Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-07-18

v;sh;ne that / had not used language
ouite SO strong. As regards that, we'll,
She brought Il on herself, and anyway
will beg pardon aftsrward.
"a girl who only saw me once J" l
saw at last by way Of showing my
readiness TO return to the subject.
Silence.
7 think this downright mean OF Mel.
". and decide to let her know so.
"If you've nothing at all to say. /
wonder why you brought up the SUBJ
ject," observe amiably.
Well, talk Of US women, Phil +!
You men certainly are p"
may here remark that whenever
man incurs Nelly's disapproval she tells
him that we men certainly are. What,
She never adds, but pulls up short at
the verb the idea upexpressed being,
| fancy. combination of the criminal
ard absurd for which language merci-
fully has no name. or"...:.
"You only just now as much as told
me that talked like fool"
"Mere expletive. Of course. II you
choose to sulk-"
Pm not sulkiDg, only-well, there,
I'll take it as a compliment. And now,
il you want me to speak, let me say
what ! think. To begin with, you
mustn't expect me to see things from
your point OF view. To me itseems the
most likely thing in the world that the
girl loves you. What say! she only
saw you once? For the matter of that,
dear, you only saw her once"
"If you care to apply the same test
to a man of thirty and child Of seven
teen, I'm as certain as that ! am sitting
here she has forgotten me long ago."
"And don't believe it :" triuh:ph-
antly. Then, in PARKWAY voice,
which shows me that she has been
tuning the matter over in her mind {:
mo; / certainly don't believe it.
There are meetings and meetings, Phil,
and with yours and hers is connected
well, the sort of thing one remembers.
This is too much. started to my
feet.
LOOK here, there are things one
can't stand, even from sister, Nelly !!
what the -"
Phillip, if you're going to be vic.
lent and disgrace your cloth | shall
never open my lips again"
| collapse at once. | always do when
madam reproaches me with disgracing
my cloth. which the dear little lady
does on every occasion, great or small
especially smsll-upon which | illus
trate the famous axiom concerning falli-
bility.
Sitting down again, say in dismal
tone:
"Violence apart, Nelly, | suppose
any one would admit that to taunt a
man with the fact that the girl ne loves
NAV remember him on the strength OF
his having all but disfigured her for life,
is not exactly generous"
"'Taunt - generous pooh. l
can't conceive how you can be so stu
pid. Phil. See here"
She glides round my chair and sits
down on the fender. Her facs, as 1t
stands out against the mellow freight.
is strangely beautiful. That shade OF
hair, too-red gold-is quite my favor
lie color. A pity only her eyes are
blue. The other Nelly's are brown
exquisite, brown, blessed eyes," as
Jean Ingelow somewhere says. De-
cidedly my favorite color for eyes is
brown.
What | meant to say, dear, is"
proceeds the old lady on the fender,
complacently sliding my brothers ring
up and down her finger, if | weren't
your sister-if instead of the wife of a
much nicer man than you are " Qook-
ing up" don't wriggle now; it's only
women, you know, that can't bear to
hear each other praised-where was
T."
Nelly, needless to say, never can
manage parentheses.
/ smile despite myself. Her hair,
with the light dancing on it, is quite
like a glory. Strange little woman.
"lf you were a girl, you were say
ing, instead Of beldame--"
"Yes-don't be absurd, dear--if ]
were girl-and all the rest, and you
and had met as you and she met. and
you had hurt me as you did her, and
and the little episode afterward-you
so remorseful, and the dear, splendid,
handsome"
"That'll do, Nelly" l believe
say this in no very insulted tone.
"And you are clergyman, dear
there is something about clergyman,
when one doesn't know them as sister.
in-law . Il believe | " wiggle " againl--
II mean to say that, suppOsing all that
Phil, and, well, j disengaged like her
! believe--nay, I'm certain--I should
have fallen in love with you on the spot
and lived on the romance until ever
come woman should tell you that va:
doing so--and, if she never did, a.
likely as not to my dying day, should
and lots of girls would, so there "
With which parting shot she rises
and marches from the room, leaving mt
to my reflections.
l fancy, as 1 bid her good nigh
some hours later, kiss this blue.eyed
Nelly even more tenderly than usual
and | love my brothers. wife scarce
] less than my brother.
81 didn't really say this evening you
, talked like a fool" / add; "did l.
, Nelly?"
"No, Of course not and, any way
didn't mind"
; This somewhat dark reply sets my
mind at ease.
"0dd folk, women " / reflect fol
the hundredth time as slowly 60 up.
stairs. 81 wonder do they understand
each other. "Ah! if my brother;
wife were only right. But-but--"
resolve to put no trust in my bro
theirs wife, and am nevertheless so in
fuenced by what she has said that the
very next day find myself saunterine
down Harley street, which, apart frou
the fact that in it there lives one Dr.
DIayton Murray, is of absolutely nc
interest to me. To gaze at the door
knccker Of this gentleman gives me