The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-03-19

Tor Whlle.) ot
As l said before, there were a good
many of us young people and we had a
pleasant winter. Most of the others
were old friends and neighbors, John
Powers and the Gardeners and the Edison
girls and the rest. John and / had
always been good friends; we had had
but one real, genuine quarrel that | can
remember, and that was my own fault.
1t was years and years ago, about some
thing or other that did at school or
was planning to do, and it acasmt ex-
actly honest and he said so, and | was
dreadfully angry. wouldn't speak to
him for week afterward, and then
was SO ashamed ] cnnlda't stand it any
longer, and / told him knew it was
mean and shouldn't really do it. 81
knew you wouldn't. Come on and let's
go skating" said he, and that was the
end of it. dare say he hasn't thought
of it since, but somehow never forgot
it. / liked John, of course; knew him
so we'll that he seemed almost like the
boys at home, and of course l enjoyed
being with him and talking with him in
o certain way, but then he was only John
Powers, and, well, he certainly didn't
have Arthur Lawrie's music or his eyes
or his graceful manners, and - was
romantic little goose. What could you
expectP 1 didn't snub John, you know !;
I went out with him sometimes, and I
tried to. make it pleasant for him when
he came in of an evening, as he used to
do pretty often at first; but if now and
then rode down to the Port with Arthur
Eawrie instead, or he came in and found
Arthur playing on the venerable piano
downstairs - oh, Irene, he used to
play such delightful things! Well, it
often happened so about John and
Arthur; l liked them both, you know,
and knew they both liked me in a way,
and so -
don't know. What do you mean
by Irritation, Irene? Perhaps so, though
there was no malice aforethought about
it only wanted to have good time. Ibid
feel sorry after while when John grad
ually left off asking me to 60 skating,
and didn't come over in the evening so
often as he used to, but it didn't matter
SO much, because 1 saw good deal
yes, q great deal of Arthur. Pm
ashamed to say it, but never was hall
so particular about church going -
partly for the church of course, but
partly for the music, and sometimes to
look after Jim.
Our pew was down in front, just where
l could always see the organist. re-
| member his profile used to come Just
over one of the carved oak panels, and
he looked like q picture, with his fine,
clear-cut face and his musical express
sion. Not that l sat and watched him
all the time, either.
And then, Irene, he always had that
way of treating you as if you were an
angel, and you know one does like that,
even along with the consciousness of be-
ing miserable little sinner; and
though he was never what one would
call obtrusively religious, still he could
say great many nice things about I'M
seltishness and remuneration of personal
aims and all that. And, my dear,
| believed in him as thoroughly as l did
in the rector.
a little talk of his leaving St. Mark IS
and going to Albany, and we half ex-
pected he would go, though nobody
knew. One afternoon party of us
went up in the woods behind the county
farm to get May flowers. 1 remember
John didn't go, for he was in the office
at Brown and Growers then, and had tc
work like everything. The air was
warm as June. We two were little
behind the others coming back; he was
carrying my basket and looked a good
| deal more sober than usual.
elbow can you," said l, ''with al
those flowers, and such a sunset in your
| face?" And he said he was wondering
if it would be the last time he should &c
a-Maying in those woods and with the
same companion.
"And are you really going away
thenP" said l. Somehow it made me
rather sober, too, and / suppose
showed it more than l meant, for he
turned and looked down at me-he was
tall and slender. "Should you care 8
bit, Miss Winifred, if l did goP" he said
in that pathetic little way of his. He
had been talking just few evenings be
fore about the beauty of loving oul
friends faithfully and without demands
even though they might never care one
half so much for us. Icouldn't help re-
Numbering it, and | suppose 1 blushed
and said of course l should care-a lit
tle-and then-well, the end of it was
that he didn't go. q found out after
ward it was because he quarreled with
the Albany church about the salary.)
OF all unconscionably blissful little
idiots l suppose I was a shining exam
pie. There was no public engagement
in fact he never actually and in SO many
words said so very much about home OF
a wedding day, but he talked great deal
about companionship and sympathy and
the fine capabilities of a woman's nature
for general sweetness and highland he
used to play to me by the hour, and tall
machinery with father and praise Jim
voice to mother-and used to sit anG
think how refined and pale and hand
some he was. And then, you know, ht
came to board with the Steeles in the
other half of the house.
Mind you, don't say that the mex
twelvemonth didn't bring some revela
tions to Arthur Lawrie as well as to me
l don't pretend to be saint, and was
very, very far from it then: but of course