Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-04-01
CLORINDA PERRIVALE'S LOVERS.
BY PAUL PAsTNoR.

There was no mistaking it-Eliphalet
Babbitt was in love. He had all the gen.
eral symptoms of that species of heart dis
ease, and some that were peculiar to him
self. He lost his appetite, and that was no
small loss to Eliphalet, though it was a
great gain to the family. He grew moody
and absent minded, and was falling into a
habit of stealing away to the woods at noon
and evening, and lying on his back under
the trees. These, of course, were only
general symptoms, but Eliphalet developed
others Characteristic of himself. For in
stance, when he went to work in the west
meadow he invariably put on his Sunday
clothes, even to the black gloves and stiff
bell-crowned hat. Thus equipped, he
would seize his scythe or his rake and
work steadily toward the little white cot
tage with the brown barns and patent fire.
gilt lightning-rods, where the Perrivales-
father and daughter-lived. 1t was a rare
sight to see that gaunt, clerical figure in
black stalking by industrial degrees across
the meadow, and every now and then rails
ing q pair of shy, half frightened eyes in
the direction of the leaf -embowered cot
tage, ,as though he suspected himself of being
watched, and would like desperately well
to be visibly assured of the fact. The extra
ordinary attraction of the Perrivale home
stead to Eliphalet Babbitt, it might not
take an oracle to divine, was none other
than the fair mistress of the place--Miss
Clorinda Perrivale. In fact, it was whisper
ed abroad, in rural vernacular, that Eliph-
alet Babbitt was "smit" with "Clorindy"
Perrivale. What wonder if it were so?
Clorinda Perrivale was as trim and pretty a
lass as one sees in years wanderings. She
Vas as, pp@p Iand rMsed tY6Ks"n The mischief With
every young fellow she looked at. And
then she had way-the pretty minx!-of
letting her long lashes droop upon her
cheeks, when the shy youth caught her
glance, and actually blushing in sympathy
with his confusion. Clorinda was an incor-
ri6ible hirt. Unfortunately. she had lost
her mother when a mere child, and, with
ont the restraining influence of woman
hood upon her girlish playfulness and love
of admiration, had involved herself in a
life of excitement and pleasure, which had
gradually become the very breath of life to
her.
Eliphalet Babbitt was among the latest of
her admirers. He had been at school for
six years, vainly attempting to polish his
rough but honest wit on the grindstone
of culture; and now, but little changed
the same awkward, good natured, bashful,
blundering but capable fellow-he had re-
turned home, to displace the Greek verbs in
his hair with hayseed, and get rid Of the
crude mass of PHILOSOPHERS and sciences
which he had gorged, by judicious regi-
men of plain home duties, and occasional
eructations of local vernacular. He had
met Clorinda Perriyale frequently since his
return, mt church, Mt picnics, and at home,
and had fallen irretrievably in love with the
village belle.
During the course of the summer in
which our story opens, "Clorinda Peril
vale's love making" had become the sub
jeet of so much ill-considered village gos-
sip that, one evening, as she sat with her
father on the little honeysuckle- covered
porch in front of the cottage, he had said
to her: "My girl, you have had your low
ers now for so long that don't you think you
could decide upon one for your partner in
life?" Then, in answer to the girls quick
look of apprehension and pain, he had
quietly gone on to tell her of the village
talk; of his own fear that she was trans
crossing the bounds of conventional
propriety by admitting equally the warm at
tentions of so many young men; and finally,
to ask her if, for his sake, and the sake of
her dead mother, she would either cease
giving encouragement to her suitors, or
choose one of them, as best suited her own
sweet will, for life. 1t was plain, serious
talk, such as every father of motherless
girl is bound and privileged to have, when
the strange, wayward age of girlhood is
budding into womanhood. Clorinda list
ened with downcast eyes, and when he had
finished she came and sat in his lap and
laid her warm cheek against his, and said,
with tears: "Father, you are right; have
been very thoughtless, and 1 thank you for
what you have said. Good night" and
then she ran away upstairs to her own
room, and cast herself on the bed, and
wept. not bitterly, but tenderly, until the
shadows of night, and the stiffness, and the
stars brooded over the world, and she fell
asleep.
Fourth of July night there was to be
great and glorious celebration, with speech
es and cannon and fireworks, in the little
city of Marbray, six miles down the river.
Every man and boy in MELVILLE had shaped
his affairs during the previous six weeks
TO the one special end of attending the
grand demonstration on that night. Now
Clorinda Perrivale, merry and mischievous
again, even after her tears, but this time
with pure and sweet purpose in her merri-
ment, conceived the idea of testing her de-
voted svains upon that memorable occasion,
and choosing him whose love for her should
prove paramount TO his love for Chinese
fireworks and scintillating eloquence. So
she managed 10 convey to each of her suit
ors singly the information that she would
be at home on Fourth of-July night, and
should very much like the pleasure of his
company at that time. Something, too, in
the manner of the invitation seemed to hint
that il was Of especial interest 10 the re-
cipient. Among the rest, Eliphalet Babbitt
received the message Of the fair Clorinda,
and instantly all visions Of pyrotechnic dis
play and soul-stirring oratory vanished
from his mind, and his heart went pit-a-pat
with loves alternate hope and fear. Now
Eliphalet was a shrewd fellow, and by dint