The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-19
REAUTY'S SECRET


pCAUTY,S SECRET!
.fcosrrEuKD PROM FIRsr PAeFl
.b, nr,aineeI r,.tber worthy than other wise
tie :a-a 81 Der lie. ana serious peoi -
g..ia1ed 81 needed conversion. But IN the
-, inr ri0r OF her .nsenlo..s she was truly
dyofe3 ryinr. BY tie spell OF beautiful
,.o,,onbood. - m X, those with wno.n shs
1tv "A taf a. AMI happier. Certain wise men
errlain the iaiac.e OF Psnt cost as having
Ioin in tlle ear hat heard, not in thu toni ues
tatr o G. the Ii .teners clo.hing the speech
with a sense ~ their own 30 worhly, good
humorsi Mr Barbara Temple said her
sbTesvd say. but tie wo,ds, Us they pattered !
from Der hTs, eau yht from TITO daughters
finer car music a d meaning waleh the
speaker never understood
With slow delie h with many a blush,
with stolen giaucgs AMI few say words, the
courtship Of Porcival and 50. ihia progres ed,
and each bad commended the other in their
inmogt souls long before any love was ex-
pressed. BrcuJ senior Ea-t quite recovered /
lis spirits Ia the presence of airs. Barbara
Temple. AMI his casy-Inoved lapghte- was
heard ia dining room and drawing room as
Of old Accordingly, 10 and fro, from house
TO house the families went; and the young
people had plenty Of occasions OF making
love though . was as yet love uuspoken-
There are then, two schools OF lovers
those who I-un Sc. AMI those who inch; and
those who plunge are WISE, but those who
inch are wiser.
Pcrcival either b. foresight or simply
through circumstance, WIS an "iEcher."
Peasant work he found it. But is grave
history like unue 20 detail every NOD, glance.
usi,, smile, sigh, AMI 50 ont or are grave
student like uy cajeIs TO be 80 trlied
withY Let INC, with wise reserve, he con-
tent, for this chapter az least, with one
closing scene
End Of January. Weather, much rain and
windy: time S.l5 p. IN ; scene. dining room
at bsrs. Barbara Temples; per ons present,
Percival and Sophia. Mark, reader, they
have been here since the rest rose from lunch,
talking al ont ANYTHING or nothing, but grow
ing warner-at least FerCival was growing
wnrner-every moment. He believes the
hoIr has come. SO stand the two at the win
dow, wat hing the drop that course down
the raue and idly racinr drop against drop.
Sophia wins three drops running.
"Ah7 Pcrcival remarks with a sigh, "it is
no use cau never stand against you"
Sophia thinks She understands this, and
signs, too. faintlY, bushes about the thou
sandth part 81 q tint, droops her head about
tine millionth part Il ON inch. H sees all
What a stormy day" he slys next
Very stormy
4And yet it dos not so m dull, not in
ere, does itl' Artful young man he low
cred bis voice toward the end of the sentence,
ms if the very walls mast not hear, but she
only.
"Oh, no: il does not seem n bit dun in
here be responds There is a regular
lovers way Of saying the same thing To
and fro; the simpletous mean to intimate
their entire oneness in all things, spoken or
thought
Sophia locked very lovely tust at that mo
ment, with h. fear that is JOY lowering over
her, casting lights ON her ewes, fushes on her
cheek, ard making her every slightest mo
ton tender and gentle He feels that nov
he Is full ia the sway Of fle whirlpool; on
and on be VIII be borne until he has told
her all
"Someth'ng very singular happened to me
in Australia Percival saws bend NJ nearer
to her. Something I am half afraid to
speak Of"
Here he stops.
"Tel me about it." she whispers, oh, 81 low,
20 deiciously She meant: Anything You
say will b. sweet b hear-especially what
you are going 10 say.
at was sy meih,ug so strange, so Unforeseen.
One of those thing which bapren W C nnoi
tell how leading 20 gyo cannot tel what"
He stopped again Again she murmured
one Of those sentences which women never
speak but to one ear only, uubariug their
hearts.
EEL me about itH
@Whne ] was in Australia 1 fen in love
with girl, who is ths queen of my heart,
md shall b. till J die"
Ter posture never changed, not by the
movement Of "a finger; and do not think the
sharp 4 watcher wcu'd have seen a culver
of her eye' "a or tlsmor of her lip. But the
life went from her face and eye, and the
fear that is joy vanished leaving behind the
fear that is feer in1esd
SAre the ir's--tbe girls in Australia
very pretty.7 she inquired, in a death-Lke
voice.
The next moment she vogld be in his
arms; the next moment his kiss would have
dropped in a burning seal on her lips; the
next moment she wogld have been his, de
clared so by sigus which oven her modesty
could not have hidden. Alas, how short is
the space allotted 70 whispering Flushing
love in this rough world just then the
dining room door opened, and in rushed little
Mr. Brent, roaring with laughter stamping
on the floor, choking. rubbing his hands
hnd Mrs. Barbara Temple followed laugh
ing, but not IN his fashion.
'And then " cried the parson between his
rapturous bursts. "tfen without another
word, down sat the dean, looking 50 import
ant, 50 diCniGed so reproving-iust ike an
angry turkey cock, assure You, Mrs. Tenn
pie Down he sa on bis rev hat--crashi it
was stove in-his new hat! And up he
jumps again, and exclainis: 'Eless ne, my
batpn
Rosy with h's boi 'terous mirth, he went M
and down, not knowing what he had done,
though quick-eye Mrs. Temple suspected,
and would have withdrawn. Percival
looked inexpsessiby discomfte1 Who should
make the next mnyef 1t was Sophia
"Good 10 have a merry heart, Mr.. BrentT
she said, smiling at him in a way which
Showed-he told his son as they went home
that she a. least enjoyed the story. And she
dar.ed from the room But Perez al could
not see her faoa before she was gone.
Fixed he stco Cd, poor baffled young fellow
the arms dropped at his side " hich were tC
have been wound about the girl he loved; hi:
face a blank. his heart fun of vexation
Meanwhile the little rector fell into a chair
and sent up peal after peal of most obstrep
orous mirth
"ghe dean was new, and the hat was new
When he sat down we heard the crash
When he got up no ore living could hav,
told which looked more dismal, his face Of
his hat Bless Dje. nly hatr l hear him say
ing It new, Mrs. Tempe The finest sight
ever sew Pcrcival, Percival ,ciy don't 20,
lnu