The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-02-18

| knew as little about anything as was possible
/ for one man unassisted.
| ooh, blow them,n he said, Il don't know.
| Carrying on some moonshfny game Of tkeir
/ own, suppose. You know people that arc
! in love always do it. remember WHEN your
/ self and
Mrs. Elliston retired, anu privately deter
mined to take Nellie TO task.
But before she got an opportunity of doing
| SO something happened. In this wise, Pro-
fessor Saxagon, whose health was really suf-
! fering with these mental gymnastics, saw fit
! TO desert his study one afternoon and seek
| fresh air in solitude. And, having arrived ut
/ a leafy walk along which a once river I'm
! winter it river ran its slunbrous
| course, and from whose outrageous shelter
/ one could catch glimpse of n bankrupt
/ waterfall. he stayed to rest, and, leaning on
! rustic railing adorned with much quaint
and late English lettering, meditated many
I things.
/ Until nearly an hour had passed by, and
| soothed by the faint plash of water and tho
| shaded stiffness of the place, he almost slept
walking, and scarce knew whether he lived or
| loitered II a leafy dreamIand. And it
CHANGED that noiSeless footsteps drew nigh to
him, and n hand touched his own TREMENDOUSLY
Whereupoa he looked round and was per
suaded that indeed he slept. But it was a
marvellous pleasant dream, and he spoke
wondering:
Nellie"
For it seemed that n dainty figure stood by
him, in attitude pleading, humble. That
blue eyes, with Il shadow of chestnut hair cast
near unto them, sought his own, and tho
darkness of gathered tears dinned them,
wistful. That n piteous sweet mouth. uIi-
steadily quivering, strove TO calm itself and
speak. And then q voice low and wavering
mingled with the faint music of rippled
water.
II am 50 sorry.7 it said. i have been very
foolish and ill-tempered. 1 can not ask you
to forgive me. But l wanted 10 tell YOU how
much am ashamed, and sorry. And-and
it is a little hard for me-too-" and then
those poor weak rebellious lips wavered-
broke-and, turning away, the penitent
spirit would have left him.
But the professor - he often thought
proudly of it afterward, as one OF the few
OCCASIONS when he had been guilty of presence
of mind-had artfully superimposed his own
hand on that small one that had touched him
first, and kept stout hold OF it. So that the
departure of its owner was arrested. 1t
struggled, that slight thing, 10 tear itself
away, and the voice, very tremulous now,
an6rcatching with frequent sobs, said:
Let me go-oh, please-please do"
But he didn't. Not bit of it.
Never was such lion-hearted professor
now that he had got over his first shocl, of
bewilderment.
Let you gof" he said. No, / won't:
neyer."
1t would have been pleasant sight 10 see
him then, his honest face lit up with resoiu-
ton, as he fearicssly graSped the hand of his
weird yisitant, and, with the uudauuted
courage OF an earnest seeker after truth
drew it closer to him, determined to solve
the unscicntiic mystery. Pleasant to note
the savant's disregard of danger in pursuit Of
knowledge, his utter abnegation of self in the
interests of humanity.
But not 50 pleasant as TO see, did the sacred
ness of love allow it, the tenderness with
which he gathered the child to his bosom.
soothing her with words most gentle. touch
ing her dropped head with hands most loving.
most reverent.-Adapted from Belgravia.