The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-12-23

been taught to say: between you n f.
and in some places it had begun to wear Oh
entirely. But there was no sham about
her love for Charley Montgomery.
Her whole soul became wrapped up in
him. At last her pent up feelings found ex
preston. 1t was one cold wintry evening.
The wind without blew shrilly and fierce
the fire within was cosy and warm. Clytie
had sung numbers one, two and nine-the
last two not having been brought into ser
vice since eight days before. They wert
sitting on the sofa together and she haG
been telling him some long drawn out rem
iniscences Of her school days at the Private
Parlor Seminary. This had started Char
lie to telling about Fannie and Myrtle a,
the Boston school. and the wonderful
things the girls learned and did there. ''Th'
girls at home" had always been on Char
|ey's lips Oftener than a interesting t.
Clytie. and this evening at each recurrenc
OF the theme she had grown more and NOR
~pensive.
.'Those girls at home" she thought
what Marvellous creatures they must be
[ can never hope to equal them"
She had not been well all day. She hat
been piqued by his interest in the others
The tears welled no in her eyes. She fell
them coming, ave one convulsive sob
leaned over the arm OF the sofa and wept
Charles was amazed. He was distressed
AS much as he had associated with girl.
and as often rs he had seen them weep thu
sight always disconnected him. Ile hat
never learned to look upon weeping as tn,
safety valve OF an overcharged nervous
system. He had never learned to wait til
an equilibrium had been restored. H,
must always be doing something to sooth,
away the tears, and now, alas! he tried t.
comfort Cytie. o, foolish, foolish boy!
He gently stroked her golden hair. III
was certainly very pretty hair Leanin;
over her he said:
There, there, don't cry. What is it!
Tell me what is the matter"
This only opened the hood gates airesh
He knelt beside her imploring her to d y
her tears. With one moan Of mingled love
and grief she threw her arms about his
neck and wept upon his shoulder, %utterin.
in broken words:
"YOu can never care as much for me as
for the girls to ho-home."
"Indeed l do" he answered. sympathet.
ically.
Raising her head up and smiling through
her tears, still cIinging to his neck. she
beamed upon him. Never was she 81
nearly beautiful in all her life, never before
certainly never alter.
1t would have been a cold .bloodeu man
AlACCu lHflC COual IJNC lCItt1IlCu lFOtl IT,
turning her embrace, drawing her closely to
him and pressing her rich. ripe lips with his
own. One is apt to forget himself when he
finds a woman in his arms. 1t is an acct
dent that does not happen every day, and
one that has double fascination from it's
rarity. 1t was certainly a new experience
to Charley. The petting OF the girls at
home was nothing to the first wild passion
ate kiss of love with which she met his lips.
For he did kiss her, unwise as it was. What
he ought to have done was simply to
change the subject when Clytie began to
weep. That is what You would have done.
But he did not. He ought not in the next
place to have given her that kiss; you
W uld not have lone that. And when he
found the kiss much longer than he had
up by several others OF equal duration, he
ought to have taken up his hat and de-
parted. Alas! as it was, he did his full
share in rrotracting the labial cohesion. 1t
was d long time before either spoke again.
At last she murmered something like, my
darling Charley"
Dear girl" he said, and then his lips
were sienced again.
But is u long kiss that has no ending, as
the .proverb saith, and presently Clytie be-
gan a murmuring again. This time it
proved to be some verse she had learned.
probably at the Private Par!or Seminary.
In the lines were nothing much to the pur-
puse, but they contained reference to night
ingales, the Southern MOON, ''o'er the
mountain" 'break too soon" The situa
ton was becoming embarrassing to Char
ley. He had never intended to go SO far;
he had only meant to be sympathetic. Her
suggestions OF nightingale and their ~poetical
concomitants frightened him; and it was
with a feeling OF relief that he heard the
front door open n shut as her father
came home from the store. In a moment
Clytie was across the room arranging a pie
Of music on the piano.
Charley knew well enough what had kept
her father 80 late at the store. The old
gentleman's family had been living ex-
~travagantly. The Private Parlor Semin-
airy and maintaining De Montaigne Smith,
Esq. in proper style at the law lectures in
New York ana numerous other expenditures
necessary to sustain his reputation as a
man of wealth, had SO eaten up his share
OF the profits of the business that he had
largely overdrawn, and or that evening the
senior members Of the firm had been in
long consultation over plans for securing
the partners against loss or litigation
in case OF his death. Charley heard the old
man walk heavily and sadly up the stairs,
and he felt sincerely sorry for him and his
family-and for Clytie. As he babe her
goodnight, and she put up her sweet rosy
lips with all the artlessnes of innocent
affection he bent down and kissed her as
he would have done one of his sisters or one
of the three bosom friends. Some such
thought passed through his mind, and he
remembered that parting kiss at the old
home two years before, and the thought OF
how pretty she looked with the blush upon
her cheek and the tear drop sparkling in
her eye. He thought OF My rite all the way
home.
1t would not have occurred to him to go
TO see Clytie again for a week or more had
she not sent word to him the next day by
her pa when he came that evening to
come early enough to take supper with the
family. The form OF the invitation struck
him as odd. He did not remember having
said anything about calling the next day.
He had intended to spend the evening in
writing a letter home to find out whether
the girls were coming back during the
Christmas HOLIDAYS. He went, however,
and Clytie was at the door to meet him.
up her lips to be kissed; for had he not, as
she expressed it to her mother, %''popped?"
And were they not engaged? He was taken
aback; he thought OF those nightingales
again; his heart sank within him. But
what was he to do? He saluted her with
a brotherly kiss, and they walked into the
parlor together with their arms about one
another as he and his sister had walked
many a time, and as you often see school
girls walk with their bosom friends.
There is something l wish to tell you,"
Clytie said. II think o have a right to
kno before-I mean that l ought to tell
you that if we-that l ought not to let you
60 on in-oh, Charley and the poor child's
voice quivered, Il know you never cared
for me because we were rich, and that it
would not make any difference to you
now" Something in his face treasured her
and she threw her arms about his neck and
wept.
There. there, don't cry; 1 know all
about it,"
Father has told you?"
II knew it before your father did; before
[ went into the firm. l kept the books,
you know"
And you knew this last night? Oh, I
told ma SO. knew I could trust YOU"
He did not understand the sudden cheer
fulness that came over her countenance,
nor the gaiety OF her manner during the re-
mainder OF the evening. He did not cx-
actly understand, either, the unusual cordi.
atty OF Mrs. Smith when he met the family
at supper, nor several little %jocular allu.
sions that passed between the heads of the
house, at which Clytie looked confused and
Even her mothers sly wit
ticism about learning at the start how to