The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-28


know all about john And you know that you
are flirting with Johns promised wife Now,
the girl herself isn't worth rush; and can't
say that care whether she comes out of the
business heart-whole or heartburn. But the
man, her lover her real lover
'Of course you have more feeling Cor the man,
Aunt Martha. You are like the little Scotch 1
girl who wondered what made her brother John
love the lassies So when for her part she'd gle
mair for the company of ain mon than Tor that
of ali the lassies in Kilmarnock."
.'Bert. you grow no better as you grow older,
said Aunt Martha with a loving glance at the
handsome fellow, in spite of her tone But
You ought to grow wiser. Don't you see that
this designing little mink looks at you as good
match"
'sMe!s And accustomed to consider himself
too impecunious to think seriously of marriage,
and to be SO considered by the gilded damsels of
his acquaintance, the Colonel went off in a roar
ayes, you The man she is engaged to marry
has 5000 a year. You have-how much! don't
know; several times that sum, any way,
Enough for one not enough for two
'You are an officer in the army. To many
girls that is equal to the title of foreign noble
man. And then you are one of us, and we are
fine folks in comparison with her little spheres
and life with us is mighty pleasant in comparl-
son with her sphere; and if she once gets you
compromised! Now, have warned you fairly.
But, if that is not sufficient, have some COM
passion on the man in the distance there. John
Faunce, for whom this young woman does not
care the snap of finger, but who idolizes her,
and whose heart will be broken by her treachery
if you give her the chance. won't say but
that possibly you strike her fancy as we'll as
her better judgment, for she is simply pos
sessed about you That is apparent to anybody
who stays 60 regard her; and whether it is vulgar
not for me to say it, it is much more vulgar,
to my mind, dear, for you to be obliged to see
it. Good morning to your And Aunt Martha
turned back the unsteady umbrella wobbling
L e. I,
Then Miss Emeline out of the thicket
laughing and blushing, and showing all her dim
ples lovelier than ever by the contrast with the
poor fellow, old Miss Martha and her sharp
tongue.
'sWhat a fine opinion these good people have
of me-" she said. ut is really interesting to
know it, and to know how they walk in the dark.
You understand me differently; you understand
that our friendship is of totally different east"
why did you never tell me about JohnF
asked the Colonel, abruptly.
"Why should |? Is not that something quite
apart from our little understandings
"But if people are to be only the best of friends
it seems to me that friends know when their
friends promised in marriage" and there was
ever so slight a fash in the Colones dark eyes
Emeline looked at him a moment. Il mean
to marry John Faunce," she said then, slowly
81 have promised him. And shall not break
his heart let it cost me what it will. But if L
thought that prevented my having other inter-
ests, having friend"-her voice trembed, and
tears were trembling out of her eyes like broken
brilliants.
"Good heavens!" cried Colonel Nichols ''You
are enough to make marble statue throb."
And they walked on little while in silence.
''Well' said Colonel Nichols after while II
must be off to-day. am bound for the salmon
in the Restigouche, and have delayed too long
already. l wish-I wish had Johns courage!n
And then they came in sight of the house. and
overlook Miss Martha, who gave Miss Emeline
her letter, and they went in together.
MAIL c,,1 Mic- <6n boo r1.N 1,o.,
companion were alone and as the latter was as
siduously and gently putting the hot water cloths
on the head of the little invalid. for whom walk
ing in the morning sun had been something too
much, 'as you say, you write everything to
John, l suppose you write him of encounters
in the wood with an officer of cavalry, of strolls
there. of the horse back lesson the other day."
''lf you mean do l speak of meeting Colonel
Nichols in my morning walk, or of the little
kindness l received from him. Miss Martha,
your suppositions are correct do"
'Humph" said Miss Martha, and shut her eyes
with pain again.
But Miss Emeline did. She threw, of course,
the most innocent hight in the world on the little
transactions; but, innocent or not, il was enough
to disturb John in his fancied security. The
letters, that came then to Miss Emeine were inn
FASHIONED, tender, imporing letters that might
have moved any weman's heart, if
she had one. They were exceedingly irritat-
ing to Miss Emeline. Why John should
take just this time, when she in trouble her
self, to make himself disagreeable, she could not
imagine. However, she answered them She
told John he was goose, that Colonel Nichols
was only a transient visitor at the place, and had
gone off with his salmon fiieS and that she hoped
soon to be at liberty from this Imprisonment,
shut in by mountains and woods and that she
was his loving little Emeline If these letters
contented John at all, 1t was because he was so
eager to be contented and fancied that he read
her shy and maiden modesty between the lines
If they did not content him altogether, he said
to himself that he knew he was unworthy of her;
he ought not to expect unbounded passion of such
a being; but if ever he possessed her. all in ALL
if he could not make her love him as he loved
her-no, oh, not as he loved her, but love him
tenderly and truly-it would be because there
was no strength in his purpose, no vitality in his
worship. Yet still, somewhere down in the bot
tom of the cup, was little sting and tang--a
bitter flavor that nothing else had placed there
but mention of Colonel Nichols. He ought to
be very happy he said to himself as he went
about his duties, but the truth was he was very
unhappy. 1t was of no use for him to picture
to himself any longer the little home they were
to have. set in blossoming fruit trees, with it's
flowers beneath the windows and about the doors,
with Emeline going and coming, with life an alb
solute contentment an unbroken security
somehow it all seemed vague, and visionary, and
unreal now-the possibility of its insecurity had
made it insecure. He even hesitated to trouble
her with iteration of his hopes for October
Of course Miss Emeline noticed the absence Of
these hopes and of all allusion to October She
was hardly fine enough herself to understand it,
But it made no particular difference; she could
not leave Miss Martha until her cousin Matilda
came, and that coming was now postponed till
after cold weather And then too, Col
onel Nichols was to return for week or two in
the early part of October before going back to
his regiment Meanwhile Miss Martha was far
from we'll. and was exacting enough to try the
patience of any but so sweet, so tranquil per-
son as Miss Emeline.
She had run out for breath of air just at
nightfall, Marian offering to hold Miss Martha's
crewels in her place, when she saw figure ap-
preaching under the arch of the avenue, and fed
across the path like startled fawn; and when
she went out to the tea table with Miss Martha
Colonel Nichols offered his great aunt an arm on
the other side with glance that shot involun
tary meanings at Miss Emeline
How quickly some days so by. and how slowly
others drag their length along. That fortnight
was dream in the night Two or three times
in its course she forgot her daily letter to John