Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1888-05-24
HEART7LESS.

Her spendld eyes 1lashed upon she
young fellow, and in dull underlined
way he felt clumsy and loutsh, and al
together inadequate to tho companion
ship of this radiant creature.
"Ambition!' he repeated vaguely.
Hilary swung herself on the gate
with an impatience which perhaps &C
corded little with the announcement
she had been making of high and bril-
liant social aims for herself.
"Yes, ambition. Did you eyer think
you would like to be anything more or
better than you are now? Just farm
laborcr."
She flung the works out with mag
niticent contempt.
Its what your father and brother
were, Hilary returned Oliver after 4
little space.
lie said it graveIy, without accent Of
otftnse.
"Thats no reason why everyone
should 60 on being the same thing to
evcrlastins,' announced Hilary, not
very clearly but with decision and pas
sion.
Oliver felt himself delcnseless before
this worldly wisdom. This had always
been their attitude. Her nimbleness
and wit left his slowness and heaviness
at loss. There were many things he
would have liked to say---thngs which
he felt vaguely, which haunted him
with a torturing sense thas his reason
were best, but Tint lie could never sue
ceed in explaining them SO that Hilary
would heed, or even listen.
lie stood in appearance bulky sto,
lid young rustic, chewing without
thought the long straw he held between
his teeth and the bright, slight, vivid
girl by his side continued to swing her
little body backward and toward on he
white gate from which the paint was
chipping, and forgot her existence.
I 1t was night fair ana warm, and re-
dolent with sweet wholesome odors from
the great red barn stocked with grain
There was glory Of moonlight aboard
and Il south wind rustlel the cllns. 1t
was night full Of poetry-full Of the
mysterious voices Of nature.
The young fellow, through his heavy
corporeal envelope, thrilled with visions,
resolves, ycarnings he could not define
or understand, of which he was scarce
conscious. The girl, her spirited beau,
ty gloriGed by the rare light that shone
upon her face, her eyes looking widely
out into the sleeping feels, dreamed Of
city streets, and the delights Of delicate
! dress.
After a silence neither had measured
for different reasons, Oliver stirred slow
ly.
81 suppose l must be going" he said.
"Oh, must you =
Hilary came back violently from her
reverie and gave him an absent glance,
But Immediately. as he was turning
away without other words, she added
"Come again when You can, and ac-
companied the admonition with a smile
whose actual enchant1nent she could
not have helped had she tried.
She looked after his tall broad figure
going down the moonllt road.
"Poor Oliverl He's u frst-rate frl-
low she thought
And then she went back to the cas-
Ties she was building, crystal clear and
iridescent with hundred lights il the
IN the silence Of the sweet serene mid,
summer night.
The shops were opening, the factory
girls We're trooping to their work and
the great city was awaklrg with my
riad tongues to its busy day, when a
young man.-who, somehow, had the
look Of middle age about him, too
topped to an address which he had in
his pocket. 1t might have been there
some time, for the bit of paper on which
it was written was worn and discolored |
at the folds,
A tall and imposing parsonage with
costume of CONSPICUOUS stylishness and
an nnimpeachable cofIule, looked at
him an came forward little.
She seemed to be the only woman in
the large deep shop, down the length of
which stretched broad white counters
laden with feathers, hats, flowers. and
boxes Of ribbon. Some young men
clerks, We're lounging about in various
Of languor, awaiting the be-
ginning Of the day s labor.
"Lcster, did you say ?" repeated the
person with the smooth and
n