The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-09-27
The Girl | Left Behind Me.

When 1 hired lodgings at Mime.
Hampton's, l had no idea that she
owned so precious thing as Il
daughter. Not that it would have
made any difference if had known it.
| had become Indifferent to women;
they interested me only as a trivial
study. You will say that woman as a
study is too dangerous, but it had
never proved so with me. In the mean
time | neither sought nor avoided
them; those whom fate threw in my
way l placed under my mental micro
scope, not caring much of what it re-
vealed. My Indifference, however. did
not arise from any lost illusions.
had never been in love, and it never
occurred to me that the thing was possi-
BILE. / had been on friendly terms with
blonde and brunette, with the prude
and the coquette, the clever and the
designing; but | had forgotten their
existence half an hour later. Nine.
Hampton herself never left her room;
she was doubtless dying, but she had
been so long about it, and made so
little circumstance about it, that no one
gave it Il thought, it would seem. She
saw her dodgers and arranged terms,
and sent in the bills; and yet the house
and all its appointments seemed to
share the order of the planetary system.
The motive power was madam's
daughter | involuntarily pictured
her, since we always picture those
who appeal individually to us in any
way, as coarse-featured woman,
with '.silver threads among the gold"
a face more or less wrinkled, sharp
voice, big, rough hands, and genius
for snubbing the servants and haggling
with butcher and baker.
On entering the madame's room one
day in order to settle my account,
according to the custom of the
house, behold slender being be-
fore the open fire, with one tiny hand
on the mantel, lavender gown turned
the knot of yellow hair at the back of
her head, from which some curls es-
capped, into pure gold. There was an
air of luxury and leisure about her
which was simply delicious in view of
the facts.
"My daughter" said madame pre-
sently. 'Estelle, this is Mr.. Van Huy
sam; you have heard me speak Of him."
Estelle turned beautiful naughty
face in my direction, bowed slightly.
smiled vaguely. "Indeed. might say
l have heard you speak of no one else"
Plainly the old lady had been singing
my praises, and the young one did not
fancy the tune.
do not know what chord thrilled in
my heart at those words, in that soft
minor voice, capable of all melody, of
terse expression, nor how l got my
self out of the room. A man who
has received a fatal bullet in the
breast does not recognize the sensation.
for the reason that he has never ex-
perienced it before; he does not know
its import. We met often after this,
always by accident, itwOuld seem, until
one night made SO bold as to knock at
the door of her music room. She vel.
coined me with her naughty cOrdiality,
if haughtiness can be cordial. There
were three or four young men already
in possession, but she placed her seat
near my own, and while she anOn
threw out iavelins of wit for the
general benefit, l received the lions
Share of attention. This was tiattering
to my amour propre. But still, when
ever 1 repeated my call, l had always
to wrestle with handful of younger
fess that before l reached this point
/ had been obliged to wrestle with
myself to overcome a prejudice. A
Van Huysam in love with his land
lady's daughter was an anomaly,
What would my family and friends
say to such an atfairP With what eyes
would they regard itP What would
Miss Douglass think, for whom l had
been destined, but who had been a
hobblehoy girl of thirteen when l had
last seen herp OF course she could
care nothing for me; it would be a
wound to her vanity at the most; had
never intended to marry her; had
never consented. ia fact; that bony, shy
school girl, with the big eyes and lank
figure, had never appealed tome; had
never been able to forgive her tor
stammering and blushing. Besides,
there had been some rumor that the
Golfers of the family had suffered dur
ing their sojourn abroad. and had
lost sight of them through their own
negligence. But alandlady's daughter!
The idea would wither all my acquaint'
| ances However, love not only laughs
at locksmiths, but at ones relations.
| When | summed myself in Estelle's
presence | cared no more for the
worlds opinion, or for that of any Van
Huysam but myself, than for the in
habitants of Flatland; but once away
from that subtle magnetism, then my
poles changed. | saw thousand
reasons for giving her up-if one can
be said to give up what one does mol
possess. Such a thing as Van Huy-
sam marrying out of his sphere never
had been known in the family annals,