Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-07-17
s'MORBID'S THE WORDr'

Thanks to the remarkably fine cir of Oak
bury, and to an absolute cessation Of any
thing like hard work, Mr.. Carruihers s6ol
lost his jaded appearance. AT the end of to-
days he declared himself to be i'll rude health
and his looks did not belle his words. Ger
tainly those worthy housewives, his cousins
had taken great care of him. They fed act
fattened him; insisting that he should TAXI
beef tea at intervals, and that his cure should
be FASTENED by his drinking plenty of that old
~ port for which their fathers cellar had
been noted. Close as the ''Tabbies" were in
their housekeeping arrangements, they
grudged the stranger within their gates moth
ing.
In less than week Frank had taken the
measure of his cousins-of his male cousins,
at least. He had even ceased to be seized
with an almost irresistible desire to go into a
secluded corner and chuckle when he saw
these great men engaged in some duty which
is supposed to appertain peculiarly towo1nen-
kind; or when he heard their simple consul.
tations on the price of meat, groceries, OF
other household commodities. Being, like
Mr.. Mordle, gifted with vein of hurnor, he
found the Talberts most interesting char
acters; but had he found their eccentricities
wearisome, the kindness they showed him
would have compensated for the discomfort,
| For in spite of the exclusiveness which they
were compelled by circumstances to adopt,
! they were amiable, lovabie men. So Mr..
| Carruthers took them as they were, and liked
| the two brothers better and better the more
| he really understood them.
But Beatrice was another matter. He had
studied her with even more attention, but
! felt that the result of his studies was unsatis
| factory. So far as she was concerned he
knew he had got at nothing like the truth:
except on one self-evident point, that she was
very beautiful. When first they met her
beauty struck him, but it was days before he
finished finding new and fresh personal
charms; perhaps he never ceased finding
them. Under certain circumstances such
discoveries are endless.
Frank CarTuthers' studies Of Miss Clauson's
outward shell should therefore have been
very pleasing to that young lady, had the
result been made known to her, and had she
cared twopence to find favor in the students
eyes, For the rest he in a puzzle, which
he spent many hours trying to solve. Miss
Clauson little thought as she looked out of
the window and saw Mr.. Carruthers lying on
the turf with his straw hat tilted over his
eyes and a thin blue stream of smoke curling
up from his cigarette, that he was neither
sleeping nor projecting new political arti-
Gle for The Latterday, but thinking entirely
of her own sweet self.
They had seen great deal Of one another
during the last week. Frank was not man
who loved twenty-1nile walks, OF cared to
rush from one end of county to another to
look at rock or waterfall. His idea of
holiday he summed up in the word 'loafng;
''A good loafer is great rarity" he told
Miss Clauson. "Loafng proper is an art
which cannot be acquired. have met with
is hard to find. Show me the man who can
spend whole day like this, and you show he
one who can get very near to happiness
'Like this" meant lying ON his back as de-
scribed.
'But you do something-you smoke, " said
Beatrice.
eyes, for the sake of appearances. In
these days of hard work man mustn't be
absolutely idle"
Of course she ought to have laughed at the
feeble joke. But she did not. She looked
down at him from her chair, and her gray
eyes were annoyingly serious. In glorious
August weather, when the sky is cloudless
blue, when all the trees, except the spend
thrift chestnuts, are in full beauty, when
roses are still budding, breaking into bloom,
and succeeding their fallen fellows, a young
lady has no right to look seriously at the man
with her beauty and fortune.
Yet she looked and spoke gravely. ssYou
wrong yourself talking such nonsense, Mr..
Carruthers"
He raised himself on his elbow. 81 don't
talk nonsense. I am speaking Of my idea of
enjoying a holiday. When I work it is
another matter. I trust I work to the best of
my ability. When idle, idle to the best of
my ability"
''Your idea of human happiness is a hum
BILE one"
lis its Then give me yours in exchange"
Beatrice was silent. She even turned her
head away.
"Well, am waiting for the definitions
There was no trace of levity in Franks voice
as he spoke. His manner was as serious as
her own.
II have none to give" said Beatrice.
"None-at your age! Are your dreams
all gones Young ladies do dream, believe.
They dream of being queens of society, of
marrying rich men; if they are romantic, OF
marrying poor men; they dream of life OF
religion; OF having mission to perform.
Which is your particular dreams'
81 have none," she said coldly.
''7o GU must dream. You are sleeping now,
and all sleepers dream at times. Orly in tha
bustling world do people forget
their dreams. They work on and OIL, and to
some the day comes on which one of their old
dreams is realized. Alas, by that time they
have almost forgotten that they ever dreamed
it, or they find it realized too late"
Beatrice sat silent with her eyes cast down.
Perhaps l have not guessed the right
lream for you," continued Carruthers. II
forgot you were such learned young lady.
Your dream may be the fame of the scholar
or the writer
Il have no Dreams" she repeated. He
looked her full in the face.
'Can you say also 4 have had no dreams?n
She made no answer. As he looked at her
le thought that even at this moment she
seemed far away in dreamland. He told
himself that if Miss Clauson brought herself
20 assert that she had never dreamed she
would be breaking the-he couldn't reme1n-
Der which commandment-the one about
ying By the by, is there any command
nent torefrain from falsehood, except the in
lirect one as to ''false witness!'
''Not even of rank, riches, fame, powerp ~
le said in lighter tone 'Miss Clauson, you
Ire incomprehensble"
She chose to turn the subject CT am going
% tho village now" she said.
'sWith your permission will accompany
you"
She made no objection. 1t is a curious fact,
that in spite of his glorifcation of the noble
art of loafng, Mr. Carruthers was always
ready to go walking with Miss Clauson wher-
ever and whenever she permitted it. But no
man is consistent for twenty-four hours at
stretch.
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