Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-07-31
The valenciennes Tidy.

very sweet. She was just the
dear little armful that a man
likes to take to his heart. And
she was very dear to me, but j
had made up my mind that i
would never tell her SO. A
richer gayer young man than i
would win her heart. 1t was
not likely that she could fancy
grave man of thirty-fve.
Love. in a cottage--a very
small cottage, witha very small
income to keep it up on
would scarcely present attrac-
tions for her with such a COM
panion, when there was Horace
WalpoIe Smith at her feet, and
rich young Bently,s Gadmore,
with all the Bently as well as all
the Gadmore property coming
to him, ready to offer wealth If
wit did not win the goal. j
was William Hunter, nobody,
and / felt that | must take no
body's place. sgr y aia'ai
Holm cottage was the house
where she lived with her grand
mother, old Mime. Holm, be-
tween whom and myself there
existed a relationship, though a
very distant one, was the cause
Of likeness between us.
Partly ON this account she
liked me, aud when she was a.
lone it was pleasant to 60 over.
to her house and sit beside her
and talk about Lydia.
She sat in a large Turkish
chair, clad in a straight and eco
nomically cut silk.
On her head a Valenciennes
cap with long tabs, protected
from the roughness Of the, chair
cushions by one cf those contri-
vances which women love and
men hate-a tidy. ~ ss
Walking down a certain
pleasant lane between my home
and that of Nine. Holm, | saw
Lydia walking with Horace
Walpole Smith: He was talk
ing very earnestly to her, and
she answered in a shy, confused
manner, and then he kissed her..
Now / was sure that all was
settled between them. / resolv-H
ed to leave the country the very
next day, and that night /.
would go to her and tell her of
my intentions. s a = M
Later / walked over to the
cottage, and, as / was permit
ted egress and ingress through
the long French windows, en-
tered the parlor that way.
The room was dark, but a
light cleaned on the floor above.
Madame was up there, / knew,
for the floor shook under her,
heavy tread. / saw that her
chair was empty, and for the
first time in my life / sat down
in it. AS I did SO that horrible
Valenciennes tidy dropped up
on my head. Ny face was
turned toward a glass. In it,
by a beam of moonlight from
without, / saw that the accident
had suddenly caused me 10 bear
an almost uncanny resemblance
to Nine. Holm. My profile was
hers exactly. The light was
too dim to show the complex.
ion. My black clothes set
scarcely closer to me than did
hers, and we were almost of a
size.
AS the ends of the tidy fell on
my shoulders / saw Madame in
her cap. en ~ e
The sight arrested my atten-
ton. m hsa g
/ sat still looking at it and at
that instant a step crossed the
sill, little figure in a hood en-
tered, advanced and seated it.
self at my side. saraa 5a
Lydia-no one else. ..
"You didn't expect me home
50 early, did you, grandma9" she
said. s'But something happened
that made it too unpleasant to
stay. Would you believe-on
the way Horace Walpole Smith
proposed" r
"And You accepted him." said
"Wh ny, grandmaE cried Lyd-
ia, not undeceived by my voice,
al accept himl Dear me of
course not. / hate him. But
he asked me if he might kiss me
for the only time, and / had to.
let him, you know. And ! felt
sorry; but he thinks so much of
himself and lectures one in pri-
yate, and he's so ugly"
II was mean of mo hut. T took