Middletown transcript., 1878-03-16
,e bride. I found it curious to watch

Which was all very proper, she being
a rich talIow-chdndler's daughter.
But not long did watch my double,
for, my dear, at this very party | saw
him-mv ideal hero-my fairy prince,
From all that goodly company I
singled him out at a glance. There
were the dark blue eyes, there was the
Greek profile, the black curly hair the
Byron peak and all.
Imagine the emotions Of your friend,
when to her secluded window-seat this
very young gentleman was brought
and presented as "Mr. John Trevaly-
an" fit wasn't just Trevalyan, 1t
was quite as respectable name. The
John I'll stand by.
Well, he stood by me and talked to
me for bright, wondrous halt-hour,
precisely as though l had been a full
grown belle; and |, under the spell OF
his pleasant fattery, fell in with the
little make believe, and chatted away,
quite at ease, and did some things that
were really not 50 bad. Yet, when L
spoke, it seemed to me it was some one
else talking in a second double. My
very voice had an unfamiliar sound.
Mr.. Trevalyan talked Of poetry,
art, music and flowers, in a low, sweet,
beguiling, particular way, after the
manner of his kind He said, Of all
the fine arts, his enthusiasm was decid-
edly for sculpture, so cold, so pure
50 exalted" and he begged to know If
[ shared his aesthetic preference |
suppose, if | had been properly train
ed, or Il year or two older, | might
have answered: Il am enraptured
with Beethoven, Mozart, Hen
nv Russell, and the Seguins dearly
love art-Titian, Michael Angelo and
BENJAMIN West; but l adore poetry
Milton, Byron and N. P. Willis. !"
AS it was, with desperately honest
impulse, | replied:
81 admire art and music, poetry,
and all such things, but l don't know
much about them yet. To tell the
plain truth, my particular enthusiasm
is-just horses Issuppose its perverse
and improper, and all that; but do
know something about horses, and l
love them"
My hero smiled, in beaming, IN
dulgent way, and declared that he par
ticipated in my enthusiasm-that his
love for horses amounted to quite a
passion, and that he fattered himself
he owned the fastest trotter in all that
region.
"Ahp' at that moment, to quote
from dear Miss Bremen, four souls
ment"
Mysterious sympathy Of passionate
young hearts!
His eyes upon q nearer view, were
gray, but their expression was full O
poetic sensibility. They beamed witt
that tender Difference, half wistful
half wicked, hardest Of all looks fol
even "little women" to resist. | sus
pect the fellow knew it. They all do
There was, now and then, mys
terious shade Of sadness dRer his brow
an interesting, Laura-like frowr
that came and went in that festive
hour. divned that, young as he was
he had had great thoughts and ambi
tions, great sorrows and sins, or mean
to have them, which was all the same
At parting, he begged from my bou
quet sprig Of geranium, which he
placed in his button-hole for "remem
brance Then he asked leave to Wis
Z it me, which | graciously accorded
. Then we murmured our adieux.
l went home with my head among
the stars. Ny dear, absurd as it may
seem, really believed l had tha
night met my destiny, and met it Of
the whole, in very satisfactory shape
I did not knew just when to lool
for my admirer, but l was ready fo
him, morning and evening. grew
strangely careful Of my dress. | as
siduously brushed and curled my haiI
| applied cosmetics to my sunburn
face. slept in kid gloves.
!. These alarming symptoms were no
e unnoticed by my tender mother; bu
: she noticed that my manner had grow
quiet and maidenly, and took grea
comfort thereat.
Six days I waited in vain. Th
| seventh-magic numberl brought
: not him, but letter. 1t was dainty
t looking missive, all rOse-tinted an,
r gilt-edged. This was before the tn
: time Of envelopes remote age boz
dering on the Drift Period" you ma
| think, in the insolence of your nine
! teen summers.
1t was directed-this letter Of let
/. ters-in one Of those rearing Italia
e hands once fashionable. 1t was scale
2 with lilac colored wax. and the sea
; bore the motto-how we'll | remembe
it, though | didn't in the least kno'
!, what it meant then-of "Toyou'
: fdele."
!, With my heart beating into m
!, fnger-tips I broke the seal opene