, thanks to his unfailing fund
of conversation and the ease that be-
longs to a society man, tea passes of
comfortably in spite of the abstrac.
ton of the two, for the aunt IS still
sweetly serene. AS the time for SER
vice draws near Juliet says, 4 thias
l will not 60 out this evening, my
head aches,' but Mrs. Gray quickly
answers, why, nay dear, you forge,
your solo, She can't quite understand
the expression Of the minister face
he almost looks gratitied at her sug.
gestion, but her aunt will not near to
it, knowing the headache to be a sub
terfuge,so she goes away to get
ready.