The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-08-07

| thinking OF you.
She received the compliment gra-
| ciously; so / ventured: "Miss Ford,
feel there is some magnetic bond be-
tween us, some mysterious sympathy,
some-n
The speech was cut short. From the
back parlor came the jangle of the pi-
ano, and. sung in high, strident voice,
the vulgar air known as Johnny
Sands But the words!' They were
my poem, the gentle overflow of sim
mering love, and they were bawled out
with horrid sentimentality, diversified
by groans, sobs and other dransti: de-
vices:
But yesterday fain would sta-ay
The rosy Hours hee-et-ness."
Then came a comic interlude, fol-
lowed by another and another couplet-
Then with a disgusting burlesque OF
ferVor: .. 60.
''You Widespread, Come to-morrer.' "
"Midge" exclaimed Eleanor, reprov-
ingly, and hurrying to reach the door.
Too late. She raced upstairs, and down
through the house sounded:
"To-morrer! Yes, and we shall ber-less
A JQOusdnQ sweet ter-IuOTreTS.
While the noblest sentiments of my
soul were being thus held up o.scorn,
paced the room in great excitement.
But Eleanor apologized sweetly, and
though the wretched tune, welded to
| those words, kept ringing in my ears
| (for, to this day, 1 only hum Johnny
Sands" and back comes every line), l
set about another effusion at once:
Lenore, art thou dream,
A fading vision?
So fair thy form doth seem,
'Tis like some passing gleam
From lands Elysian.
Of course it was printed in the Comet,
a marked copy sent to Eleanor. and l
closely followed the tribute. As en-
tered Midge was skipping along the
hall like a monstrous grasshpper.
''Hello!" said she, and nodded; then,
swinging around the newel-post with
one long arm, she landed herself a
third of the way up stairs. There she
sat down. flung defiance at me with a
flourish of her hands, and began shout
ing out my last poem to the tune OF
Pop Goes the Weasel"
eff you were boy" 1 Kissed at her,
w
your villainous little neck"
.'Poohn' responded Midge, with con-
tempt.
/ That evening was unlucky. Very
early the bulky shadow of Jack Glenn
ents filled the doorway.
brought you some sugar-plums, "
said he.
And Eleanor actually fell to devour-
inc French candy. eff l were in love
with girl I'd bring her something to
eat," | remembered that expression of
Jacks too we'll, and, filed with gloom
and misanthropy, L went home and
worried out those dark lines,
A life all wild and tempest-driven.
They looked very Byronic set up in
good type in the Comet. But Midge!
She danced back and forth, laughing
in my face while she twisted them, by
every barbarous trick of dd Hbttuna
singing, to the air of IA frog he would
a-wooing 60" One particularly ardent
stanza was her special delight, and she
clasped the air and rolled up her eyes
to illustrate it worthily.
30, fairest, when thy tender glances
When all thy plant, rosy graces
Are trembling to my close embraces,
Then shalt thou know. with bliss supernal,
That love, love only, is eternal
It's useless to linger over all these
distressing particulars, but after two
weeks of hot June and July nights de-
voted to agonizing for rhymes, l felt
that had passed true-lOver,'s full pro-
baton, 1 practiced declaration and
delivered it most passionatcly, The
time was twilight.
Eleanor" said I, ''fate has designed
us for each other. We have been &C.
quainted two long weeks. NY love is
madness-desperation. Dearest, be
my wife!"
1 attempted to seize her hand, but
Eleanor sprang up briskly, and made
short work of the romantic twilight by
blazing every burner in the chandelier
Then She said, very distinctly:
"Please stop this nonsense. 1 don't
like it."
Eleanor, 1 cried, "do you reject
me?''
Hold your tongue" said the young
lady.
'sBut 1 have poured out my soul to
you in poetry"
.sYe- -es," answered Eleanor. with
leisurely sarcasm, ''and how charming
! it is, set to musicr' Then she laughed
cruelty laughed.
Eleanor, don't drive me to suicide, :"
sobbed out, wildly; and I'm ashamed
to confess Twas so rude as to try to en-
brace her.
She slipped neatly under my extended
arms, and. facing me angrily, delivered
the fual blow:
SEQ away, go straight out of the
house, you silly, bad, insulting boy.
You're horrid little goose, and nobody
would marry YOU" Then she marched
upstairs.
| I felt for my hat and stumbled to
the front door. On the steps passed
Jack Clements. He was carrying q
dainty basket of early peaches.
Something to eatr' I calculated.
with sneer, which Jack provokingly
answered by pleasantly smiling. as il
he were in good humor and good luck.
] rushed home, rushed out again,
rushed to the Comet Office, tried to
write, tried to sleep, tried to eat, tried
tn fire mvself ont hv WALKING aad a