The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1883-10-20

his stupidity during the night that follow
ed for he had not much more than brough
D the glass TO bear than the young lady
either warned by the waning light or b
the supper bell, ceased working, and drop
ped the curtains of her window.
Penn Latham made some odd blunder
in his 'scopy'' at the office that night, be
fore he went to his room to dream ofa
''sweet face at tho window,
and rose earlier in the morning than usua
to see if the experience of the previous da,
had been all dream. The window OPP
posite was not occupied, and Latham stroll
him in single particular. When he re
turned the window was still desolate, anC
Latham called himself sentimental lido
for having hired costly room on the mere
chance of seeinga person whom he
did not know and in whom he had not the
slightest right of interest himself. Thou
sand pretty girls dabbled in the art, start.
ed to paint pictures, and grew tired in al
hour or two, probably the girl who set his
silly heart in futter was one of these, OF
she may have been mere transient visitor
at the house on the other street, or pro-
fessional artist called in to make sketch of
baby, or an antique bureau or something.
He would give his landlady a week
notice at once: he was not a going to give
the price of fifty good cigars Or a new hat
for two-hour stare at a face and head no
pretty than some others he had seen.
He drew open the blinds and picked up
a volume of Herbert Spencer, intending to
bring himself to his senses by steady men
tai work; suddenly, however, he dropped
his book, for he saw, opposite, gray robe
and a yellow easel moving toward the
window he had contemplated SO long on
the day before. His first impulse was to
again close his blinds, but as he looked
from behind heavy curtain, drawing it
slightly away from the window-frame, it
occurred to him that he might observe the
lady from that point without being suspec
ted. There was lounge against the wall;
he pushed it close to the window, pinned
the edge of the curtain aside three or four
inches, snatched his glass, threw himself
upon the lounge, and in a moment was
studying the fair artist to his hearts con-
tent. He could see the color of her eyes,
the changing expressions Of her face, the
slight parting of her lips-even the little
froWns that sometimes followed strokes of
her crayon that did not please her. He
could see her work we'll enough to know
that she was drawing head from small
photograph; itwas mans head, and
Latham actually became furiously jealous
of the original, although he tried to per-
suade himself that the fellow was some
mere neutrality-suspicious. a man who died
whose face the girl was drawing merely
as matter of business, for a stipulated
number dollars
After an hour or two a general jangle of
bells sounded from open back windows,
and in response to one OF them the pretty
artist abruptly quilted her work. La
than arose from the lounge, and told
himself that he was a new man; he was
deeply, purely, wildly in love. How
could he wait until the admirable creature
could finish her roonday meal and re-
turn? Worse still, how could he contln-
ue in his present condition of mind, which
he would not change for anything, if he
fn nf thn
charming girl, yet endure the misery of
not being acquainted with her?
After looking through his opera-glass all
the afternoon, he resolved that in one way
or another he would discover who the lady
was, SO he unblushingly feigned sickness
at the office that night, and, hurrying up
town again, patrolled the street in front of
the pretty artists residence, which he had
been able to identify. The place seemed
to be clearinghouse like his own, for
the people who lounged in the little parlor
balcony and at the open door appeared to
form two or three families. He did not
see the object of his alteration, but NIGH
ty hope stayed his soul in his disappoint-
ment; he would apply at that very house
in the morning for rooms for himself, and
expense should not stand in his way. As
there seemed to be no unmarried men in
the group in front Of the house, he felt |
sure that he could have no rival whose op-
portunities would equal his own.
But his heart sank in the morning when
be learned there were no empty rooms in
the house where his chalmer lived. He |
returned to his own room, in humor so i'll |
that looking across. at the artiste's window
was not so delightful as before. Sudden
ly brilliant thought flashed through his
brain, Before he had come to the city he
had been crack shot with bow and ar
row; the window toward which his eyes
and heart constantly tended was certainly
within point-blank range; he would bide
his time, and when opportunity offered he
would make an arrow the bearer of mes
sage to the fair unknown.
He hastened to take from closet his
ong neglected bow and "string'' it; he
was out of the practice, but his arm SEEM
I'd strong enough to draw the bowstring
IF the great Goliah. But what should the
Message be? Although a young journal
st, Latham was not without modesty, and
le feared that SO pure creature as he was