The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-06-03

| Dear Madam,n then "Dear Mrs, Temple"
then "My Dear Mrs, Temple" falling snbse'
quently into "Alr. Brent ventures 10 present
his respectful compliments" |" and besides these
| the ~ am overwhelmed with confusioni" Ut
| Il, assure You, with the most poignant son
bations of sorrow| "What can ! sayF what
| can urge IN oxtenuation OF my behayiorT-
| 10 many OF these were begun, cast aside, ana
torn up very small, lest any one should lind
| out what he had been doing, that as the
night wore ON the rector gradually began TO
| look like n man who Is being showed up,
| When, at twenty-five minutes past -four a. m,
after nearly nine hours of unintermlttlng
head work, the apology was f'ished, there
was not lett enough clean stationery In tho
house for washing bill but In place Of 10
there were fragments of paper lying ON tho
floor sufficient for tho manufacture Of six
full.szed paper pillows, With aching head,
vet n little consoled withal, the rector STUN
| b, d up stairs TO his weary pillow.
II ho used thousand sheets for his letter II
may be safely computed that one thousand
and one was all that was required for tho on
tire correspondence, Small was the paper
and few tho lines of Mrs, Barbara Temples
answer
"Dear Mr. Brent'-thus II ran--I have
received your letter Of apology and cannot
| say that II s at all more than the occasion re-
! quired. At the same time, as you are sensible
| Of tho improprlety Of your behavior, hope
you will now forget H. as ] shall, one stlpu'
| lation only make. The subject Of marriage
or, indeed, any alluson 10 what passed DO
| tween us yesterday--must never DO made,
fVna Ia,
intercourse with my daughters and myself,
Truly yours, BARBARA TEMPLE"
"A very handsome letter. Mr., Brent said,
u shall take her at her word" and after
lunch he drove over 10 the house with q
splendid present Of fruit and flowers, and be-
, ting received In the usual friendly way by
mother and daughters, and his character be-
ing slight one, not permanently impressl-
I BILE, he half forgot the misery Of his exit from
the place yesterday Only when ho first
I spoke 30 Mrs Temple there was tropidation
| In his voice and manner; but she was so OBJ
/ yiously determined 10 keep her promise that
! he gradually grew composed, Once only his
courage quito failed him, Caroline, tho
student was reading history, and with that
alight allcctation Of intellectual pursuits, from
which not oven her mothers lectures could
/ guard her she tried 10 call the rcctor'a atton-
ton 10 her lofty employment Tho question
4 she asked him was an unfortunate one She
WIS an ardent Liberal and inquired In a
pause In the conversation, II he did not think
/ that great good had arisen from the French
revolution, The rector was 80 confounded by
this napposite interrogation that ho nearly
| tumbled OH his chair,
The next day his thoughts were driven into
| another channel, At breakfast he got ettor
| from his son announcing his arrival In Lon
| don and saying that ho would bo In Kettle.
| well at halfpA four that afternoon, Amidst
The vcxatlon of the last two days this was q
I prospect full of relief, and the young fellow
4 was received with more than n patornal well
come. Before dinner was over between tho
influence of meat aud wine and the society Of
( his son. all acting on trivial nature, easily
moved, the rector was quite comiortod. Now
I he could have faced Mrs Barbara Temple
with ,cst and a look Of pleasantly. AT least,
No he iancied
Brent junior was goodlooklng young fel
low Of three and twenty, with frank sim.
pie manner well suited TO his years, Mon
tally he was much superior 10 his father, and
6vory sentence showed II; but ho behaved
, with illnl Difference which was pleasant 10
see All through the dinner there was q
/ touch Of prooccupation and even sadness
about him, and upon this his father remarked
Hs soon ~ they were alone,
~ hope You have not left any one bohindP
the father asked humorously
"No,n the son answered, with blush and a
laugh. "You don't think mo quito II simple
ton In this matter, do your
/ "Well, Percy, you are young" the soge
! father replied, AT mu time OF life II q man
fell In love with picture, think he would
bo bit Of an ass But then nm forty.nino.
have age aud experience, and knowledge OF
the wordn
"You are very kind TO tako II IN that way"
the son answered. 81 really don't want 10 bc
laughed ut
"ls This wonderful picture In your posses
sionp Brent senior inquired next
"Ycs,' the young fellow answered eagerly;
and ho was dOrng up stairs 10 fetch IL
Pausng on his way, he sOidi ~ had better
toll you the story Of II first
He madc no bad picture himself, leaning
curously against the sdcboard, his faco and
eyes lindlng ~ ho spoke with the delight Of
the subject Little Mr. Brent regarded him
with no small pride; aud the young follow,
with light hushlulncss which made the
little narrative the moro interesting, told hif
story,
al met nm artist out there, and he and bc.
camo great friends He fell IN, and nuNod
him, AMI when he was getting bottoT, ono
day, 10 pass the timo ho asked me 10 look
over hi, portfolio, There was n great deal In
Il for which cared nothing; but just NJ tho
end ho drew out little slJotch Of n girl
head and shoulders with n border Of simple
white drcN, AMI, ns thought, the lovolicgt
face | over saw ! was quito dumb os
looked nt II, aud there aud then, father,
fell IN love; and declare 10 You felt that
even n this woman were only painters
ideal, still, 40 had she cHptiyotod mo, that |
could mover glyo my heart 10 any living
woman. The memory Of this picture would
possess me, and would hang, m II were,
above the living face and rcbuko its impcr-
foctions You are not aughingr
~ am forty.nino Pcrcy,' the fathcr said,
with the camnoss Of wisdom "You arc
twoniy.four'
"Wcll | shall not trouble You with long
story the young fellow continued. "Luclily
for me, my friond was lying on couch, and
did not perceive my agitation, or he might
have laughed me out Of the dream | found
the sl,otch represented n real living glrl-o
rcNl living girl fotherl-unmarrlod, English,
and, best Of nll, living not far from hero,
asked for the picture, which ho gave mo
readily Curiously enough, he did not seem
4 20 see In II the aipcrlatlyo beauty Which |
saw, Oh, how hung over that plctu Of How
I idolIscd itl II was near mo night AID day,
and At every glance my love for the original
increased Father that IA the woman ahall
marry u over marry NJ alll'
"You must SEQ what her character "a,