Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-11-05

u score called liarloe row, in q street
not far from Bcokman place. II is n
quiet spot, given over to modest dwoll-
ings, and in tho river just beyond lies
Blackwelrs island, withits great gray
buildings. Tho avenue about here is
lined with vulgar little shops, and the
owners, not few of whom are Cor
mans, lounge in the doorways, lightly
clad in only shirt and trousers when tho
weather is warm, while thor wives sit
by the opened windows above, and are
on the alert to speak harsh words to the
children playing on tho sidewalk. A
groggery, with group Of idlcrs about IL
or butcher-shop with carcasscs of calves
and pigs suspended in the windows TO
tempt n feeble appetite. is on every cor
ner. U" and down jingle the ctcrral
horsc-cars, and great drays rumble over
the stone pavement from daybreak q
dark. The very policemen have caught
something of the bedragglcd look OF the
neighborhood, and seem far-away cous-
ins TO the,neat, whtc-gloved wearcrs OF
the uniform who pilot ladies through
the throng of carriages below Madison
square. And Madison square is nearly
rs foreign to the people of the First av-
enue as Mayfall or the Faubourg st.
Gerpain.
In Harloc row, Just around the corcer,
noise and squalor give way to peace and
decenoy, and the people who dwell in
the neat brick houses hold their
heads rather high when they cross
the avenue. Mrs. Terry, with whom
the Valreys boarded, was widow, who,
If she had not seen better days, had at
least never seen any worse ones, and
pr,ded herself somewhat on her gentil-
ity, which TO the outward eye consisted
| chiefly in going to church dressed in
black silk. Her house was too small to
accommodate many boarders, and she
was very particular about those whom
she fed and lodged. She could go to
bed soothed by u sense of perfect secur-
ity and unimpcachablc dccorum, sure
that no roistering clerk would stumble
up her narrow staircase after midnight.
| The Valreys occupied three tiny rooms
on the third iloor and on the second
were the Kanes, scdato elderly floor
walker and his ed-rdden wife. There
was room for one more boarder, and
Mr.. Kane had spoken about a young
man of his acquaintance who would be
| glad to become member of the family;
but Mrs. Terry did not like the idea of n
young man, although she finally con-
sentcd to receive this one on trial for
fortnight ..... .....
mind you," she said, "if smell
whisky about him, out he COOS. won't
have any garcttc-smoking bcer-drink-
ing boys in my house"
1t may be added just here that the
late Mr.. Terry had not been sober for
month before death cut him down in the
bloom of manhood.
In the same car with the Valreys is
young man whose dress indicates he has
no mother, nor wife, nor sister to per-
form those little services of fastening n
button hanging by the cyelids, or mend
ing II shabby coat.
When the car stopped to let her and
her father alight, the young man alight-
ed too and followed them up the street
to Harloe row, even to the widow Terry's
door. There NJ. Valrey turned to look
sharply at him, and taking off his hat,
the young man said, his face reddening
again:
This is Mrs. Tcrry's house, unless
have made mistake in the numter
am coming here to board. You may have
heard Mr.. Kane speak of mc-Langmuir |
His eyes met Pauline's with n wistful |
entreaty, and she smiled little. So |
she and he came face to face for the first
time, and in the minute that they stood |
ON the doorstep Their hearts went out |
to each other in sympathy They were
both poor, both young, and to both the |
beckoning future held forth vague
promises.
And this is tho prologue of "a Step
Aside" Hugh Langmuir say at the
Terry dinner table after honestly in
gratiating himself with his fellow |
boardcrs, that the first week he was in
New York he was mortally afraid that
somebody might suspect how green
and country" he was. But in fact be
is good sort of lad, st ough the son
of a clergyman" and bright and chatty,
and he soon wins favor even with Mrs.
Terry, and does not go up to his room
directly after dinner rs he had been
wont to do; and he fingered awhile in
the parlor where Mrs. Terry and the
Valreys spent the evenings. 1t was n
hideous little room, with green and |
red carpet and staring white walls. |
The pictures We're mostly photographs |
of the Terry family. enclosed in shiny |
black frames. There was some artistic |
waXwork-a cross with q wreath of |
flowers, standing on n bracket in the |
corner, and beneath it little marble |
topped table held ghastly water lilies, |
which We're protected from the dust by
n glass shade. What saved the room
from being nightmare was the large
table in the middle, covered with a
cheerful crimson cloth. The green rep
armchairs had well worn, oomforta-
BILE look, too and when Mrs. Terry and
Pauline sat sewing by the drop light,
and Papa Valrey, who always turned
his back to them so that the light came
over his left shoulder, and always ex-
planned and apologized, sat near with
newspaper, the little group looked
pleasant and homelike to the lonesome
boy.
In this shabby boarding house Pauline
looks like creature from some other
sphere to Hugh, and it seemed when he
brought her few Christmas roses for
her dress as though she had a right to
all the roses in the world. He could not
see fat old woman lolling back in
carriage without fierce impulse rising
up in his heart to pull her off those satin
cushions and put Pauline in her place.
He hardly knew that he loved her, yet
she had taken root in his dreams; he
pictured her the heiress of a beautiful
home, sitting at the head of table,
lveried servant behind her chair he
saw her dispensing gracious hospitality,
driven out in her carriage, walking
about conservatory, wearing fine laces
and rare jewels. If he could give her
all this! The thought intoxicated him,
and rs he watches her fasten the roses
on her breast, he nearly spoke his
thought aloud,
"Do you ever wish you were richP" he
asked.
She reflected for minute before she
answered slowly, IN a way that showed