The Portland daily press., 1878-02-23

some one else. He went and stood at the
window and looked out upon the wintry
prospect. The storm was driving the snow
before il more furieusly than ever; window
shutters were slamming and banging; for
lofn dog, with bowed head and tail withdrawn
from service, was pressing his quaking body
against Wndward wall for shelter and pro-
lection a young girl was ploughing knee
deep through the drifts, With her face turned
from the blast, and the cape of her water.
proof blowing straight rearward over her
| head. Aonzo shuddered, and said With
| sigh, "Better the slop, and the sultry rain,
and even the insoent flowers, than thisV'
He turned from the window, moved step,
and stopped in listening attitude. The faint
| sweet notes of familiar song caught his ear.
| He remained there, with his head uncon-
| sciously bent forward, drinking in the melody,
| stirring neither hand nor foot, hardly breath
| ing. There was blemish in the execution of
| the song, but to AlopZo it seemed an added
| charm instead of defect. This blemish con-
sisted of marked fatting OF the third,
| fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh notes of the
refrain or chorus of the piece. When the
music ended Alonzo drew deep breath and
said, "Ah, never heard in the Sweet By
aud By sung like that beiorev'
He stepped quickly TO the desk, listened
moment, and said in guarded confidential
| voice, "Aunty, who is this divine singer"
| "She is the company 1 was expecting.
| with me month or two. will introduce
| you. Miss
"For goodness sake wait a moment. Aunt
Susan! You never stop to think what you
are aboutp'
| He flew to his bedchamber, and returned
l in moment perceptibly changed il his out
ward appearance, and remarked snappishly:
''Hang it, she would have introduced me
| to this angel in that sky-blue dressing gown
| with red-hot lappels! Women never think
when they get agoing."
He fastened and stood by the desk and
said eagerly, NOV aunty, am ready" and
fell to smiling and bowling with all the per-
suasiveness and elegance that were in him.
"Very well. Miss Rosannah Ethelton, let
| me Introduce to you my lavorite nephew, Mr..
Alonzo Fitz Clarence. There! You are
both good people and like you; so [ am 60
! ing to trust you together while i attend to a
few household affairs. Sit down, Rosannah,
sit down, Alonzo. Good by; shan't be
gone long,"
AloDzo had been bowling and smiling all
the while, and motioning imaginary young
ladies to sit down in imaginary chairs, but
now he took a seat himself, mentally saying,
"Oh, this is luck! Let the winds blow now,
| and the snow drive, and the heavens frown !
| Little carer'
While these young people chat themselves
into an acquaintance, let us take the liberty
| OF inspecting the sweeter and the fairer of
| the two. She sat alone, at her graceful ease,
| in richly furnished apartment, which was
manifestly the private parlor of refined and
sensible lady, if signs and symbols may go
for anything. For instance, by low, COM
Portable chair stood dainty, top-heavy, work
| stand, whose summit was a fanciful embroi-
| dered shallow basket, with vari-colored crew.
| els, and other strings and odds and ends, pro-
truding from under the gaping lid and hang
ing down in negligent profusion. On the
| floor lay bright shreds OF Turkey red, Prus-
sian blue and kindred fabrics, bits of ribbon,
| spool or two, pair of scissors, and a roll
| or two of tinted silken stuffs. On luXuri-
| Gus sofa, upholstered with some sort of soft
! Indian goods wrought in black and gold
threads interwebbed with other threads not
so pronounced in color, lay a great square of
| coarse, white stuff, upon whose surface a
| rich bouquet of flowers was growing, under
the def cultivation of the crochet needle
The household cat was asleep on this work
| of art. In bay-window stood an easel with
| an unfinished picture On it, and palette and
| brushes on chair beside it. There were
| books everywhere; Robertson's Sermons,
| Tennyson, Moody aud Sankey, Hawthorne,
| Rab and his Friends, cook-books, prayer
books, pattern books-and books about all
kinds of odious and eXasperating pottery, OF
course. There was a..piano. with deck-load
of music, and more in a tender. There was
a great plenty of pictures on the walls, on
| the shelves OF the mantel-pece, and around
generally; where coignes Of vantage offered
were statuettes, and quaint and pretty gim-
cracks, and rare and costly specimens of pc
| culiarly devilish china. The bay window
| gazed upon garden that was ablaZe with
foreign and domestic flowers and Towering
| shrubs.
But the sweet young girl was the dainti-
est thing those premises, within or without,
could offer for contemplation; delicately CHS
| eled features of Grecian cast; her complex
ion the pure snow of a japonica that is re-
| ceiVing faint reflected enrichment from some
scarlet neighbor of the garden; great, soft
blue eyes fringed with long, curvmg lashes
an expression made up of the trustfulness of
child and the gentleness of fawn; beau
tiful head crowned with its own prodigal
gold; a 1.-the and rounded figure, whose every
attitude and movement were instinct with
| native grace.
Her dress and adornment were marked by
that exquisite harmony that can come only
OF a fine natural taste perfected by culture.
Her gown was of simple magenta tulle, cut
bias, traversed by three rows of light blue
| dounces. with the selvage edges turned up
| with ashes OF roses chenille; overdress of
dark bay carleton, with scarlet satin lambre-
quins, corn-colored polonaise, en- panier, and
Topped with mother-ofpearl buttons and silver
cord, hauled aft and made fast by buff velvet
lashngs; basque of lavender reps, picked out
with valenciennes; low neck, short sleeves !;
maroon velvet necktie edged with delicate
| pink silk; inside handkerchief of some SIM
| pie three-ply ingram fabric of soft saffron
| tint; coral bracelets and locket chain couture
Of forget-me nots and lilies of the valley
massed round noble Gala.
This was all; yet even ia this subdued at
tire she was divinely beautiful. Then what
| must she have been when adorned for the
festival or the ball?
Ali this time she has been busily chatting
| with Alonzo, unconscious of our inspection.
| The minutes sped and still she talked. But,
by and by she happened to look up and
saw the clock. A crimson blush sent its rich
food through her cheeks, and she exclaimed !:
There, good-by, Mr.. Fiiz Clarence; l must
go nowr'
She sprang from her chair with such haste
that she hardly heard the young mans an
swering goodbye. She stood radiant, grace
| ful, beautiful, and gazed, wondering, upon
the accusing clock. Presently her pouting
lips parted, and she said,-
Five minutes after eleveni Nearly two
hours, and it did not seem twenty minutes
twenty minutes! Oh dear, what will he think
| of me!'
1 At luO ocli-Sduc uUlu6uG atOUZO Was SLdl
ing at his clock. And presently he said
twenty-five minutes to three! Nearly
two hours, and l didn't believe it was two
minutes! Is it possible that this clock is
humbugging again? Miss E.helton! Just
one momenl, please. Are you there yet?"
Eyes, but be quick; Pm going right
away"
"Would you be so kind as to ie me what
time it is?'
| The girl blushed again, murmured to her.
self, cts right down cruel of him to ask
mee' and then spoke up and answered with
admirably counterfeted unconcern, ''Five
minutes after uine.'
sob, thank you! You have got TO go now,
have you"
eyes,
| "Pm sorry.'
No reply.
| miss Elhelton!'
| swell? ?"
"You-you're there yet, amt you?"
"Yes, but please hurry. What did you
want to say?"
"Well, well. nothing in particular. It's