Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-07-16

is III shh lei, and she doubted what sort st
| Z match would make. said how
could make any with Romano still
hanging on her handsa Whereupen Mam-
ina said Romaine was the most prepes-
ferrous girl alive she had just letmllions
slip through her fingers, and she didn't
believe the Archangel MicheaI would
make any impression on her. SO L be.
Ran to watch Romano, and 1 found an
old brass button was one Of her treasures,
and I learned what sort Of people II was
in whom she felt an interest I observed
the care she took of Gulna1e, although
Gulnare was twenty years old; and /
discovered, by accident again, put away
with lock Of Mrs. Browning's hair and
leaf from Shelleyb tomb, that brass
button and an old torn visor Of a soldiers
cap. Again, once when We.
were ali recounting old times,
and mamma was telling Of the fright she.
had when the soldier was fourishing her
cap on q bayonet, and the gratitude she
felt to her deliverer, who, she always did
feel, came straight from heaven to help
her, and who, for all she knew, went lust
as straight back again, I happened to.
be looking at Romano in the glass, upon
which she turned red as rose, then all
at once grew white as white rose, was
faint. and had to 60 out of the room. I.
made up my mind about Romaine.~
was sorry, toe; for some of Paul's
people who used to come incoming round
her were mighty nice. There was Col,
Rice-I don't know what he was colonel
of, some fanoy-fair or sidewalk regiment
I'm sue he'd never smelled powder
except when. shooting pigeons; but he
had the littlest foot and hand, aud oceans
of money, and drag. And he did send
Romano such flowers and if she had but
thrown her handkerchief, there was no.
thing he wouldn't have given her-cash-
mere shawls to walk on, and diamonds
bright enough to read by. And there
was an English earl's son just back from
buffalo hunting, who would have made
countess Of her, only give him time
enough; and goodness knows how many
more Of Paul's chums, and Senator Catch
penny, and the regulation swells, and
Cousin Nicholas.
And Romantic disdained them all
every one of Paul's chums of course, and
Cousin Nicholas on account OF the old
family feud that had always kept US
apart; he was hundred-thousandth cous-
in or so. And when the Englishman
was round she just-out Amer,caned the
Americans; and nothing but the dread
of scene with mamma could get her
behind Colonel Rlce's horses, although I
should have been glad of the chance and
that is the way it had been with one or
another for nine or ten years, mamma
said: and Romano was undoubtedly
fixture.
II don't know about you having the
right to hold yourself 80 accessible"
said mamma to her one day, as the wind
ing up Of a talking-to that sent Romano
out Of the room crying. "What is there
about you that no man in America, or
Europe either, that can see, is fit to
marry you, should like to know9>'
Romano was dancing that night with
Cousin Nicholas at Mrs. Chances ball.
The delicious waltz music made my feet
just t1ngle. Mamma let me 20 to ball
now and then, to show people what she
had in reserve, Romano said. But there
was Romano so listless, so lovely. SO in
different, and Nicholas looking down at
her so eager, so intent, and then leading
her out into the moonlight, as if he
would take her away from all these peo-
pie, and into another world. ut is no
use, Cousin Nicholas, said I, when he
happened to think of me, half an hour
afterward, and brought me an ice; "she
wouldn't marry you if you were made of
gold. She wouldn't marry anybody but
a soldier, anyway All at once Nicho-
lass face lighted up; land him only if
he had been nearly shot to pieces, and
only one soldier out of all of them, l do
believe" made haste to add, so as not
to encourage him.
Elbow much must man do to earn his
case?" said Nicholas, in his slow, languid
way, when he always did seem taller aud
more broad. shouldered than ever. He was
a handsome fellow, with his fresh color,
his white forehead, his grizzled curling
hair In tight rings like that Of an old
Greek head, his teeth cleaning from I'M
der dark mustache when he smiled. Il
didn't see how she could help being at
tracted to him-being in love with him,
you know.
show many scars must he shOw?' he
drawied. "Docs she want you to wear a
uniform and bandsges all the time2" and
then his eyes flashed, he thrust his fingers
through the bright curls, and I saw
where bnllet had ploughed its way
through them. "That was my ticket for
four months of Inconsistencies in hos
pital!" he cried. And then he pulled up
the cuff from his right wrist, and drew
his fingers asross an indentation there.
''That lost ME my sword ARM" he said.
"What more does she want9 Shall tell
her that bullet made this dimple in my
chin? That I carry the five wounds with
met suppose If took off both arms
and both legs every night, she would
have me out of hand"
No, she wouldn't" I said. She
wouldn't have you unless you were tall
slender fellow whose eyelashes were
burned of, whose face was covered to the
eyes with torn visor above and by a
brown beard below, who kissed her hand,
and wore an old silver.se diamond crest
on his-I saw it-and whom she has set
up in her shrine for ever and ever. Why,
Cousin Nicholas what is the matter with
you9 For he had suddenly burst into the
gayest and most appearing laugh. "You
had better tell me 50 that I can laugh
too" said, feeling as though ought to
be angry, but deciding that could not
be vcxed with Cousin Nicholas. GIVE
no doubt she'll thing better of you when
I tell her about your scars" said.
"When you tell her about my scars"