The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-07-03

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some time, and then we sang some OF
the new tunes which Miss Alice hadn' y
heard and some of the old ones when
she liked, and then she played for US
first some gay music, and atterwara
plaintive tune which made me feel lor-
saken, and poor Spenser was quite over
come. / shouldn't like to say for GER
tain that he kept his eyes wide open
without winking until the tears came (;
but happened to be watching him and
it looked uncommonly like it. It's too
bad to tell you that, for he is one OF the
best fellows in the world; but he was
young and he wished to make a good
impression, and he sat with his hand
over his eyes looking at Miss Halloween
between his fingers. Such a heavenly
look as he gave her when she stopped
playing land he said so gently that it
was just the kind of music that he liked.
l had heard Dick say great deal about
her playing, and l must confess that,
although l know nothing about it, it
didn't strike me as being at all extraor-
binary. But she looked like beauty,
with the freight making her eyes seem
darker and her hair more golden,
and l begged her to play something
else. 81 wish you could sing" said
Dick, with great politeness considering
that she was his sister, and then they
laughed as if there were some joke, and
she answered that she was sorry she
couldn't, but he could see how hoarse
she was. She left the piano and satin
low chair in the shadow of ascreen, as
she complained that the freight hurt
her eyes. Jack moved a chair near
hers and they entered upon a long con-
versation, and finally Dick and [ adj
journed to the library for q smoke, and
talked over our own affairs in sensible
fashion. L could see Miss Hallowell as
she sat opposite the door; she looked
pale and tired, end began to feel sorry
about the cold. She was certainly a
very pretty girl, and l remember she
had on very dark blue silk dress with
white ruflle round her throat and
bright yellow gold chain just under it.
There was something so pleasant and
frank about her!-but sometimes she
put on the little ways most girls have in
talking to gentlemen-so conscious of
themselves, and looking at you with
that devoted little smile.
"Jack's in for it, sure enough" said
Dick to me in an exultant whisper. 81
hoped there'd be a Irritation. Did you
ever see any thing done better in all
your life?" and he shook with laughter
and then began to talk about some
thing else.
| had no wish to change the subject
and said, 81 should think he would en-
joy her, after having that stuck-up Miss
Daneweight for lady-love." eve
somehow had never approved of any of
poor Jacks hames.)
"Alice is. a good-looking GIRL" said
Dick in matter-of-fact way. "You
are MT hit yourself, are you Philip
and then he went on talking about rum
ning-jumps and standing Jumps, the
giant-swing and other gymnasium af-
fairs, and 1 wondered why his eyes
twinkled so and why he seemed so full
of the old Harry. He seemed so glad
to be at home, and that made me feel
blue, for l couldn't help thinking of my
home, which only a year or two before
had been broken up and which
missed terribly. ~
We sat before the fire some time, and
at last L began to grow sleepy; for l had
got up early that morning to do some
studying-a most uncommon piece of
behavior on my part-and between that
and the journey, the drive and the sup
per, my eyes kept shutting up. l dis
covered my miserable state of mind to
Dick, who said he was sleepy too and
volunteered to keep me company. We
listened minute in the hall, and found
that Jack was repeating poetry. He
looked up at me in rather a shame-faced
fashion when said goodnight to Miss
Hallowell, and seemed more ill at ease
than | ever had seen him. Dick said in
a casual way that he should be down
again presently, and we departed.
" Sentimental goose!" said he, when
we were half way upstairs. 'He'n be
made fun of if he goes far on that tack.
| said | was coming down again just to
start him off. I'm afraid you've had a
stupid evening, Phil; but Alice will be
all right tomorrow and we'll have no
end of fun"
| put in remark not altogether COM
plimentary to Spenser, for to tell the
truth was little jealous and had a
sense of being left out of sight. When
we were in my room, Dick banged the
door and rolled over and over on wide
sofa, laughing until he was almost in
Mysteries. l never had seen the fellow
behave so in all the time 1 had known
him. laughed at first from sympathy,
and finally [ pounded him on the back
and shook him and made him sit up, and
then | gave my whole mind to finding
out what the matter was.
"Oh, can't tell you, old boy!" said
he, gasping, "but it's such a go! I'm
afraid never can keep it until to-mor-
row. If we both knew it we should spoil
it; but it is such fun, and you shall
know tomorrow afternoon" and my
friend sat up and wiped his eyes, and
told me if every thing wasn't all right
in the room to sing out, and that !
should be called for breakfast, and
mustn't tell Spenser that there was any
joke coming off. 1 made another at
tempt to learn the secret, but Dick sour
ried away downstairs in self-defense.
In half an hour or so, when | was just
going off to sleep, Spenser opened the
door OF his room, which was next mine,