St. Paul daily globe., 1886-12-25


w " it creeps by with leaden
footsteps, and yet how differently the world
looked one year ago tonight.
Christmas eve. O
About this time at home they are gathered
! together making merry over the Christmas
presents and wondering what the prodigal
son is doing in the little German town which
| he so queerly chose TO pas the winter in.
Ali Well. it would not have helped mat
| tiers any had they known. 1t was much
! better thus. That they should have supposed
me animated by an uncomfortable ambition
| to take my degree in philosophy at Heidle-
| berg. And so l am. Bat the only degree l
will take will be in the philosophy of resigna-
! tion and I'm afraid | will not make much of
a success at even that.
| Still, She must have known.
| wonder if tonight that scene of a year
ago recurs to her as forciby as it does to me
here sitting in my solitary state in the best
room of the quiet lonely little German hotel.
Pshawl She no doubt has long since for
gotten. But with what startling distinctness
it all appears to me. l can see her now. We
were alone. Standing beneath the mistletoe
decorated chandelier her deep, black eyes
flashed out a coy challenge was not slow to
accept.
Yes, kissed her.
She did not resent it, but demurely ac-
Quiescing, looked lovelier than ever in her
dark dinner gown. would then have told
her all was longing to say. all the passion
that for days and weeks past had been crowd
ing my heart, but with woman's natural
coquetry she made hasty excuse and left
the room. Later took her in TO dinner and
as was to leave early next morning for the
East eagerly watched an opportunity to speak,
the words l was so anxious to say and which
/, in my foolish confidence. thought she
would not be averse to hearing. Finally my
chance came.
told her / loved her.
Whispered between the courses of a fash
ionable dinner with bright eyes watching us,
INV wooing could neither be lengthy or ar
| dent. How fair and lovable she looked, as
with her big eyes fringed with their long,
silken lashes cast down, she lstended in
tently to my murmured condolences, and the
flmy lace rose and fell quickly with the
tumult that ragged, as / thought, within her
| breast.
Yet how deceived was!
The decrepit old millionaire who sat on her
| other hand and who had long desired to pos
sess her, might as well have taken her agita-
tation to himself as 1, poor devil of briefess
lawyer. who had only my love, youth and
manly earnestness to offer her.
Then I thought differently.
Ihad vet TO learn that such qualities are
! out of date with the modern girl, and that
the glamour of gold, like the trail of the ser
| meant. is over them all. Well its an experience
| bought dearly enough and one would have
| been glad, heaven knows, to forego. Per-
| haps was duly punished for my over-cOnfi-
| dence 1 am sure my face must have told of
the Joy felt when in answer to my whis-
| pered entreaty to place, if she looked with
| favor on my wooing, Sprig of mistletoe in
| the satin souvenir she had promised to send
me on the morrow, Christmas Day, she
| glanced shyly up at me with her great, ten
| der eyes and with such a significant smile.
The picture is burnt in my memory.
| Now ! would efface it, for what does il
| bring me but the pain of q vain egret aid
| empty longing? 1t was late when we left
the table. Her carriage was waiting and we
| narted without exchanging another word,
/ through b e in n
oonsiderate formal @M d
| ity of her mother Etp@IEMa y
1 who thought she EfTTIQHA "A a
must needs make " oEHSS6Ag ".
| polite acknowl IN &ENk S&ST.:
! egdement, before L G~&S
| left for the East, Of
1.-THE kind attention N
| had shown her daughter through the sum-
| rner which TO me had so quickly flown by.
| The Souvenir came.
| Early Christmas morning it was brought