River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-09-04
HOW PHIL GAINED HIS POINT
RI WILLIAM KENNEDY.

R7 WILLIAM KENNEDY.
Phil Copely visited the Southern fam
lily.
Nothing strange IN that, perhaps. ex-
cept that Phil was the most irresponsible,
clever, gmceless, good-for nothing Be-
hemian il the world. and the S0utherns
were the NEST aristocratic and wealthy
people within 100 miles
The der old world, who never could,
can, or will let other folks business alone,
shrugged her mighty shoulders, and whis-
pered to Ter lady's mald, the moon, that
it wasn't proper. The moon turned
pale, winked, and said something must
be done.
But Phil Copely kept on visiting the
Southern family. :
20. Phil
Such charming voice--such perfect
lips as pronounced those simple words
one fine afternoon, while my scapegrace
was taking look at the conservatory
with Alice Southern! What delicious
little suggestions of bon-bons, of honey,
of cream dates, OF rahdatee- locoomb-or
whatever it is called--oi nectar and am
brosa-In a word, as Keats so toothsomely
has it:
"Jellies soother than the creamy curb,
And lucent srops tnet with cinnamon"
there were in that voice.
Did YOU ever observe, o gentle and
effugent reader how differently your
name sounds when uttered 10y different
persons2 Why, l have heard my plain
cognomen made more mellifluously mu-
steal than Weber's last waltz played by
two French horns, which | consider the
most mellitluously musical perform
ance | ever heard, save in the instance
mentioned. But, you know, am so sus-
ceptible.
TO return to Phil Copely. When he
heard Alice Southern say, so, Phill" as
above, he experienced various extraordi-
nary emotions in the left thoraeic region,
and looked upon the young lady IN
peculiar way, much as a dyspeptic pa
tient looks upon q perigord patti
aux trutfes.
40, PHILIP
.'Wen, l don't care 1t is true. l am
u worthless vagabond"
at is not tue at all, and you have no
right to say So"
i've good mind to go and drown
myself.
uphill Copely, if you don't stop talk
ing so, I'll never speak to you again.
ssShe had about as much idea of execu.
ting her threat as he had of executing
his.
"Well. lust look at the case. Don I
YOU see that am william and sound
rel to keep coming here every day or two,
= hen have no business to be here at all?
Don't you know that havn't a cent
except the miserable pittance my aunt
left me-I wish she had taken it with
her when she died And your father
would as soon see you mary coal-heaver
as me? Am not vampire in the bosom
of tile family2 Oughtn't to be thorough
" ashamed of myself? Yes, and, by
George. am, too"
40, PHILIP
Imploringly this tune, and with GER
tain hazy humidity to the clear (let me
steal charming epithet from one of aid
rich's poenls) "bIonze- brown eyes, that
was no detriment to their beauty, but
which wounded Phil Copely like two
edged sword.
ii will 90 away, somewhere" he said
II will join the navy or the amy. | will
go to Hong Hong, before the mast-turn
missionary, or something. What shall |
do2"
There was real, earnest suffering in this
last question; for Alice ewes were upon
him, and he felt that while they could
look thus, he was not only incapable OF
going to Hong Kong, but any other dis
o., u
insurmountable.
SO he staid Just where he was, and the
effect, artistically considered, was mucn
the better for his presence.
The tao were sitting on rustic seat
curiously fashioned of fantastic and mis-
shapen branches. Tropical cacti, looking
like vegetable sausages, stood stiffiy
around, Nth their ragged blossoms OF
scarlet and yellow hanging from them. as
if they did not belong there at all.
Orange trees perfumed the atmosphere
with their creamy flowers, and cast soft
greenish shadow through the conservato-
~. where camelias, red and write,
| bloomed all about contrasted with water
lilies of rare kinds; passion flowers; roses
of endless variety and beauty; tuchsias
as large as the end OF my finger; air
plants dalntily trailing their delicate
tracery down from pretty little wire bas-
kcts, hung high alooft; and, in short, all
| the curious and beautiful flowers and
plants that gardeners and poets love.
Next to the body Of the Academy OF
Music, on a grand opera night, like the
greenhouse,
There sat the lovers looking very sad,
very affectionate, and very handsome-as
many other couple have sat beforehand
considering themselves the most unfor-
tunate young folks in the world-also as
MANY another couple have done, and,
more betoken, will do to the end OF
| time"
30 Phllr
His hand had found hers IN some mys
FERROUS way (does anybody ever know
how hands get together, under such cir
cumstaucesll, and their fingers were loose
" interlaced. Leaning against the back
| Of the quaint seat, their heads somehow
rested very close to each other, go Phll's
Inns touched one Of Alice ringlets-a
great showery splendor of gold and ma
hooany color: not red, mind you, not red
dish. but lust the least bit OF sugges-
ton of reddisn-brown, in certain halt
lights, all threaded and shining with
pale gold, so as to be perfectly / don't
hnow what.
Pills breath stirred this ringlet
changing the play Of its hight and shadow
Phil's hand clasped the delicate digits
moro closely. Phil arm unconsciously