Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-07-03
MISS CLIFFORD.
BY ELIZABETH A. S. CHESTEl


M xed preparatory school, TO adore somebody,
ard the act ompaDying nrtattonS were IL unin-
teTfered with oy parents and guardians. as unin-
fluential on after-life as FOOT ball or boating.
There was Mcintosh an Albanian. who had
been stranded north just before the war, and
had remained over until later days, an elegant
young man with dark auburn hair. an aquiline
nose, and slender white hand. Rattle felt
sure he would some day fight duel. and re-
leved he already carried teweled dagger IL
his inside coat pocket. He was known to be
radically southern In sympathieS. Webster
was budding with patriotism, and the girls
were all knitting blue wooden socks with a de-
termination TO put down the rebellion. Rattle
Iad begun pair; but the yarn was coarse, aud
the weather warm, her hands per5pired; the
stitches stuck; the needles bent. She had sent
The hose TO her grandmamrna TO finish. and
was herself strongly opposed to the prolonga-
lion OF this wicked war.
Mcintosh and Rattle looked out AnapaSis to-
Eether In the grapevine arbOr. The arbOr stood
in the center OF the campus. Had IL been a
seminary regulation that students were to eat
The grapes that vine produced and had any
student been expelled for violating that reguIa-
ton. his fellOW-StudentS would have accomDa-
Hied him 10 the depot with a band OF music, and
would have passed resolutions OF length and
Vgor 10 require the services OF an extra SecreIa-
" in each or the societies. They would have
Kissed the president and petitiOned the trustees
TO remove him. since however, it was a semi
nary regulation that students should not eat
those grapes, the grapes had scarcely begun to
turn purple before on moonlight nights, the
boys might be seen lowering around the vines
and scattered over the top OF the frail structure
as plenty as were d-'s darning- needles IN the
daytime until the time the grapes would have
reached their highest degree OF acidity ,denoting
TipenesS, not one would remain.
There was much competition for the arbor as
place wherein TO look out Greek and Latin
texts In pairs. and nothing but southern valOr
united with northern enterprise could have Sc
cured it so many mornings in the week Every
few minutes. some one with lexicon and gram
mar looked In, disappointed to find the place
occupied An unpleasant number Of darning-
needles-the winged. animate ktnd-bWzed
rhr0nDh Mcintosh M
insects valorOusly, as II he imagined them ami
mated by the souls OF Yankees.
one evening. party OF students went out OF
town, and returned toward morning in a con-
dttion far from severely classical The soul of
chivalry and pattern OF elegance was among
them. Rattle sent him note the next day
containing the sentiments of a later and
greater
Nay. ray no more, nor seek to approach nae;
Shall never be less. while the world has measure.
He did not seem 10 take 1t very deeply to
heart-not so deeply as he had, certainly, given
Rattle reason TO eXpect-but Immediately trans
ferred his attentions to Miss Leeds. a yonnp
lady with rtngletS, who sketched from nature
Mcintosh carried her portfolio, and generally
carried 1t by Rathe's window. There was moth
ing that ever the latter could see to be sket:hed
In that direction excepting pasture dott d
with boulders-
About this time Miss Clifford came to VEL
sifer.
Miss Clifford was slender, with dark. LIQUID
eyes, and rose-leaf complexion. She gave
ncT 10 HOOcr0 languages. and had
been placed In the spelling class but as she
designated spelling as lessons In othography.n
the exercises seemed raised to an elevated piain
Miss clifford had taken q room OPPOSITE
Rathes, and the latter soon became Intensely
conscious OF her proximity. She heard Miss
Cnford's door whenever It opened felt Miss
ChfordS dress glide along the hall, and diStfn-
gutSh6d Miss ChfTOrd'S perfume over the VENT
laJOrS. From being a passage so bare ard gloomy
that the regulation against pausing there
seemed farcial the hall teeIned with sweetness
and light. Nevertheless Rattle was miserable
Not 10 have dark eyes and pink and white
complexion was 10 be blot on the landscape
and SUR upon nature. To pursue any studios
Excepting modern languages and photography
was TO tranSgreSS womanly sphere, and 10
forfeit all claims 10 delieacy. Rattle lost self
respect and fell into dependency ..fiZZled" In
quadratics and 'nGnked" on subiuncttyes.
