Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-03-03
POOR CHARLY.

POOR CHARLY.
BY Caroline Conrad.
81 am sorry to have to thinl
it; l am indeed, Charly. But In
afraid I'm right. Victor Disbrowe ha.
no more idea of marrying than HI
has of going to the moon. ont cal
it the right kind of thing either, for ;
man to pay any girl the attention h,
has you, and mean nothing by ii. Cam
you talk, Charly? Have you los
your tongue, as well as your heart"
81 think my heart is as safe as my
tongue is, Aunt Rhoda."
"Then I'm sure you've both lost {
great deal of time Such Sunday night
visiting and sleigh riding, and iunket
ting generally. / shouldn't want tC
help a young man spoil my market al
that rate"
81 wish you wouldn't talk $,
Aunt"
Charlotte Glenn's bright face was
clouded, and her eyes Just ready to drol
tears; those eyes that Victor Disbrowt
called starry in their loveliness.
Victor had been Charlotte's mos
particular cavalier the winterpast, ant
elbowed everybody else away from
pretty Charly, till no one thought Of
going with her anywhere when Victor
Disbrowe was on hand. Charly had {
great many beaux before Victor came
She was quite little belle in her set
But she had been content to drop then
all for him. She had spent such a hap
py winter. VictOr's handsome eyes
and VictOr's handsome face, his eX
preSsive voice which made Il little say
so much, had made it so. Honestly
Charly didn't know whether he had
really any brains or heart at all, Look.
ing back on the evenings she had spent
with him, the hours and hours she had
sat beside him, she could not have re
called, if she had tried, the utterancC
of one manly sentiment, the expires
sion of one genuine or generous
thought.
But Charly was very young, and
the mans handsome belongings, face
eyes, voice, his pretty sayings, sand
wiched with gentle pressures Of Char
ly's little nuttering hands, or little
more than fraternal attention to hel
comfort when they were sleighing, had
completely entrapped her conIiding af
fecti0ns. She was very much in love
with Victor Disbrowe, or she thought
she was. which is the same thing at
Charly's age. She was seventeen.
1t was not the first time she and
Aunt RhOda had had words about Vic
tor. Aunt RhOda believed in young
people marrying, and she thought the
sooner the better when they got tC
Charly's age. Victor Disbrowc wa,
as well as any one if he meant hllsi
ness. She had no prejudice against
the man; she only thought he meant
nothing, and was spelling Charly',
market-fooling with her. us she cX
pressed it.
Charly herself had begun to have
some msgivings lately.
There was Il Miss Laura Chanutt
who had joined the choir u few Sun
days before, Il handsome, dashing girl
only Just moved to Ha2elwood, thai
Charly was desperately jealous of.
Victor had been to church with hel
already twice, and Charly had hit
herself in the darkest corner of the
parlOr, and listened all the evening
for the click of his smart boot heel Of
the board walk that led from the gait
to the front door, finishing by crying
herself to sleep, both times.
The day before there had been par
ty at Janet Bondron's, and if she haC
waited for Victor to come by for he
as she generally did, she would hay,
had to stay at home. But Janet haC
sent for her to come and help make TIN
cake, and she dressed there, and Vic
tor brought Miss Chanute, and scarce
ly looked at poor Charly all the even
ing. Charly's heart ached in yer,
strange way that night, and thOugl
she tried to be very gay, lest any on
should imagine she cared, she had har,
work to smile naturally, and nobod
was deceived by her pale gladness.
Janet made her stay and sleep wit
her; and when she got her alone, sh
gave the poor little girl good shakin
and some odd advice.
"Don't you let him get ahead OF yor
Charly. l always said he was a flirt
and now he's off, You just let him g
and if ever he asks you to go anywher
with him again, don't you go. Te
him you're engaged; and I'll see tina
you are. You may consider yoursel
engaged to me my dear, for any lengt
Of time. I'll see you have a beau if it
nobody but brother Thad."
Charly thought that was prett
sharp practice, but Janet never let he
go till she had promised to do as sh
said; and then, the next morning, Aur
Rhoda, hearing the news, opened he
batteries in the manner related.
Rather reluctantly, Charly came
the resolve to act upon Janet Bondron
advice. She went to church the 70
lowing Sunday evening with Janet
brother, and listened with great appi
: rent interest to the sermon, thoug
Victor and Laura Chanute sat only hal
dozen seats away. and Victor's hanC
some eyes sent many curious glanC
in her direction. She was very wretcl
ed, but she kept IA pretty good face o
il, and Thad. 1,ondron was just I'll
companion for her under the circun
stances. He knew when to speak an
wh II to De silent, and he had amarve
. Gus faculty in choosing safe topics fC
conversation.
: Thad. was bachelor, and rich, bl
about as harsh Il contrast in appearanC
, to Victor Disbrowe as Vulcan mu
have been to Apollo. He was not
beau to be despised however, by an
means Very few Of the Ha2elwoC