Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-11-06

A sudden vivid blush finishes the sen-
tence, for ~ size looks up she has the
horror OF seeing that reverend gentle
man standing al, the end of the porch,
having come over the lawn a 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 silence, SO much steiner
than any she has ever seen him make
before, that she is literally astonished
into complying.
There is no need of your blushinx
like that over man that you only
like" drones on her aunt, in state of
sweet Inconsistencies; but before she
has finished speaking, the man who
has unlntentionally played eavesdropper
has disappeared. He is late in 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 cOnntenance.
There is certain young artist, Rex
Cant by name, only son of one of her
aunt's intimate friends, who has for
SEINE time made his home with that
worthy lady, and, thanks to his unfail-
ing fund Of conversation, and the ease
that belongs to society man, tea passes
OIL comfortably in spite of the abstrac-
ton of two, for the aunt is still sweetly
serene. AS the time for service draws
near, Juliet Gays: Il think l will not
go out this evening, my head aches"
But Mrs. Gray answers quickly: 'Why,
my dear, you forget your solo," She
can't quite understand the expression
ofthe ministers face, he almost looks
gratified at her suggestion, but her aunt
will not hear to it, knowing the head
ache to be a subterfuge, so she goes
away to get ready.
When they leave the door Rex, not
in the least compromising her looks
and gestures, goes off dutifully with
Mrs. Gray on his arm, leaving Juliet as
usual to DR.. Speecham. Several times
during the walk she thinks she will in
troduce the topic that is uppermost in
both their minds, but he guides the
conversation so easily an! skillfuIly on
other subjects that she has no oppor-
tunity, and, after all, what can she say?
In the sermon that evening, notes are
discarded, and the speaker breaches
sermon straight from his heart that
electrities and touches his hearers as
none Of his rhetorical, flowerv dis
courses have ever done; and most of all
does it touch sober girl on tho plat
form behind him, who is not at all
the restless puzzle that she was in the
morning. She makes up her mind that
she will speak to him about The matter
on the way home: but, again the Ques-
ton suggests itself, what can she say,
since she has already told him, without
being asked, that she didn't love him.
She is saved the trouble of answering,
for, after the service, the conversation
is taken up as skillfully and easily as
before, and one or two beginnings in
that direction are nipped in the bud, so
that, almost before she knows it, they
have reached the gate, and he has bid
den her quiet good night and gone
home, just the same as usual.
Juliet walks slowly up to the house
with many and conflicting thoughts, for
like many another girl, she is at odds
about some things of which she says
little.
She only stops a moment in the par
lor to say, "Auntie, / guess l will go
right up to my room and rest my
head" Then she goes on up the broad
staircase, through the long corridor and
into her room, locks the door and sits
down YEARLY in chair to think. Dear
me! her thoughts roam like the Wan
dering Jew. But, in the midst of all
they find one resting place, and, as
thoughts have way of doing, stick
there like grim death. Then she sets
up an imaginary self on stool of re-
pentance in front OF her and apostro-
phizes it as follows "You little goose!
why don't you love that minister;he is a
genuinely good man, and there are
mighty few of them" Then she falls
into a reverie, but soon proceeds.
"You ought to be ashamed to care any
thing for Rex Cant, you know he don't
care for you.' Here the other self
grows indignant, and speaks up.
what ofthe evening you went boating,
and the walk from Cables Hill, and ="
But at this juncture she becomes dis
gustcd with both selves, and rudely
interrupts the dialogue by getting up
and taking off her wrap and hat.
Then she lights the gas and sits reso-
lutely down to read, but after reading
one page over some six times without
the least idea of what it means. she
losses the book into the farther corner
of the room, turns out the gas again,
raises the low French window and steps
out upon the balcony. 1t has been a
delightful afternoon, and she remem-
bers as if it were a long time ago, the
soft sunshine and swaying shadows; but
foUa rd dual, tho air bod nrouu,, onnros