The young ladies OF Webster occupied one side
gallery OF the village church, and the young
gentlemen the opposite. AS the former eX-
ceeded the latter. the classical girls sat In the
curve between the boys gallery and the choir
Rattle was thus brought facing Miss Clifford.
she never saw Miss Clifford come stepping roy
ally down 10 her place IL the middle front pew,
without experiencing a satisfied thrin-as ii
services We're about 10 begin.
Rattle was profoundly discouraged In regard
10 her own spiritual condition. Sue couldn't be
as good as Miss Clifford II she tried and nothing
short or Miss Clifford'S high attainment could
ever satisfy her. Miss Clifford Wore great
deal or white lace under her cnin and a bonnet
OF white lace, with one blush rose over the left
Temple. She sat, much or the time with her
long. dark eye-laSheS dropping over her cheeks
How angelic. how holy, hos serene must be
Miss CDnOrd's inner life. When services reached
the prayer. and Miss Clifford laid her haudSer-
ch1ef.-lace border outward-upon the peyy rail-
placed her prettily gioyed hand upon the hand
neIchleI; ahd bent her fair, pure forehead
tutor Frelinghuysen sat directly OPPOSITE
Rdthe felt herself uplifted, and impelled toward
all thingS spiritual and sacred
Miss clifford made impressions similar in kind
Trough inferior IN degree upon the other girls at
Webster. While the number OF boys v ho, meta
Hhorically. were signing at her feet, was legion.
IhoSe young undergraduates, however, were
small game Ior Miss Clifford. She launched All
her arrows al Tutor Frelinghuysen Tutor Ere
nnghuySen was popular among the girls h.
FAUST OF nus hne presence and among the boys
because he slyly made BON ntOts on the s:Prex,'
who was anything but popular.
MISS Cnnords arrows seemed TO glide inef-
fectual on the Frei1Dghuysen buckler: but There
was Tutor LYMAN, a thin, pious consumptiyp
young man, who was working or his coIleoe
debts one morning, when the snow on the
campus was two feet deep, and paths cut ONLY
wide enough 10 admit single passer. Rattle
observed Tutor Lyman deteTentially foiIowincr
along by the side or Miss Clifford, breaking his
path as he went, and as soon as she had enfe-ed
The building, giving way 10 his painful couph
He died in cuba the DeXt winter and hts friends
always referred MS accelerated decline TO cold
contracted about this date
one evening Miss Clifford appeared in Ratha's
room, and dropping down beside the Latter said
Sweetly and afiect1Onately:
Your roOm-m mate has gone home shonId ba
so happy II could room with you, Miss Burr
ana are not thoroughly congenial Miss Burt
doesn't understand me-
Miss Burt, most excellent girl we irtnp her
halr plain aud her dresses without tritls was
hitting for a teacher. She went on a mission NOT
long since. She would be very thorough with
the little heatsen. ~
Ra'he had enjoyed solitude, but she welcomed
Miss Clifford
Miss Clifford proposed decorating and rerur.
nlsniDg the room, and talked household arr re-
SaIuiess Oh expense or The practical Miss CIff.
Ioiu II seems, had an aunJ.who had three times
mace the tour of Europe, having in mind file
nttlng up OF her Own r-sidence and Wh1 had
pressed into her e 'yIt e the most famous for
elgn dec0fdtetf-S ID lists. This aunt owned
superior COLI CT On OF brio a. brac ana Miss
Chnord's tnforn alton, and her art phraseolocrv
was awe-fnSpfrn TO Rtthe. The Webster An
thorities, however, refused permission 20 sub.
Stitute more refin Rangings for the blue
grapes, and dun brown leaves or the wal n rner
and Miss CLIFFORD was obliged 10 harmo1ize
with the paper by purchasing a brown Garnet
with blue Dorder,-at RaJGeS expense.
Rattle, who was an orphan, had very tndul.
gent guardian, but, as Miss Clifford well kueW.
her educational expenses drew upon her princt,
pal, and after her scho0-days she would be
largely dependent upon her own exeTtions
Rattle, however, was most HAPPY 10 assume the
Inferior office OF providing funds, where Miss
Clifford contributed taste and terms. Miss
fl,rtrf toms,