Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-09-05
a Lakeside Musing.

DO YOU love me truly Harold
.Lurline NeFersink was even more
beautiful than llsllai us she stood ii the
soft, mellow light that streamed from
the chandelier oyei head, and looking.
down fondly upon her, George w
Simpson felt THAT to wreck forever the
happiness III her young life, to plunge
her soul into the turbid depths Of des-
pair and hold it there by the heels,
were n crime than which none could be.
more black. He knewsthat this girl,
whose weird, passionate nature made
her heart aIute for every passing Joy.
or grief topiay upon, had given to him
the one best love Of a Woman',s life
her first. it was something to be ten.
9erly proud OF. this love something
not to be worn liahtly on the sleeve.
where all might see it, bnt tucked care
fully away in tho woo1shed Of a mans
soul, secure alike from carping criti-
cism or cruel jest. And yet as George
w Simpson gazed tenderly into the
dark, lustrous eyes that were aglow
with hopeful expectancy, he felt that
into which Lurline Neversink had al
lowed herself TO be drawn would one
day cast her young heart bleeding and
torn upon the Jagged rocks of his re-
fusal. 1t was a terrible, maddening
thought, and it came with awful force
to George as he stood in that palatial
mansion, his feet sinking into the vel
vet carpet until he was in danger Of be-
coming cock-ankled, and heard the
words with which this chapter opens.
Bending tcnderly over the girl, George
kisses her in q chaste, New Haven,
Conn, manner, bat does not trust him.
self to answer in words the Hateful
question she has asked. And then they
pass into the music room, which is sep
| arated from the hall by a portiere Of
snavy-blue velvet. The windows of the
room are shaded by curtains Of the
same rich color, and the walls between
them are covered with paintings.
Statues of Mozart, Beethoven, and
Guido, filled inches. while over the low
mantel hung full-length portrait OF
Maud S. No word was spoken until
| Lurline had seated herself at the piano,
and then it was simply q request that
he hand her q certain piece of music.
| AS he stopped forward to comply, the
outlines of his face were brought into
strong relief against the ruddy back
ground of his left ear, and Lurline
! gazed st him intently. His was such a
countenance as one sees in old italian
portraits, in some Vandykes. showing
power strangely blended with passion.
| His mouth, beautiful as a woman S,
with its smile generous and rare as q
split goldfish, was tightly compressed
and IS bloodless as marble. His eye
brows, dark, straight, and finely pen
ciled, met over his dark~gray eyes, and
! in the latter there was q fixed, resolute
expression that BODIED no good to a
| square meal if he should happen to
meet one.
At last the music was found and Lur-
line began to sing. Carried away by
the inspiration Of the moment, she
sang on and on until at last she paused
from sheer exhaustion. And then, see
ing that George was not at her side,
she turned to The jautealM at her left.
There he lay--Lead in all the proud
grandeur of his glorious manhood,
while on his forehead fell the golden
lawning OF II grander day" He had
died at the moment when he was pass.
ing the stone that marks the Hottest
| point on LIES highway-died where
manhood's morning almost touches it,
and while the shadows were falling TO-
wards the west. The mellow light
from the chandelier stole into the
hushed chamber OF death and wan.
dered over his stately form that lay
powcrless aud stricken, over his noble,
handsome face, telling, even in death
of the deathless love he bore her.
He had forgotten to plug up his ears
.--Ch!cago Tritasne.