The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-12-18
PAUL PERKINS PASSES,

But there was one within sight anG
hearing of these rare intellectual
pleasures who was very miserable
The parted draperies at the windows
revealed to him the guests of General
Standish at the very height of theil
symposiac, the General himself at last
the acknowledged symposiarch, but
This view seemed only to increase the
melancholy of this unknown onlooker.
He turned and paced gloomily, medi
tatively under the great elms, on the
lawn of General Standish's residence
n Leverby-by-the-Sea. Once in a
while he glanced at the open window
hoping to catch one glimpse of hel
he yearned to see, whose voice he now
and then heard with pangs of passion.
At length a fair woman came to the
porch and seemed to be about to ven.
ture out, and Paul Perkins rashly
stepped forward, as quickly to draw
back again into the shadows. For he
had seen one with classic brow and
heavy gold bowed spectacles step be,
side the young woman, and he heard
the philosopher say:
''Be prudent, lady; the dew is fall.
Eg, if you speak in this night damp
let your lung air vibrate the local
chords in your larynx gently, that in
dammation set not in"
-.Dewr' she said gently. '.SureIy
there is no dew, professor. That is
but the license of poetry. 1t is the
exhalation of vegetation to which you
refer. How beautifully the moon
functionates Tonight Leave me, pro-
fessor, for awhile. l would mediate ~
The scholar did as he was bid, re-
turning to his fel:ows. Then sudden
ly the fair woman rushed down the
steps, out upon the greensward, her
face strangely passionate in view of
the recent calmness of it, She clench-
ed her hands as though in agony.
Young Perkins saw her; heard her
agitated breathing, and, unable longer
to restrain himself, he came from his
concealment.
Minerva, he moaned.
She heard him. She gave one quick
glance at the window that she might
know if any one saw her. and, seeing
no one, with impassioned manner she
seized the young mans hand and
fercely dragged him to place of
concealment. Then she wildly turn
ed upon him, and he saw her beauty,
that it was marvelously enhanced.
"'Paaal," she said, 4AI'm fiabbergas-
ted. Go back not on me. '.No, how
is it said? Don't you go back on
me-"
He gasped.
"Drop that" she said, fercely.
"Oh, there must be reaction, or-or
I'll fy-fy-off the handle. Stand
there, Paul Perkins, and let me talk
slang to you until 1 bring Minerva
Stardish back to earth again.
Aud she did.
When the reaction came she said to
the wild-eyed young man: IF, you
ever talk anything more to me but
downright Yankee dialect I'll let you
slide of-away-no, I'll let you slide;
that's it. Oh, how much good that
does me! Now, that pops won and
is at last crowned one of them, let nae
be a frisky girl again; and you, you
up brace-no, brace up, for my sake,
Paul"
The young man became himself
In place of melancholy there was al
most frenzy of joy.
you make me pleased, Min. You're
worth my life, but hang me if I could
have kept up this cultured-mugwump
rocket another month. 1t would have
killed me. But the old gent will sour
on me worse than ever, now he's
igh-cock- -alorum among 'em, after
trying so hard, ever since Blaine was
nominated. l swear, Min, I've tried
the culture and mugwump dodge on
him for all I know. but it wouldn't
wash"
That's it, Paul. Talk to me some
more like that. 1t does me good"
..But. Min, how am L going to fetch
the old man round? I've played my
last card"
'No, you haven't. I'm just Boston
girl enough to tell you how you can
work a noise-no, racket-ahi like
that-th that'l fetch him. First make
him break all up-no; what is that
term, Paul?"
'.Break HIM all up, you mean"
Eyes; splendid. Break him all up
by joining the-the--oh, the Prohibi-
tion party. Tell him that's the eVolu-