Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-02-08

Poor little Grace did pity him, and sh
could not help thinking, "John verlooket
at me so;" and then, too, he paid her sucl
pretty compliments. She had never though
much about her looks before, but since Mr.
Gilbert had likened her eyes to the stars ant
her voice to the nightingale, she began II
wonder that John had never thought of that
And for the first time in her life her vOic
had consciousness, an affected ring IN 1t
and she assumed cOquettish airs. Homes
John Straton would have been thunderstrucl
at this strange metamOrphoSe; he would no
have recognized his ghtfOrward, simple
lassie at ALL Her letters were few and ia
between, and, it seemed to him. they hat
lost some of their warmth. The first tim
the thought came to him, he felt SO conscience
stricken for allowing the least suspicion of
doubt to creep into his heart that he sat dow
and wrote her almost a lOVc-lcttcr. In fact
he did call her the star of his life, but he tor
the letter up, and blushed as he wondered
what Grace would have thought of such ;
departure on his part.
Her letters became fewer and fewer ant
finally stopped, and then came one saying
she found She had been mistaken in her feel
ings for him. She had now found the con
genial soul. The letter was written in sucf
a high-fown romantic strain, that John a
first exclaimed "The dickens!" Then a
he realized its meaning, he wept as only I
strong man can weep, from the heart, bu
when his grief had partly spent itself, nj
gave utterance to the following very forclDl'
and expressive ejaculation, the most re
markable one of its kind he ever indulge(
himself in:
"SOme tarnal jackanapes OF a fellow, VIII
more good looks and soft words than brains
has turned the head of my darling, but
don't believe he has touched her heart.
Then he re-read her letter, and now smiled
dismal sort of smile at its effusive, roman
tic style, then thrust it into the fire ant
watched it burn, thinking it should never
| live to reproach her. Forthis honest, whole
sOuled man did not believe he had really
lost his love.
Grace looked in vain for reply. She
| thought that for once in his life John STRAIT
ton Would be startled, and she wondered
how he would express his anguish, and re
solved to turn deaf ear to all his reprOach
es; but alas! whole week passed and he
made no sign. "He was only waiting t.
control himself; he did not dare address hel
in his present state" But when two week:
had gone, thought came that made hel
catch her breath, turn deadly pale, and one
great big sob arose in her throat. lie haC
taken his life-he couldn't live without her
she was a murderess. But that very after
noon there came letter from her sister
who said John had spent the past Sunday
with them, and that he had studiously
avoided any alluson to her, and asked
if she and John had had quarrel. What
a revolution her feelings underwent.
Now Grace was angry; she tossed her Eeao
and said, with very emphatic tone, every
we'll" And John StrattOn was memory
,f tbn oct. a in WnnI1 Shp waste 2
thought on him, or, at least, she thought
she wouldn't. And she arrayed herself ir
the most becoming manner for that evening
but, alas for her fond anticipatiOns, her new
found worshipper, who had been wont to g
into ecstacies over every additional ribbon
was blind to all her charms, and seemed tt
have eyes for no one but Miss Stone. She
was wounded, heart sore, but more than al
else, amazed Miss Stone had Of late pro.
fessed great friensdhip for Grace and had in
sinuated herself into her unsuspecting con-
fidence. She had spoken Of Bayard Gilbert
in the highest terms, and told Grace ano
everybody else that he was desperately IL
love with her and repeated to her many &
purely imagined "sWeet thing" he had sale
of her, and thus completely won Grace
who now was sincerely repentant Of hel
former opinion of Miss Stone, and wondered
how she ever could have thought her colo
or unsympathetic. And to Mr.. Gilbert hao
Miss Stone carried many a message thai
would have made Grace's face tingle with
shame but from which came this gallant
thought: "The sweet little thing" to be
more in love with him than he had believed
which was saying great deal. And as he
had always been severely let alone, in fac1
most decidedly snubbed, by women Of liter
ary charcter, and Miss Stone contributed tc
several papers of scientific nature, and
was looked upon from respectful distance
by everybody, he alone being permitted t.
approach familiarly the august presence, ne
wonder his self esteem grew to undue pro
portions. Here at least was a great mind
which recognized and ndappreciated greatness
and on this evening when Grace, to whom
neverbefore had he been wanting in Wor'
shipftll attention, saw he had no ears or eye
for any but Miss Stone, he was being per
suaded into the belief that he was born fol
fame; that there was that in him which
would one day astound the world if only ht
rouse his powers from their Slumbers. AND
before she had talked with him an hour ht
had promised to write an article on subject
she should recommend, and she was to reaC
and pass Judgment on it. And when theJ
parted Mr.. Gilbert's head was way up il,
the clouds. For several days Grace woult
hardly speak to Miss Stone, but when one
evening the latter asked her to listen tt
something, and read apparently from thu
manuscript in her hand a really good arti
| ticle--for Miss Stone had talent-on evOlu
ton; and told her the author was Bayar&
Gilbert, and that she was bringing out hi:
latent powers for the good of humanity II
general and two persons who dearly lovet
each other in particular, Grace was so over
whelmed that she could only throw hersel
| on Miss Stones neck and beg her pardon fol
her unjust suspicious.
Oh! had she only known that over the
real manuscript Miss Stoneand Mrs. Willard
had laughed until they fairly cried; but hel
| ignorance was bliss.