The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-03-11

Auo"s olU tuAlA euo was p1eety oAAAAVue
for . whitley
AS I said before, there were good
many of Us young people and We had .
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 I did at school or
was planning to do, and it scasnt ex-
actly honest and he said so, and l was
dreadfully angry. wouldn't speak to
him for q week afterward, and then l
was 80 ashamed I couldn't stand it any
longer, and told him I knew it was
mean and shouldn't really do it. 81
knew you wouldn't. Come on and let's
60 skating," said he, and that was the
end of it. 1 dare say he hasn't thought
of it since, but somehow never forgot
it. liked John, of course; knew him
so well that he seemed almost like the
boys at home, and of course I enjoyed
being with him and talking with him in
a 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 - I was
a romantic little goose. What could you
expect? I didn't snub John, you know;
I went out with him sometimes, and /
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 l rode down to the Port with Arthur
Lawrie 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; 1 liked them both, you know,
and I knew they both liked me in way,
l 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 awhile when John grad
ually left off asking me to 90 skating,
and didn't come over in the evening so
often as he used to, but it didn't matter
SO much, because I saw a good deal
yes, great deal of Arthur. I'm
ashamed to say it, but I never was half
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. l re-
member his profile used to come just
over one of the carved oak panels. and
he looked like a picture, with his fine,
clear-cut face and his musical express
sion. Not that 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 a 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
selishness and remuneration of personal
aims and all that. And, my dear, I
believed in him as thoroughly as I did
in the rector.
1t was the next spring that there was
a little talk of his leaving St. Marks
and going to Albany, and we half ex-
pected he would 60, though nobody
knew. One afternoon party of us
went up in the woods behind the county
farm to get May flowers. I remember
John didn't go, for he was in the Office
at Brown and Growers then, and had to
work like everything. The air was
warm as June. We two we're little
behind the others coming back; he was
carrying my basket and looked a good
deal more sober than usual.
"How can you," said I, sswith all
those flowers, and such sunset in your
face?'' And he said he was wondering
if it would be the last time he should 20
a-Maying in those woods and with the
same companion.
"And are you really going away,
then?" said 1. Somehow it made me
rather sober, too, and I suppose I
showed it more than I meant, for he
turned and looked down at me-he was
tall and slender. s'Should you care a
bit, Miss Winifred, if did go?' he said,
in that pathetic little way Of his. He
had been talking just few evenings be-
fore about the beauty of loving our
friends faithfully and without demands,
even though they might never care one
half so much for us. Icouldn't help re-
it, and I suppose I <blushed
and said of course I 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 internationally blissful little
idiots I suppose was shining exam
Pile. There was no public engagement,
in fact he never actually and in 50 many
words said so very much about home or
q wedding day, bat he talked great deal
about companionship and sympathy and
The fine capabilities of woman's nature
for general sweetness and Highland he
used to play to me by the hour, and talk |
with father and praise Jim's
voice to mother-and fused to sit and
think how refined and pale and hand
some he was. And then, you know, he
came to board with the Steeles in the
other halfof the house.
Mind you, I don't say that the next
didn't bring some revela-
lions to Arthur Lawrie as well as to me.
don't pretend to be saint, and was
rorv vary far frnm II then hnt nf oOl,rso