The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-11-15


She was such gentle looking creature,
though she had spirit, as saw once in
The CLEAN Of her eyes, and those eyes
were so expressive of intellectually and
her perfect nose was only less beautiful
than her perfect carnation mouth. But,
pshaw! need I apologize now for my in
terest then. It does not take any Of us
very long to discover that. Love never
asks the question why? As the old song
says: She had gone from my gaze like q
beautiful dream. If ] could only meet
her again. Perhaps she was married.
Not that II was any of my business, but
somehow she did not look married, she
was glrlish IN spite of her dignity. One
thing | discovered, there was name on
the hy-leaf of her book, the first of which
was Maud. Perhaps the book was not
hers, and it was, could hope to find in
Q great city like New York lady only
knowing that her name was Maud? When
had arrived at this stage of common
sense, had reached my place of bust
ness, and after attending to the first duty
OF the day, reading my mail, my thoughts
hew back to my lady in gray.
If the thing were within the bounds
Of possibility, would like to find out
who she is, just to thank her for her
kindness to me.
How like q jackass must have ap-
peared to her. When remembered my
impertinence IN smiling would have
been glad to have found some obliging
friend to kick me down stairs for my
idiocy. / bowed to the inevitable and
| dismissed the affair with sigh, but l
did not forget her face.
One rainy afternoon, about month
after, met her in Broadway stage. /
recognized her in moment and took o
I seat, the only one vacant, by her side. l
looked into her face, and I know she re-
1 membered me, but she did not exhibit
the fsintest gleam of consciousness OF my
i existence. It WAS worse than Tantalus
and the torments Before she left the
stage the rain fell in torrents. hoped
that she was not provided with an um-
brella, that might offer her the protec-
! ton of mine; but glance showed me
| that she held one in right hand. My un-
! fortunate luck again! 1 looked down at
my diamond; it sparkled like the sun
beams, and as joyously; but its dazzle
conveyed no intelligence to me; only it
gave me gIeam of hope. She was SO
near that / could easily have played a
trick, Ike that which q friend of mine
once played, slip card into her cloak
pocket. Nothing of that kind would go
down with this queenly creature | per-
fectly well knew.
I was forced to watch her again leave
me and turn down the street, holding her
dress SO dexterously that it quite escaped
the pavement, and disclosed two neatly
fitting little boots.
Perhaps / should have said before this
my name is Eldridge, that am lawyer
and Judge Clinfon's junior partner. In
the next Office to ours there are two
young fellows just started In law, who
receive more calls from their lady friends
than retaining fees from their clients.
One day, as I was leaving my Office, ]
saw my lady in gray going into theirs.
must confess to feeling sort of chill
and then disappointment. I did not
| like to know that my dignifed unknown
went around visiting gentlemen's offices,
even though the gentlemen were her ac.
| quRintances. Occasionally lady friend
would call upon me, not upon business,
and, although ] was always polite, ]
never encouraged that sort of thing, and
as practice I heartily disapproved of it
My second thought was more charita.
| BILE, One of the fellows might be hel
brother. So much the better. / would
i make his acquaintance and cultivate
him. I did this after some weeks de-
lay and considerable circumlocution on
my part, and learned that the elder OF
the two men, Mr.. Allyn, had sister
named Maud, and that she was engaged
/ to his friend and partner. Just think oi
my dismay. Actually engaged to the
other fellow ] was sad enough to know
! she was bound, bus ragged thinking OF
her as the wife of a fellow who had nc
ambition and less brains. There was
nothing in the man-absolutely nothing.
] Why, only week before he had shown
lack of legal acumen in case mere
/ technicality of which the fawest student
should not have been ignorant. ] looked
at my ring after my disturbed thoughts,
and its rosy CLEAN gave me fresh courage.
After rejecting a day resolved to re,
morselessly and determinedly cut him
out-n could.
/ 1t was quite in my power to be of SER
| vice to Mr.. Allyn, and in return he asked
me to his fathers house for dinner. So
saw my lady Maud at home, and there
/ where true women shine best, found
/ her more sweet and womanly than she
/ had looked before. had prepared my
self for our first meeting, but she had
not, and betrayed little embarrassment.
did not, however, refer to our adyen-
ture until had called upon her several
times, and then ventured to thank her
/ for coming to the rescue of my precious
diamond. She begged me with deep pink
! In her cheek not to mention it. / was
assiduous in my attentions and laid siege
/ to the hearts Of the rest of the family,
and quietly begged to WOO. That / had
some influence over her was proved by
the fact that her betrothed became ieal-
ous of me, and forbade her from receiy-
ing my visits. She rebelled, after bear.
ing with long annoyance from him, and
Aaally dismissed him.
ventured to ask her like hypocrite
/ why no longer met Mr.. Furbush at her
home. Not that / am pining for his
society, . 1 added, with shrug.
! "We have broken our engagement, y
she said, looking at the carpet.
/ I consulted my talisman. Blessings
upon it. 1t fairly danced in the light.
The temptation was strong, but I re-
sisted it, to beg her to give me the hand
| he had lost waited till one evening
I Wucu l. WttS tSCOItli1k lt5T uOiIlG HUH tlte
theatre, and told her the story of my
ring, and she believed in its magic more
firmly than did.
It has never failed me yet, Miss Al
lyn, and / am longing to put it to a
stronger test. .
She was so proyokingly demure and
unconscious that kept back the petition
on my lips, for I felt my courage, like
Bob Acres, oozing out at my finger ends,
and again wilted.
81 should think you would be afraid
| of losing it" she said, few days after.
She was holding the ring in her hands,
moving it this way and that way to catch
the CLEANS.
do you know, Miss Allyn, that am
constantly afraid of losing it ever since
/ / met you ?" Then grew bold and took
her hand and said: "Plese keep it fol
me. Let me put it on this finger, Please
do-and- and-give me yourself in re-
turn"
She hung her head and blushed and
stammered little, but she did not say
! No.-Philadeiphia Times.
A GENIUS AT FIGURES. Leonard Gard.
ner Of South Weymouth, a mechanic,
who never had more than ordinary
schooling, deyotes the most of his time
/ to astronomical calculations bv methods