Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-17

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/ Miss DamianY0 stammered.
81 am Miss Damian, Miss Ethel Da-
man, in my aunt's house, and my aunt
desires me to express her r. ret at being
unable to see YOU this morning. She
caught a slight cold on the river yester-
day, but she hopes you Will call again
very 'soOn."
That voice! What can liken it to in
order to convey an idea of the mellitiu-
Gus sound? All of the old SMILES Of night
lngales and running water pale before
such perfection.
Il am deli mean that I am distressed
beyond measure--er--what an extremely
warm day."
you appear to find itso. had thought
it rather cool"
''What | meant to say was"-(I was
becoming more confused, and stumbling
deeper into difficulties at every step y
''what / meant TO say was that ought to
| be indebted to almost any accident which
was the means OF introducing me to Miss
Damian's niece, although l had no idea OF
expressing anything but regret at Miss
Damian's Illness"
"Que s'excuse, s'accuse, so no more
compliments to me at my aunts expense,
if you please. How did the picnic 20 of !?
l was prevented from going, unfOrtun-
ately."
1T was delightfulw (Heaven forgive
me for the falsehood! y "Indeed, am in
debted to your aunt for all the pleasure
extracted from it. Without her il would
have been dull enough"
"Ah, my Aunt Barbara has been adding
yet another victim to her train Of admirers,
| see"
what do you mean? Surely"
! eyes, it is my painful duty to state that
my Aunt Barbara is confirmed flirt.
| Papa used to say that his sister Barbara
would tiirt with pair Of tOngs for lack Of
anything better, and she has gone on prac-
Using her amiable weakness all through
life. Indeed, 1 always tell her that my
time Is spent following her about like
sheep dog to play prOpriety. Do not be
alarmed; she means nothing really seri-
Gus. 1t is her only foibe. We are very
much attached to one another, and she is
always in all things my very dear Aunt
Barbara"
The charm of the speakers manner
entirely carried off any sense of brus-
querie that this unconventional declara-
ton might have otherwise impressed me
with.
The ice once being broken, l sat on,
talking with my vision, quite Oblivious
to the thrObs Of Impotence that Ralph
might be feeling seated outside in the
hanson.
AT last it was time to 90. l said:
81 may call again, may not"
81 hope so, or Aunt Barbara will feel
very much disappointed at your lack of
fealty to her."
L left the house over head and ears in
love. 1 had been in love many times be-
fore; in fact, ! had always been falling in
love ever since | was 10; but this time
there was no doubt about it.
''NO need to ask what luck, Charlie"
exclaimed Ralph, as | bounded into the
hanson, "ior Accepted is written in
huge capitals all over your face.'
''Ralph, she is an angel"
"Ah! the most of them are, notice, I'M
til they are married"
l deigned no reply to this insulting re-
mark, but drove back IN silent ecstasy,
leaving Ralph to mis- own med tatiOns.
But every sweet has its accompanying
bitter, and the reaction of my miserable
position upon the last blissful hour was
harder to bear than before. Why, il was
ever SO much worse. Here | was pledged,
perhaps, to the aunt, while | was des-
perately in love with the niece. l recalled
the words that my vision had uttered re-
garding her aunt's toible, as she termed
it, but even this could not offer any strong
solace to me. How could she know to
what extent matters had gone? There
was no help for it. l must 90 to the Gov
ernOr, like the returned prOdigal, and con-
fess my dilemma, even at the risk of be-
ing called every epitheU expressive of the
plain and ugly word "f0OF' in his extern
sive vocabulary.
He was sitting in the library. felt an
intOlerably sneaky sensation creeping
over me, and l opened the door and
walked, or rather edged. myself into the
room. All my courage was OOzing out at
my finger tips like Bob Acres. The
sooner the matter was over the better for
me, however, so broke headlong into my
confession.
Az first, of course, the old man was
furious. 81 had always been a fool, and
now / was going to commit the greatest
folly of all, and tie myself up TO some
woman old enough to be my mother, OF
whom nobody knew anything, and who,
for all we could guess, might not even be
respectable and so forth, in the usual
manner of irate fathers, when they have
got the whip-hand of their erring sOns.
bore it all meekly enough, and at
last | Gained the explosion by throwing
myself upon his mercy and asking MIN
TO help me out of the fix. The ruse was
successful.
1--WE must see your elderly charmer to-
gether; we had bettercall tomorrow. MOI
Well, then, the next day, and | will see
what can be DONE"
And 50 ended the interview between the
Governor ald myself. l felt relieved, but
| could not feel at rest until this dreaded
call was over.
The Governor was very good all that
day. He generally did turn up trumps at
a real crisis.
The next day after lunch he proposed a
stroll in the Row, as he said, TO distract
my attention from the painful and absorb
ing topic that engrOssed it.
We mad been walking up and down,
stopping now and again to greet some
passing friend, when suddenly / saw my
vision before me. 1t could be no other:
there was not a face among all the beau
ties present that could have compared
with or be mistaken for hers. she was
sitting under the shade of one Of the
great elms, daintily dressed in some
diaphanOus, creamy white material, and
looking more bewitching than ever. And
that lady sitting beside her-wby that, of
course, was she 10 whom | believed my
self engaged my elderly charmer.
In my sell-accusing hour OF remOrse ]
had done her an Injustice. There was no
make upv there. She was dressed in
good taste, and as become her age. ANY
diginterested person would have pro-
nounced her decidedly elegant woman,
well preserved for 40, il, indeed, sac we're
so much, and with no small pretcnsions
to good looks.
started iuyoluntariy, and the Cover