Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-11-22

sons sense of propriety by hurting her dig
old, say as old as Marcia and I, you viii
wonder how at seventeen you could have
put much stress on the term little one.
See now, I am twice your age. / am thirty
four, and yet abate the natural superiority
of my years, and will ask you to be 81
friendly as to call me my first name Wher
you speak to me. Will you call me Her
man?"
"Good gracious!" calculated Marcia, un
der her breath. The request seemed to hel
almost as equivalent to proposal; but no
so Ida. That young lady responded very
composedly:
"Why, yes; Marcia and l always do cal
you Herman when we speak of you to eacf
other"
Marcia shuddered in her lair at this be-
trayal; but in spite of the frankness of hel
speech, Ida seemed filled with quick no
with her roses, her color coming and going
with her breath, her head dropped in a half
bashful pose; and her shoulders seemed
prominent to her, now her elbows, now hel
feet, and she recognized each in its turn
Marcia was not we'll acquainted with young
girls, and she accused this one Of "brid
''bridling." Then she wondered
how she could have developed such feel
ing against Ida, and berated herself as
"horrid old maid"
81 never knew just your relationship tc
Marcia" mused Herman, after a pause.
"Not any relationship at ALL" returned
Ida, warmly. "My father was only hel
step-brother, and that makes it seem the
kinder of her to make me so welcome here
doesn't it? l should have no home were
it not for Marcia-you see | never could say
Aunt Marcia, because she seems no older
or much older than I. But she is great
deal older-she is thirty six. You wouldn't
believe that Marcia was thirty-siX, would
YOU? She is older than you are, even."
Poor Marcia she covered among the
leaves, and hot tears came to her eyes. slt
isn't that Pm not willing to acknowledge
myself DID," she thought in sobs; "but il
seems 50 dreadful to tell him that | am
thirty-siX, in cold blood"
"Marcia will never marry, | suppose, u
Ida gossipped on, in an airy manner.
"There you may be mistaken, my little
friend," said Herman, languidly; ''at any
rate, let us hope So"
"Oh, yes I hope so," assented Ida, biting
her roses.
Because" he continued, looking at her
strangely, as if to see how she would con-
Stl uS lllS NOlNS, pSVpAS SAO" otNSi eAiNy
feel the need of husband or wife. 1t is the
craving for intimate companionship, which
one may put off without being rid of. DO
YOU fancy that because / am past thirty
years shall never offer my ripe love, fear
ing it may have gone to decay? On no,
Ida. / shall marry some time, though
this is premature confidence, into which
l should not have taken you. | may be
denied after all.
Ida still toyed with the blossoms in her
hand, as Marcia stole away on tiptoe, blush
ing at herself to have been an eavesdrOpper
thus far into the conversation, and certain
that she ought ut any rate to leave Herman
to approach the momentous question with
out other listener than Ida, believing that
having gone so far he was sure to do so.
"He should have asked my permission
she thought, Indignantly. 'Since l am old
to Ida, my years should be respected. Yet
/ remember nOw," and she warmed toward
him unconsciously, "that he seemed to
make nothing of my being thirty-six; and
to be sure, l may marry, as he said" Then
she tossed her head, and laughed in little
trickle of amusement. ooh, what non
sense!" she exclaimed within herself; but
she felt scarce so old as an hour before, and
she could not deny to herself that she was a
trifle pleased with Herman.
When she reached cover, a pang seized
her again, as she thought of the romantic
two left for certainty alone with sweet
breath of imaginative happiness blowing
about them, and she wondered just how
tender the words might be that passed from
one to the other. She would like to hear
Herman pleading and making sweet VOWS
Herman had always been pleasing to her,
and she would like to view him once as a
pleading lover, because it would be so new,
and put him in a tender light.
Was it possible to think of Herman in
tender light? Yes, she could in imagina-
ton hear his voice low and vibrant; she
could see his eyes filled with hope, and his
outstretched hand; she could feel the grasp
of his love as it drew its object to itself.
And then she started, and put her hands on
her burning cheek. Why, what was this
Could it be that she could fancy it delight
to know Herman thus: ''Oh, what shame
to thrust the confession through her heart
that she loved him! She scourged herself
with reproaches. She was in her dOtage
she told herself; she was mad; she was
worse than fool.
1t was strange that she should have loved
him and gone on knowing these several
years, and she was not q woman to be VIC.
lent in any passion. Her affection had
ripened like slow fruit in its late season
that needs but one warm day to bring 1t to
its climax. Lo! her climax was come, and
she stood apart, as person might, view
ing it with a sort of awe. 1t was an hour
and more before she was calm enough to
set about the matter cOllectedly. During
that hour she owned that she would have
taken Ida's place in that interview with
Herman, if she could, even to the complete
Punishment of the young girl. She forced
tn for ,or fact With q 1nnn
of humiliation she realized that she was
jealous, malicionsly jealous of Ida for the
moment. She felt savage; she felt like over.
turning and destroying, like turning and
putting to the trial; and wondered, as from
out of a sort of dream within whose strange
tangle she was ineXtricably involved. She
laughed and cried, then soothed herself like
a child, bathed her face, smoothed her hair,
put away all trace of emotion, and told her
self she had done with the whole thing,
and buried it as in Il grave.
Feeling like very aged person, Marcia
went down soberly to see after the young
people, She called Herman "young peo-
pie" in her mind. She found Ida alone,
with her roses torn and scattered at her feet.
The young girl sat deep in thought, with
unconscious sigh, which repeated itself, even
while Marcia observed her.
81 had proposal myself once, when l
was young" thought Marcia. "Did l look
so lost and so sentimental after it, won
der? But then, didn't accept him, and
perhaps that's the difference. Ida must
have accepted Herman"
81 thought Herman was here, Ida" Be-
fore she spoke even, Marcia's jealousy was
quite vanished, and she felt her old kind
ness toward her young companion return.
Herman: Oh, yes, Herman was here
but he is gone now," answered Ida, start
a LII