The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-04-01

looked absently int ahe vindovs and
with furtive anxiety ls tho passers.bv.
But of sudden he tnfned scasiet. for on
the other side Of the street. vss Enlalie-
queenly woman, tslk and stately. charm.
ingly dressed, witha fringe Of dainty
little brown curls on her forehead and !
face like an angela People turned to
look at her as she rent BY; had thew
bowed down before her Bond would
scarcely have felt surprised. She was at
tended by couple sof handsome men
ore deferential, the other more obseryant
of TIE sights aroundy Her brothers. com
mented Bond, who hAd squeezed himself
INTO doorway and peeped timidly at her
over the bonnets of two elderly ladies.
As each passing csb momentarily shut
her out from his stKht his breath came
fast and thick; he Utmost feared lest he
should never beholdher again. He saw
her enter shop, and presently come out
again. Quite uEcY sscus of the exis-
tence of her 4shaS<y sdEsifev, sbc pre-
ceeded on her way, and soon disappeared
In the crowd
Then with the desperate courage which
IS perhaps most common in timid men.
Bond plunged into the shop and asked
the assistant her name.
You mean the lady who was looking
at these gloves ?" inquired the dapper
youth, pansing in his task of returning
them to the box in order to stare with
evident amusement at the auestioner.
The lady !" repeated Bond absently.
There was but one in the whole world for
him. Yes, yes, of course"
II don't know her name, sir"
Bond looked disappointed. But seeing
a pair OF gloves which had Just been tried
on he pounced upon them eagerly. What
was this strange thrill that went through
and through him? The touch of a van
qulshed hand p Sympathy? Surely
he was travelling the road of knowledge.
want pair of gloves" he said.
"These will do very nicely"
They are ladies', sir" suggested the
assistant.
ooh, they'll do. My hands are not
large" He blushed as he spoke, for they
were huge
Shall pnt them in paper, sir ?''
Paper Yes, wrap them up carefully.
Gloves are apt to be soiled in the
pocket"
1t was not very rational act he had
just committed, and yet he contrived to
cover it neatly with little pretenses and
so disguised Its real purport Was not
he student of human nature? and was
not the hand an index to character? and
was not the glove an index to the hand +?
Here, then he he was starting at the be-
ginning Of things, as became a sound
philosopher. SO, for the purpose of his
study, he laid the gloves on the table be-
fore him and riveted bis gaze upon them.
He even pressed them passionately to his
lips, an act which made him blush as
deeply as if Eulalie herself had witnessed
it. Had not she touched them and ah
what sweet smile she had Logic could
not fathom that, but he recognized its
truth, nevertheless.
During the ensuing fortnight Bond
went out every morning in the hope of
getting brief glimpse of the charming
Eulalie, and, when successful, returned
brimful of happiness. The rest of the
day he invariably pent in building cas-
ties, constructing new settings for his
gem. 1t was a delightful occupation,
this continual intercourse with his divin.
ity. Though she knew him not, probably
had never seen him, they two lived an
ideal life together. Wherever she went
this shabby okwidow, whom, it may be
she would not have deigned to notice, &C
companied her in fancy; he dined, walk
ed, talked and laughed with her ; he in
vested her with every virtue, set her In a
perfect home, and provided her with
every comfort, content himself to be her
devoted slave and minister to her wants.
In accordance with this theory Bond
attributed to Eulalie qualities the
very opposite of his own, or
rather what he supposed to be his
own, for he set a very humble
value upon himself. He made her out to
be all that is pure and lovely. She is
generous" he said did she not give elk
pence to crossing sweeper? 1 never
gave six pence to crossing sweep
er in my life. My temper is
vile, hers is sweetness itself: Did
| not see her smile i? She is the most :
beautiful woman in the world. am the
incarnation of ugliness." He looked in
the glass and saw it was true. And so
he had no difficulty in constructing his
golden image, before which he, vile
creature of clay, meekly bowed his head
and did obeisance.
There was strange pathos in the love
OF this solitary student for an unknown
woman, whose influence. unconsciously
exerted, had gone far beyond the limits
of her personal acquaintance. Had it
done nothing else it would have raised
him above the dreary level which he had
SO long occupied, but it presently took a
more practical turn. When he beheld
his cheerless room, the cat, the only home
ly thing in it, and thought of that per-
feet home of his fancy, there flashed
into his mind the question, where is the
money to come from and what am to
aspire to such as she, even if / had the
money? This thought fell upon him like
a thunder clap; it threw him into
stupor out of which he emerged tremb-
ling.
Awakened to the reality of his dream,
the strong man girded up his loins and
put forth the strength which had hitherto
lain dormant. Though he could not
forego the pleasure of seeing Eulalie every
day if possible, the afternoons and even
ings were henceforth devoted to work.
Many years before he had begun to write
a book, which he had not had the energy
to finish he now took it up again, and
worked at it day and night. Fame aud
fo rf uua c.>ono1 out IDa<S1~c h:.. -..l...