The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-07-04
THE LAST HOUR WASTED.

THE LAST HOUR WASTED.
She was an exceedingly beautiful young
woman tall and straight, and proud look
ing divinely no. Her carriage was thing
OF beauty In itself. Her fea lures especially
pressibly charming, possessing the capabil-
ity OF guarding and bearing about with them
the impress Of every chance reflection. After
mornings walk among the glad corn
feds, and sparkling torrents, and twittering
larks, and sunny, dancing atmosphere-let
1t pour as II might In the afternoon, the eyes
would have subdued light Ia them, all
through II. In the midst Of the lights
and laughter and gay talk Of ball room
there would still be that look in her eyes,
Just as II she was forever full Of strong emo.
tion and unanswerable queries. She knew
nothing Of IL herself, and there were few
who had ever seemed to notice or define this
characteristic In her but 10 all men, and at
all times, she was allowed to be exceedingly,
strangely beautiful.
II was summer. She was In one Of those
quaint shaped rooms, full Of comfortable lit
tie hooks and corners only to be met with in
very old houses. The furniture was Of dark
oak, the same color Of the raftsrs, and one
end Of the room was actually step lower
than the other. There was = piano In one
corner, harp In another, over there an easel,
q guitar upon heap OF music lying here.
Books in that dark corner again-if the
dreamy gloom Of crimson and purple drifting
through these two little stained. glass win.
dows could he called darkness.
At this end two windows were opened to
their widest. The summer wind swept
through forest Of trees, whose leaves actu-
ally tapped. the paues, and waited new sweet
scents out Of large bowl Of roses. II would
have basn difficult to know what to call this
room. II owned by q man II would have
been his ''den;" bondoir was feeble name
for it as belonging to this girl. Al any rate,
these seemed only fifty charming surround
ings for SO charming looking woman.
There was little writing table between
tina two open windows, and II was before
this that she stood. Upon the drawn ont
desk there lay quite little pile of scented
note.paper, whose delicate aroma mingled
with the scent Of the roses. Zach sheet
one petping out beyond the other-was
stamped with dainty monogram.
As she stood there, looking straight ont Of
the window before her. she toyed nervously
with the pen lying in her right hand. Pres.
emily her left hand beautiful, white
shapsly hands tbs girl had-fell upon the
pile of paper, 80 as 10 obscure the monogram.
Her eyes looked straight before her, Just al
q little peep Of deep blue sky, which
strangely enough was precisely Of their own
shade.
Any one seeing her for the first time al
tins moment would have said that she was
too much like status-tOo cold looking
But tue exercise Of moments patience
would have changed their opinion for sud.
denly warm, pale pink blush reminding
one again of the roses-cOvsred her face
and the blue eyes turned down now upon the
paper were soft and misty Al they had be-
fore been brilliant.
Rather abruptly she sat down, dipped
the pen into the ink-bottle, and began ia
write.
There was no living thing here to spy on
her, save drOwsy bee aud q certain dole
fulnrss in its mOnOtonOus hum made the
fact plain that this bee was far too wrapped
up in its own sorrows to pay the least atten-
tion 10 the lady's.
While the bee hummsd on, and the
breezes whispered, aud the dull color ed
beams glidsd silently in over at yonder cor
nsr, this was what ths girl wrote:
sometimes think that had circumstances
bssn differently ordered. I should have bs-
come an authorass. can never remember
the time when 1t was not much more easy,
mnch m ,rs natural, for ma tn give vent to
any strong emotion upon paper than III the
ordinary way. Aud again, IL there was
anything wanted to ba qnits clear about,
had to weigh 1t we'll with pen and paper
Ito read over aud study my own medita
tions. l believe this habit has shielded me
from great deal Of tronble. II has insured
my Keeping all violent expression Of feeling
any display Of which l inexpressibly dis
liks-to myself. l have also found that
decisions arrived at in this way have, as a
rule, been fairly correct, such as have not
afterwards regretted.
Perhaps 1 am wrong in thinking conli
have written for the amusement of others,
for, after all, | believe have no creative
powers. The exactituds with which l al
ways summed mp anything wished to con
slider, as any sm0tiOn to bs expressed,
qusnched that in me long ago. Or, perhaps,
this very exactituds gives the denial to thp
existence Of any suoh power at any period
OF life. do not know.
/ avn qnits rsaiy TO act according to the
will oi those who ought to know hest upon
the point wisl, to consider now. Bnt, be-
fore conssnting 10 do this, | must satisfy
myself that there shall bs no rsRretting, no
looking lack on my past. am moi
going TO blipd myself with the fair picture
they point ont TO ma, Of life OF useful hap
piness and power. They ought TO know
best about that, certainly, ~ they have had
30 much more experience than l hut then
there ia this small item In the consider ati0r
whlol. they do not realize-mysslf.
II I wsra IN their place, shOnld judge q
they do. Knowing, alone, all about myssl
aud my past, Il would bs madness TO rush
into any project without hsvipg reviewed IN
black and whita, under my own eyes, wha
alone know Of that past, and OF myself
To bs quite plain-as | always am upon
papsr-I am not sure that rsalizs that any
thing-any changs--oan bs OF very muci
moment ia my life now, 80 far as persona
happiness Ia concerned. l can 1855 the dead
Iavel Of the future stretching before me-
Follow this course or that course, yondsl
dead level neither sinks nor rises.
but that has nothing to do with the sub
isct und4r consideration. As matters nov
stand, want TO act for the best. mus
have tho whole matter under my own eye
to read, as II were some one else, reading
and Judging from an outside point of view
After thorough consideration, A. said before
whatever decision arrive at, there can b
no longer any excuse for regret.
! feel as II should like to begin with /
description Of him. Aud yet to do SO q
once wonld bs out Of order for when ! hrs
saw him ! did not know his name an
before I even raw him had heard his voice
How bitterly cold it surely II, this summs
afternoon. even here in the sunshine.
first met him In railway carriage.
was travelling hstwixt Peterborough and
little place called Malsswooa, In the mont
Of September, two years ago, aud Ia antsrs'
the carriage. u IL trns that | did not se
him get in, for vas Leaning back with m
eyes closed hut | was conscious that th
door at the further end opened aud close
again.
After a fsw minutes, through my ow
thoughts, a voice OF very peculiar ton
gradually forced itself upon my attention
There was another voice too, which monoI
olixsd most Of the talking hut this on
answered now and again ; aud ~ now an
again broke into laugh. II Is . fact tbs
In ten minutes was literally spell bound
very much amused at myself for tho intsres
took in the voice, and yet afraid, afraid
open my eyes, sure that the enohantmsu
must bs broken II did 20.
! am not romantic, aud ! had never Q,
psrisnosd anything liks this before. / b.
ltsvs that when the entrance was made ini
the carriage had been IN the midst Of