Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-06-11
FAINT HEART.

since he could remember; they had
gone to school together; he had spelled
above her and refused to take the first
place; he had envied the more daring
bows who walked home with her through
the green lanes beneath empowering
elms, as if it were the most common
place thing to do in the world, while he
with his heart in his mouth, tried to
find courage for the effort, and found
himself left bekind for his pains. Later,
when they first began to go out into the
world together, what tortures he endur-
ed when she danced with some hand
some stranger; if she rode with bis
Drawer companions: if Carl Hughes took
her off in his wherry down the silver
length of the river, and lost his way
among the creeks of the silent marshes,
only returning home when the evening
was far spent, and the stars trembled
in the heavens, and unwittlngly brush
ing past poor John, waiting on the wharf
in the shadow Of some warehouse to
see them landed safe! Life began early
to seem like pleasant difficulty to him
He was always wondering what she
was doing; how she passed the long
days while ne was busy in the counting
room; what were her every day thoughts,
her dreams, and did he hold any share
therein. Sunday, too, soon became the
first of holidays, for then he was sure
to see her. His fathers square, old
fashioned pew almost faced the copgre-
cation, and not breath or blush, the
futter of an eylid or the ghost of a
dimple, was lost upon him. In the
meantime, 1t is probable that Elinor
was rot blind. Chances are easily inter
preted; actions sometimes speak louder
than words. There is little doubt,
when Carl Hughes or any of the others
stepped out of a concert or lecture
room and offered an arm to her at the
door, but she understood that John had
been waiting and wavering and longing
for the favorable moment in which to
anticipate this attention, which moment
would have arrived, sooner or later, but
that Carl, intent on his purpose, and
unhesitatlng in its performance, had
pushed to her side, and had gained the
day before John had thought of losing it.
But by insensible degrees one out
grows this sort of faint-heartednes, and
pushes out before Carl Hughes and the
indulgent crowd, and wins the prize for
the nonce. but delays to take the next
decided step in the right path. And so
it was with John. One day he sheard
that Elinor had given away her heart
to Mr.. Denormandy, now on his trav-
els. However much pain this an
nouncement gave John, his faint-heart-
edness- which, perhaps, was only an
exaggerated appreciation of the object
of desire-became something super
fiuous, since, if he had already lost her,
why should he fear? 1t is at this stage
that one ceases to doubt and begins to
suffer. So, now that he had nothing to
lose, he went In and out of her presence
with fatal fascination, as bold as a
lion. He asked her hand in the dance
without a qualm; he took her out to
supper or down to dinner, as the case
might be; he strolled with her on the
moynighted terrace; he played melo-
dies Of his own composition upon the
flute; he even ventured to take her in
his own wherry down the dazzling reach
of the river; and though he failed to
entangle himself among the ribbons OF
the marshes, yet the wherry sprung a
leak, and while he pulled home against
the tide-as it seemed to him he had
always been doing-Elinor bailed the
boat with her slipper, which he begged
when they were safe ashore, as the
slipper was of no further use to the
owner.
"I should like to keep it myself" she
said, "as memento of the day in
which we made shipWreck together
but you may have it.
One day he happened to say some.
thing about the time when Mr.. Denor-
mandy should return from abroad and
carry her beyond his reach.
Mr.. Denormandy!' said she, knitting
her broWs; what should possess MIN
to carry me anywhere
"The right of possession"
q don't understand you. Mr.. Denor.
Excuse NJ; but l thought had
heard"
"That I was going to marry him
Don't believe what you hear again
The truth is he never asked me, though
my friends declare that he wished it,
and [ myself had some reason to ex.
pect it; out faint heart, you know"
Never won fair lady. And you !"
g l was relieved when he left for Eu-
rope. 1t is SO hard to say No that
one is IN danger of saying Yes from
compassion. Love is SO sweet that it is
difficult to refuse it; and then one has
haunting fear of SOME time needing
it,"
"And woeful waste makes a woeful
want. What a pity that Mr.. Denor.
mandy had not known your com pas.
sionate temperament and been enabled
to have taken advantage of it!''
"Do you think SO % she asked.
"NC; I shouldn't wish q goddess to
marry me from compassion thou.
sand times mol"
But this did not mend matters. Nov
that there was everything Ito gain Of
lose-now that the affair was assum
ing critical aspect, since the respon
slbllItV of tho crisis and the event Were