Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-03-08
His Landlady's Daughter,

eyes, Mr.. M'Govern, she is coming
home tomorrow.
"No? Really-ah I mean-ex-
actly-yes w
"Ab, Mr.. M'Govern. if you could
know how I've toiled and shaved and
pinched that that girl could bave an edi-
cation I never had no learning my
self"
"Precisely-iust so"
"And made up my mind that Annie
should be a lady, and she is, sir, she
is"
Certainly-no donbt. Really the
fact is-Would You mind ?-I am very
busy"
Now the fact was that Mr.. M'Govern
was determined not to take the slightest
interest in the world in his landlady's Is
daughter. And at this moment he was,
also, engaged upon piece of work that
not only absorbed all his energies, but
apparently presented difficulties that he
was not likely to overcome.
The case lay just here. Mr.. M'Gov-
ern, salesman and commercial traveller
for large ry-goods house, had recent
ly made the acquaintance in an adjacent
town, not as large, but fancying itself
quite as important, as New York, of q
young lady who had suddenly inspired
him with the exaggerated sentiment we
commonly call love. At least he thought
so. And now the problem lay, how to
awaken corresponding emotion in the
heart of the fair being to whom he felt
anxious and desirous to offer the devo-
tion of lifetime. If he had been rich,
he might have overwhelmed her with
boquets such as can only be produced
by a metropolitan florist But he was
not rich. On the other hand, if, as he
expressed it to himself, he chad been
one OF those newspaper chaps, who are
always saying things and writing things,
you know, and walk into a girls heart
when they haven't even a respectable
pair of boots, or a shilling to get their
hair cut" even then he might have
done something. But. as it was, what
could he do?
Finally an idea occurred TO him. Bril-
liant in epigram he was not, and GER
tainly could never hope to be but some
body had surely once said that "genius
is only indomitable perseverance, and
there was the hare and the tortoise, and
the little busy bee, and there was no
knowing but that if he gave a month to
it he might yet manage to get up some
thing she would like to read-he could
certainly write as good business letter
as any fellow in the Office. But then it
ought to be in rhyme. And here nm
other difficulty presented itself. Her
name was Arabella? Yet Petrarch had
certainly been in the same scrape there
isn't word in the language that ends
. like Laura.
So he set valiantly to work, and on the
morning when Mrs. Gibson invaded his
sanctum to announce her daughters ex-
pected return, he had got just this far
Midst roses fair, oh lovely Arabella--"
Stop there was cellar. But how to
work it in? And here Mr.. M'Govern
was met by difficulty that has oppressed
many great poet.
His landlady had broken the chain OF
inspiration besides, it was nine o'clock
he couldn't do better than 90 to the
office, for there was fresh consignment
ofgoods that he was expected to dis
pose of. In the evening he would &c
out and call upon Arabella which he
did, and at midnight he returned to his
grimy apartment on Mrs. Gibson's 3 third
floor, more in love than ever.
But on the following evening, when
he came home from the office, he remem-
bered Mrs. Gibson's announcement, and
at the tea table he looked for the young
lady in question. Not that be cared
what she looked like, but then
"Hum not a pretty girl, by any
means |" but somehow he.looked again.
There she sat, q soft little body in @
grey merino dress, with pair OF very
pretty hands placidly folded in her lap.
What was the impression she gave him I