River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-07-28
SLIGHTLY ELEVATED.

| elevator, and then, seeing lady, took
off his hat and stood with it in his hand
while others filed in and seated them
selves. / wondered if he had seen me.
l hoped in heaven he had not. 1t was
not very bright in the place, and cast
my eyes down with a truly ostrich-like
sagacity, forgetting could be seen if l
did not see; forgetting too the mirrors
lining the box if one happened to look
in them. However, at the second floor
he left, and went on, thankful / had
not been obliged to make the stir of
moving ont before he did.
| would not have gone down to din
ner that day if 1 could have helped it,
/ said to myself-not although mamma
had asked the Coverings to dine, and
my new garnet velvet had just come
home. But mamma would have made
such song over it that one thing
would be as bad as the other.
| was hardly inside my room when /
locked the door, and fell on the bed SO
faint that | should have died if at last
! had not been able to cry-a good long
refreshing cry that lasted till | grew so
angry with myself that it dried my
tears. And then Amy came to the
door, but told her she must go along
into mammals ROOM she couldn't
come in there. And she went away
declaring it was a fine time of day, and
other things of the sort, till / bethought
me that it aCdS fire time of day if |
tainted away and cried myself i'll, and
locked my sister out Of her room, all
because l happened to meet Loring
Richards on the elevator five years af-
ter our boy and girl engagement was
broken.
l call it boy and girl engagement;
but it had been lite of my life, and il
had almost torn my heart out in COM
ing to an end. And what had he cared
the great, dark, handsome creature
standing there without line upon his
face that told of any trouble it had
been to him, who had left me to suffer
all / had to suffer alone? | would go il
| went up in a chariot of fire directly
afterWard. | sprang up and bathed my
face and powdered it till it was cool, and
unlocked the door and called Amy, and
sat bent over a novel and thoroughly
absorbed in it, my hair streaming ove1
my face and shoulders, till she was
dressed, having to hurry a little fol
some caller in our parlor. Then / blew
off my powder, took hot bath, called
Davis, and had her brush my hair til
it tingled, and put on the garnet velvet
with its creamy duchesse lace and the
yellow pearls-every body dresses so al
that hotel. | came near breaking dowr
when Davis, not being able to find 8
Jewel L wanted, / tumbled over the
case myself, and little old miniature
that nobody knew | had kept, tumbleC
from its hiding place, and showed me
| for half an instant that proud grave
face But | recovered presently, and
| looked in the glass and defied him tC
tell that | cared a straw, even if he saw
me in that vast caravansary of the
splendid hotel dining room, with it,
chandeliers, its mirrors, its frescoes. anC
its throngs. Anybody would have beer
justified in making such remarks as
were convenient concerning my vanity
who could have known the second
thought that flashed through me as
looked in that glass, and saw the olive
oval with its rich flush, the dark anC
glowing eye, the dewey lip, the clear
soft outlines. If / thought it was 8
picture Loring Richards or another
might be glad to see, how could / helr
the thought?
The Coverings were waiting when
went into the parlor, mamma and Amy
who had become used to my caprices
in five years, talking as if they were
not worried half to death for fear l wa.
not going to dine at all-mamma''
soul being deeply concerned in doing
the Coverings honor; for she mean
that Amy should marry the doctor i
obliged to give up hope of my accept
ing Mr.. Coverings bonds and stocks
with himself. Poor Mamma had come
to make a fetch to herself of bonds
and stocks. And it was condescen
sion, in manner, for them to dine
with us anyway at hotel-the aristo
Gratis of the avenue in general despising
the CUISINE and the heru of the vulgar
who get their two or three days yearly
splendor at an inn, and these being
aristocrats in particular, and cruelty
conservative in practice and principle
So we went down. And mamma sailed
in with Mr.. Lowering and Amy with
the Doctor, and | followed with Julia
Lowering, whose little soul curled al
up at contact with the crowd, like sea
anemone when you touch it; and just
at the door my train caught on a car
pet hook, and a couple of servants
made haste to loosen it, but not before
gentleman had stopped and set il
free, and bowed without looking up
and passed on; and it was Loring Rich
ards, and he had not known me again
So near me, and had not known me-
Once, the air my garment brushed
would have thrilled him through and
through And you can imagine if
knew whether | were eating gumbo
soup, or Blue Point oysters, or what
not, after that What was Loring Rich
ards doing there? Who was that lady
he Joined in the hall? lad he married;
Was he here, possibly, on his wedding
, journey? Had he, then, forgotten me:
| If it had not been for mammals clar-
ct, which she quietly pushed toward
me, in a minute | should have fallen
off my chair but that brought the
blood back. Forgotten me! Well, why
should be the only one to remember
Let me forget Alasl had / not been
trying to forget for five years? But
| leaned over my plate TO ask Mr.. Lover
ing question. the length of who's re-
ply / knew would be like spool silk
warranted three hundred yards; and
was hanging on his words when my
eyes caught sight of a person that had
Just come in, and was seated few la
| bles distant, bad taken out a newspaper
and was never glancing up from the
column. A chair was turned down
near him, and it remained vacant for
some time. For his bride? No; a man
does not come down to dinner and
leave his bride to follow alone. For
his wife of longer date? When | had
the opportunity of another look daz-
zling creature sat there, a golden head
ed darling, radiant as if a star had
turned a rose. Was I not ashamed OF
myself to wish to look that way? What
did care for Loring Richards, or his
wife either, if he had one? Not in that
direction again did turn my head. /
was gay and all alive myself, and Mr..
Lowering ali devotion. / knew by some
other senses when those two had left
the room, but rot by my eyes or ears.
"Who is that going out?" asked
Mr.. Lowering. eff his looks were a
burning glass you would be in flames
''One of the waiters?' | asked. 'FThere
is French count among them, you
know, and Polish refugee"
Margaret !" exclaimed mamma.
| chow should Won know ANYTHING about