The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-05-21

GUS heart? Few men live to my age
could | bear to tell that child my age
even p "without committing follies
Pardon me, and You will never regret
it," No, Ibid nothing OF the sort, but
stoutly swore that had never loved but
her, and that until the moment she first
dawned on my sight life had been G
long, dreary waste, and had she not ap
peared to revive my dropping spirits
must have succumbed beneath the
weight Of this worlds ills.
A word about the most perfect Of her
| sex. hcave this out when you read
this scrawl TO your wife, / have al.
ready described her appearance; how
can | describe her mind? She is intel
lectual far beyond her years, is passion
ately fond Of art and music, and utterly
Oblivious Of the sordld side Of life. She
adores Browning and Ruskin. Am
not the happiest Of men?
We are to be married in the holidays.
Lizzie, / know, will want the quietest
possible wedding, and my circumstances
will allow no other. / have once or
twice tried to break to her gently what
she is sacrificing in marrying q poor
man, but dear child, she is 80 ignorant
Of business that it would be fool to
alarm and annoy her.
YOn are the first one ] have told OF
my engagement, and fear this will be
the plcasantest letter / shall have TO
write about it. What will Laura say 10
all this? you ask. confess / don't
relish telling her, but it must soon be
! done.
/ Give my kindcst regards TO your wife,
whose sympathy know have in this
matter, and trust orr old-time friend.
ship will blunt for once the sharpness Of
your PEN Ever yours,
HAIRY PAYNE.
LETTER THE SECOND.
Lizzie Chdpmdn n 4. W.
SEA GIRT, August -, 1sS-.
Ny DEAR KATE have owed Won
letter for perfect age, but / don't be.
licvc should write you now were it not
for mOmentous piece Of news | have to
convey.
Yon remember when we were at
school they made MS read in our French
class some goody, stupid letters Of
Madame de Seyignc. ! only recolIect
one now, and that is the very bright one
III which she informs her daughter Of the
engagement OF MadcmOiselle de Mont
pensler to the Due dc Lauzun. opened
my book, the margins Of which bore
token Of our interest in each other, if not
| oil our attention 10 the lesson, and be-
| gan: II am gong to tell You the most
astonishing, the most surprising, the
most marvellous, the most miraculous,
the most -" Here / shut the book, and
concluded ] could tell my own story
| better IN my own words. SO here goes
IN two questions Who do you think is
engaged? and you answer, rs | knew
you would, "Why, you yourself, you
little goose !" Correct, os usual, my far.
sighted friend; but tC whom? With
your usual perspicacity you respond,
"Jim Harper" There il where You have
made a grave mistake. 1t ought to be
jim, but it isn't. ] declare the thingis
so mixed up that | don't know whether
to laugh or cry, and / am not sure
shall ever be able TO give you any clear
idea Of the matter.
| wrote you all about Jim last winter.
"But it's not jim" you say. DO hush,
and let mo go on in my own way Well,
you know used to go over to New Jcr-
sey with Edith Patton, and spend Sun
day at her anut's. They were strict
enough at the school, but how
could they imagine that her aunt
Ida had an adorable husband
who invited all nice young men
he knew to come up ana see us when we
went there? What stories that house,
particularly the conservatory, could
tell ! Well, there in the house, mean
i first met poor jim Harper. He isn't
a bit poor, but You know what mean.
lie was n very fascinating fellow, MS
everybody confesscs, md when ho first
turned his big dark eyes on me
thought him the most handsome and
wickcd-loolSing fellow l ever saw. Now
J wouldn't like young man bit better
because 10 was wicked; that would be
very wrong, of course; but, Mt the Same
limc, | shouldn't let it interfere with my
loving n man, if he was sorry for it.
Well, Jim was; ut least he told me 30,
and how he was going to turn over n new
leaf, and all that. OF course no didn't
tell me all this tho first time We met, but
after we got better acquainted. What a
winter that was We were out mt
W, you remember, every month.
Such parties and tableaux and skating
and sleigh-ridcs and Jim always by. |
Well, long before the winter was over
We wcro engaged. Ii happened one
moonlight night in the conservatory, and |
Jim promised no would be good boy.
We had dreadful time with our letters.
md once or twice came within nm nee
If being caught Jim aud | met very
ieldom, Ms you can imagine; but one day
10 sent me II very pitiable note asking
ne to meet him Mt n certain art gallery.
10 was going away for some weeks, or |
ave forgotten now what he did want to
ee me about. Ind to tell Miss M
n awful fib; but | did get away, and
hoH WIS Ill illOTlNl leTTOT lcSU some one |
hould SEQ me. / got to the gallery
aioly at lust. jim was not there Il was
fteen minutes too soon, but he ought I
'ot to have kept me waiting). 1t was an
Exhibition of Ruskin's drawings. Now
'ou know that if there is one thing 1
oatha in this world, it is Ruskin. 1
hink / hate him even more than Brown
ng. But there was, and had to 20
'ound and look at those wretched
Lhings, when suddenly gentleman en-.
cred. Ho attracted my attention at
'nce, and paid me the compliment of
iaring at me. He was very hand.
ome fellow, quite young, should
ldge. and had such good, innocent
ice. Oh, thought, if Jim were only
good MS that stranger looks 1
1t embarrassed at last by his
are, and the fear that somebody knew
Duld come in and find me there with
m. After an age, rs il seemed to
e, the stranger left, and few minutes
er came jim with some very lame ex-