The Portland daily press., 1881-12-31
suggest that we shall lunch here at st.

I suggest that we shall lunch here at St.
| Cloud.
ssNo, no, mop she replies 'sThat is moi
my idea. l always carry out my ideas.
| saw little inn at Suresnes when drove
| through from the Bois, it has balcony with
tables in it looking on the river; and l said
to myself that would sit there one day ond
| eat my lunch"
So twenty minutes later in that balcony
welfare sitting
| 81 hope they will have something nice,'
| Corisande, who is bit of gourmet has
| said 'But whatever it is we must have il
| quickly
| The balcony which appeared so delicious
| ly rustic and inviting loses considerable by
| acquaintance; we ascend to it by two flights
| of wooden steps, passing through bare
| room with sanded floor. The little tables
| with cloths that looked SO snowy from the
| boat are no great shakes now we sit down to
one. Worst of all, there is nothing to be
| had but bifteck or outlets, and either will
| take twenty minutes.
[ am happy enough; the view of the river
and Longchamps is charming, the view of
| Corisande opposite me more charming still ;
and had big breakfast at 10 o'clock, and
| could live on love at least five hours more.
| But Corisaude's gay spirits have gone; she
| is pensive; she looks as if she might cry in a
| few minutes more.
ssRoger', she says dolorously, looking at
me with most heartrending expression, 81
| shall positively die if don't have something
to eat. o, Roger, / could eat you, 1 am so
| hungry! For PHYS sake get me something,
| if it is only bread and butter"
Thus adjured, look about hastily for a
| bell; there is none.
"Call the WAITER" she says family; and l
| obey. "There is no at the end of gdrcon,
dear Roger" she remarks, plaintively; shut
all the same, try again."
| roar at the highest pitch of my voice.
Presently steps are heard ascending; go to
meet them.
9'Pang ct bur, vitep' I shout; 'sand when
the devil are you going to bring that bifteck?
| And look here; wang, wang, rouge, Bor-
| deaux, St. Julien; look sharpr
When 1 return to Corisande she is in
| commissions of laughter; the tears are rum
ming down her cheeks. feel little nettled.
l suppose she is laughing at me. But the
| waiter appears, and my time is taken up,
| like Charlotte's, with cutting bread-and-but-
| ter. Corisande certainly astonishes me by
| her powers of consuming it.
81 am qualifying for a bread-and. butter
miss" she says, with her extraordinary fac
ulty of reading my thoughts.
| The bifteck comes at last. When | have
| stuck a fork into it, look at her with dis
may.
sNever mind" she remarks stoically.
"Give me some all the same. My hunger is
not yet appeased. Ah," as she puts piece
between her red lips, 81 recognize an old
| friend! This is the cab horse we drove be-
| hind last week."
| But she perseveres; she eats all the fried
| potatoes, and then a plate of little cakes,
| and a bunch of grapes.
| 81 am BETTER" she says with a sigh Of
| contentment. And she leans her arms on
the balcony, and looks down the river.
can not take my eyes off her.
elbow lovely you arep' I say at last.
g oh, my DEAR" she replies nonchalent.
| ly, that is because you've been out of Eng
land SO long. When you go back to it,
| you'll think hundreds of women better lock.
ing than your poor cousin"
5rll be shot if / SHALL" I say.
eyes," she replies, Shy an arrow from
| Cupid's bow
She has a pretty talent for repartee.
| look from her eyes to her lips, and from her
lips to her throat, and my glance falls or
three little diamond brooches nesting in hel
lace.
SIS it fashion now to wear diamonds in
| the day timen' inquire.
go yes, you stick yourself all over with
them, as many as you can get. have sew
| SIdl 7luOiC-tWO AlCo etAU q bOCeiO, ohd Q
shrimp. Can you see my toad? Isn't it 6
lambkin?"
SIT is rather neat" answer, thinking my
| epithet better chosen than hers.
seTom gave me that she says.
sTom? Tom who?"
tsWhy your brother Tom, of COURSE
"Ah,'' think trife bitterly, " he CAM
afford to give diamondsp' And I register 6
mental vow that, though am not particu
/ n &c.
| portunity, buy Corisande toad twice as big
and twice as ugly as Toms.
by the way, what is Tom like?" ask
carelessly.
| She looks at me with her head on one side
"Well,'' she says impartially, s'hes not as
| good looking as you. He's shorter, and his
nose is not as straight as yours"
| "Ahr' and l stroke that feature caressing-
"And what's he like otherwise? Is he a
decent sort of fellow"
every decent,n she responds, drily.
| However, do not feel disposed to waste
| time in talking of Tom. Every moment
| am growing more desperately in love with
| my beautiful cousin. I can't help it, it is
| stronger than l.
| Suddenly | catch her by both hands.
ssMy darling" say, s'don't think me a
| lunatic, but love you to Madness"
| She tears her hands from me with look
half angry, half alarmed.
"Are you out of your senses, Roger?" she
exclaims. 'sThis is most unmanly,-m
uufairp'
.Why unfair?" l cry.
''Most unfair" she repeats, ready to weep.
ssUnfair to me and to Tom"
ssTo Tom?'' I gasp. ssWhy to Tom?"
Because you know am engaged to him.
sit paralyzed and speeches..
'sHe wrote, and mamma wrote, and
wrote" she continues. "Of course you
knew it."
Still / cannot find my voice.
ssDo you think if it had not been for that
should have come out with you as | have
done to- day-you, who are almost stran-
ger? l told you l looked upon yon as a
brother"
Ny heart IS too bitter for speech. / look
away from her down the river. | lean my
face between my hands. Verify, / feel like
Esau-my younger brother has taken my
birthright, and now something that costs
me far crueler pang. How l wish l was
at the bottom of the Seine-anywhere away
from thisl Involuntarily think of Dolly.
How ready had been to throw her over!
"Here comes the boat" remarks Corisan-
de, in cold voice. "We had better be 60
ing"
Silently we walk on board; silently we are
borne Pariswards. As we approach the hof
tel she turns to me and says, with hal
smile, "This is all very ridiculous. We unjust
be friends, you know. Come in and see
mamma"
mo, thank yon," I say quietly; mot