Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-12-19

her spirit of levity.
1--WE were casually introduced on
the steamer the day we sailed. The
introduction was carelessly bestowed,
| but it meant more to US than either
knew at the time; far more than the
responsible party who said Miss Love
joy'-with the rising infection and
Mr.. Fleming'-witk, the falling-and
then left us standing on deck alone
to fina each other out, blankly con
| fronting each other, could possibly
have guessed. Introductions, though
apparently accidental, always mean
something"
"Of course they do-for
Nothing useless is or low,
Each thing in its place is best,
And what seems but idle show
Strengthens and supports the rest.
Manlike, he loftily ignored the In
terruption not having finished his re-
marks.
Il was going to tell you why she
interested me"
Let me guessl'
Very well, he answered politely,
although he would have preferred
telling in his own way.
'She first did something to surprise
or shock you"
eyes; she asked me to tie her veil
1t was pretty blue tissue thing that
the wind kept toying with, and her
hat was a jaunty-"
"Never mind about further descrip-
ton now" SIZE said gently, and she
smiled as they walked on in the moon
lis ut toward her home. 81 know all
about her bewitchingly original COM
bination suits. But she couldn't have
astonished man of your dignity
more than by asking you to stoop
down from your great height and tie
that himsy veil; with her fluffy hair
blowing up inyour face AID her pretty
white hands struggling to help-oh,
yes; see it all l can imagine your
predicament. What did you do?"
do? / refused, and she appeared
to be positively panied"
"Of course"
''Then | told her I dared not make
the attempt owing to my youth and
incxperience, and some of the passen-
gers lauged. She told me immediate
ly that she asked the favor, not mean
ing to embarrass me at all, but because
she thought | looked like man whose
soul was not above tying ladies' wells
and buttoning a girls gloves if con-
WINGED that such relief was really
phiIanthropic. Not knowing whether
she was teasing or fatterlng me l be
gan to study her. She was very bright
and Independent, but not at all loud Z;
merry and mischievous yet very proper
in her manner. In conversation she
had an opinion of her own yet appeal
ed to mine as if she considered it val
liable"
'She alarmed and then amused yos,
and later shrewdly appealed to your
Sympathies. Am not right?"
Yes; told me she was homeless
yet homesick-just as was, and
| am"
"That will do, l think. l have full
grasp of the situation. You were at
first half offended at her for presuming
to take a liberty i'll the veil matter
you had decided views relating to the
small familiarities of American girls
travelling alone, surrounded by
strangers, etc perhaps you were
rather prejudiced and bigoted in your
ideas of prepriety bat you did not like
to be disturbed; then she made you
laugh in spite of yourself and you
liked her for it. We always have a
sort of liking for those who make US
laugh; then when she had enlisted
your sympathits and played upon
your emotions little she had you in
her power"
I'm her power2 don't like the ex-
I, preston. She had no intention of
placing me in her power, She was
simply an impulsive, generous hearted
girl with "a"
with mission! That is just what
| wanted to prove"
Il do not quite understand you,
cousin Florence"
Perhaps l am talking rather snig-
matically. But you have been a
cynic, have you not?"
"Yes, | have been, but | am con
scious of a change in myself, | am
modifying many of my old ideas, and
l met Miss Loyejoy at the night time
She seemed to be saying Do not leave
the sky out of your landscape, love
the day By some Emersonian pro-
cess, in which her flashes of repsrtee
were perhaps quite as winning aud
convincing agents as her intuitive
reasoning, she led me to regard life in
a more genial way than had been CO.
ing. ] had not known her half an
hour before was laughing as boy
laughs -unconscously there is too
much conscious laughter nowadays;
too little natural flow of animal
spirits. 1t was not alone the sea breeze
that exhllarated me. Her cheerful
companionship did much l gained
strength all the way home. Her quick
perception of my morbid condition,
her magnanimouS efforts to lift me
out of myself and her quaint devices
to amuse me during the long voyage,
for you know we were delayed in our
passage-all wrought their charm.
She shattered my stoicism with the
sweetest obtruslveneSS. She simply
would not let me sit there alone with
my own gloomy thoughts. She would
find me on deck muffled up in my fur
ulster, brooding silently over my own
broken dreams and half-lmagined
troubles, and engage me IN some dis
cussion before | knew it. We talked
on ever conceivable topic. Although
she had a great deal of reverence for
things that l bad ceased TO consider
ESSENTIAL to religion, I was from the
first en- rapport with her because she
was not supeIstitious.
"Ot course you know" said Flor
ence Fleming "that I agree with
neither of you. Grace Lovejoy is
nationalist, l am au orthodox Chris
tan, and you l regret to say an
atheist"
Il uds an atheist once, I can never
cali myself that again. a miracle
has been wrought in my mind. The
old miracles of broken law do not
believe in. But the miracle OF a
supernatural evidence of divine
presence snd providence has been
clearly shown me tonight They
doubt that this same power dis clayed
itself in Palestine and in beautiful
birth at BsthIehemf This continued
miracle of birth as applied to the soul,
how strong proof 1t is of some life
giving principle outside of ourselves.
But tell me Florence, when shall /
go to see your friend. my friend,
u L i n