The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-12-09

my heart hutter in an unaccuStomed
way. The lady whom Ihad taken down,
and who now sat beside me, was stout,
sOlemn-faced woman arrayed in black
velvet, who spoke very little. was glad
Of this latter fact, for | could not, | felt,
keep up conversation. was listeni o
to the voice of my new friend, who talked
well and wittily with her neighbors. Oc-
casionally she directed an odd sentence
to me across the Aowers.
When the dessert was over, my neigh
Dor in black velvet, with whom Tom
Phelan had unnecessarily warned me
not to fiirt because of her having a hus-
band in India, took up her fan and COM
menced to wave it gently to and fro.
. How hot it isn' she said to me, in
voice as subdued as if she spoke in a
church.
Eyes" | replied, ''the night is close,
but we should not complain. If we had
to bear that heat that your husband is at
present enduring -"
Suddenly something went against my
new friends breath, then every one at
my end of the table became all at once
silent, and l saw that though some of
them seemed grave enough. others strove
to keep themselves from laughing out
right, Tom Phelan, after a moments
keen struggle, strOve to look as if moth
ing in particular had happened. VIVA
was the cause of all this | had not tibet
slightest idea, but that something wrong
had occurred there was no doubt.
Mrs. Phelan at this instant caught
Mrs. Mactum's eye, and rose from the
table; the other ladies followed. Nv
neighbor whom, had taken down, was
the first to rise, and as she did so gave
me a whitening look, which | long re-
membered.
When the door was safely closed,
Tom Phelau threw himself back in his
chair and laughed until the tears rolled
down his fat cheeks; the other men
joined him, all looking at me while.
'What is the joke?'' | asked; 81 am
out in the cold"
"My dear fellow, Mrs. Carey, who sat
next you, is a widow"
In moment saw the blunder had
made. had taken down the wrong
woman to dinner.
An hour afterward [ had completely
forgotten my little mistake; for by some
chance had found myself by the side of
my new friend, who was seated at the
piano singing loft in the Silly Night"
turned the leaves of the music, bend
ing over her until touched her once or
twice. Her voice was soft and sweet; it
stirred me in way | had never before
experienced, and made me strangely
happy and sad almost in the same
minute. When she had finished sing
ing, and whilst | was yet bending over
her on pretense of closing the book, our
eyes met for a second; hers grew soft
and liquid, and seemed to melt into
world of tenderness. My heart gave a
great tITob, and then L knew far better
than all words could say, that we two
had fallen in love.
When man comes to make such
discovery, a sense of delicious happiness
fills him, and makes all the world seem
brighter than words-which are poor
things at best-can tell. Three hours
ago and | had never met this woman;
then accident-chance- call it by
what name you will, had flung us to-
gethen and nameless look in her eyes,
some stray tone in her voice, the touch
of her hand, had woven a charm for me
that Knocked at and set to flight my ideas
of happy bachelorhood; that revealed to
VIC feelings and hopes which | had never
known before, and which male me feel
that, come veal or woe, this was she who
must walk at my side all the days of my
life. Do the gods sport with men rs in
the olden days? | asked myself.
An hour after she had sung that song,
r., j
selves in the long garden that runs at the
back of Toms house. 1t was glorious
night in June; the air was cool and
balmy, the smell of the flowers delight
full; a young moon was in the cloudless
sky.
"Well, how do you like Miss Fay?'
The girl who had taken my heart captive
asked, looking at me from under her
dark lashes
VERY much; but-but-may say
My heart was terribly anxious to
speak.
WHAT" she asked, suddenly; but I
noticed her eyes did not meet mine.
81 like some one else BETTER
[ could hardly get the words out.
ltppdplt you uo-Soiue ono III LON
don?'
mo, some one in Ireland; some one
who is standing beside me now"
There was silence in the garden after
[ had spoken. She did not reply or
laugh, but raised her eyes and looked at
me once; then | saw the color coming
into her cheeks.
L think must 90 in. now" she said
presently, cor they will miss me if they
want me to sing"
Give me q Hover before you go?" |
pleaded to her, not daring to say more.
She stopped down, pluckcd red rose,
just touched her lips with it and handed
it to me. When looked at her there
was the merry light in her eyes that had
seen there when she first spoke to me
that evening. In another second she
turned and ran toward the house.
followed slowly. just as | arrived
ut the glass doors of the dining-room
that communicated with the garden,
came suddenly face to face with Tom
Phelan.
" Well, Etz, what are you doing out
here?" he said, with smile that was
ill-natured enough to set down in my
mind as grin. He spoke a, if rs in