The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-04-27
MY FIRST LOVE LETTER.

Tor one might wei mistake ms vie ioi
Eve. -PHAeh.
MY FIRST LOVE LETTER.
By Grace Greenwood.
Have ] ever told you, Nell, Of my first
love-lettef2 presume not. II Is story
/ have not been very fond Of telling. But
years bring to me, II not philosophy, q
comfortable sense OF The comicali In re-
gard to all early illusions and dis.illus'
ions. ~
The moment Of opening and reading
the first love.letter Is a thrilling, an au,
gust point Of time, In which all the spring.
tides Of passionate young lie seem 10
meet In swift, dizzying whirl Of emotion,
II from the right man, what triumphant
joyl Iffrom sutton one cannot smile
on, what sweet pain! But you know all
about il, dear.
Twas very young when I received my
frat loye.letter--indeed, not permanently
ont OF short irocks and the bread. and. but.
ter age.
Having lived the greater portion Of my
life In the country, the companion Of my
brothers, I was n desperate romp and
gipsy, delighting to roam the fields and
woods, preierring the tishing-rod to the
needle, and even the stable TO the parlor.
As yet, a:fine horse was the rival Of all
mankind in my young affections. Still !
had read Scott, Edgeworth, Hemans, and
L. Z. L., with an occasional stealthy dip
into Byron, and had my own foolish little
romantic dreams Of my hero, my fairy
prince, who was 70 come in Loye's good
time.
/ nsed to dream Of him, as I sat like
little Ellie, among the alders, with my
feet In the brook, or rs | rode alone in
the woods. / thought little Of his pedi-
gree, but resolved that he must have a
patrician Greek profile, dark, blue eyes,
and black, curling hair, coming down on
his lofty brow in Byron peak. made
no account OF houses or lands In Loves
Arcadia; hut my hero must poasess fine
horse. The "steed OF steeds" was sine
qpa non.
Our removal from country TO town was
an absolute sorrow TO me, with my nature.
loving heart, and wild, free habits. !
hated the busy monotony, the thronged
loneliness, the dull whirl Of city life. !
could only. console myself with occasional
lliglit back into my old rural hannts.
From the longest, roughest tramps re-
turned refreshed, prepared TO endure
wha. could not cure.
I"came out' prematnrely and temper.
arily when was scarcely fifteen, on the
occasion Of large wedding party. wore
long dress and white kid gloves for the
frat time. Ny hair was curled. oh, the
torture Of night and the hideonsness Of
day In curl.papersl i wore natural
flowers and carried huge boquet.
Distressingly difiident, not to say awk.
ward, ! early in the evening retired 10 q
deep window.seat, where l remained
watching the merry groups Of wedding
guests, and listening to their eaay chat.
Ter, With childish wonder and delight.
Among the gayest Of the gay was q
certain fair young lady, whom l had
known for some time as my double. Not
that abe waR In the least like me. She
was blonde-very much blonde-while
l was very brunette. She WA distin.
guished for sumptuousness OF attire; and
dress was not then any more than 1t IL
now my besettipg sin, or peculiar virtue
whichever you incline 10 call it. But
oddly enough, this fair lady. bore my
name precisely. surname and bapiismal
used 10 think tue circumstances annoyed
her, almost as though l had atolen the
fashion Of her Partisan bonnet, or tn.
pattern Of her costly embroidered shawl
Aside from the name, there was little II
common between us, certainly no love
Al this party she quite oulshone th
bride. l found II curious TO watch her
"Hsr lshinss Ana brightness did shins Wit
Iueh sPlendor."
Which was all very proper, she being ;
rich tallow. chandler's daughter.
But not long did watch my double
for, my dear, At this very party saw hin
1-my ideal hero-my fairy prince. From
oil that goodly company / singled hin
out al a glance. There were the dark blu
eyes, there was the Greek profile, th,
black Gully hair, the Byron peak and all
Imagine the emotions oil your friend
when 10 her secluded window.seat thi
very young gentleman was brought ant
presented ~ "Mr. John Trevalyau." j
II wasn't just Trevalyan, II was quite n
respectable name. The John I'll stant
by.
l. Well, he stood by me and talked to N,
! for a bright, wondfous half hour, precise
| ly as lbough had been a full grown belle
and !, under the spell Of his pleaaan
aattery, fell 10 with the little make be
lieve, and chatted away, quite atease, ant
said some things that were really not 81
bad. Yet, when spoke, Il seemed 10 m,
Il was come one else talking 10 secOnl
double. Ny very voice had an untamil
lar sound, %
Mr. Treyalyan talked Of poetry, art
music, aud flowers, in low, sweet, be-
quilting, particular way after the man
ner Of his kind. lie said, oi all the fine
arts, his enthusiasm was decidedly To-
sculpture, "so cold, so pure, 80 exalted,
and he begged 10 know II l shared hi
R.thetic preference. / suppose, II hat
been properly trained, or a year or two
older, l might have answered: II am en-
raptured with music Beethoven, Mozart
lHenry Russell, and the Seguinp; ] dearl,
Hove art-Titian, Michael Angelo, ant
Benjamin West; bot l adore poetry-Mil
ton, Byron, and N. P. Willis"
Asit was, with desperately hones
impulse, / replied:
III admire art and music, poetry, ant
all such things, but I don't know much
about them yet. To tell the plain truth
my particular enthusiasm is-iust horpes
/ suppose tie peryerse and improper, ant
all that; but do know something abou
horses, and love them"
Ny hero smiled, in a beAming, indul-
gent way, and declared that he participa
led 10 my enthusiasm-that his love To-
horses amounted TO qnite passion, ant
| that he Aattered himself he owned th,
fastest trolter in all that region.
uALIn al kkak unamaai ~ annla frau