The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-11-16
LOVE !, IN /? LODGINGS.

II
Not that it would have made any diff
ference if had known IL. i had become
indifferent to women; they interested me
only as n trivial in study. / neither
sought nor avoided them; those whom
fate threw into my way 1 placed under
my mental microscope, not caring much
for what it revealed.
Ny indifference, however, did not arise
from any lost illusions. l had never been
in love, and il never occurred to me that
the thing was possible. 1 had been on
friendly terms with blonde and brunette,
with the prude and coquette, the clever
and the designing; but had forgotten
their existence half an hour later. es--s-
Nine. Hampton herself had never left
her room; she was doubtless dying, but
she had been so long about il, and made
so little circumstance about it, that no
one gave it a 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 madanle's daugh-
ter. / involuntarily pictured her, since
we always picture those who appeal indi-
vidually to us in any way, as coarse fea-
tured woman. with ''silyer threads among
the gold, face more or less wrinkled, a
sharp voice, big, rough hands, and a gen
ius for snubbing the servants and bag
Cling with butcher and baker. -
On entering the madame's room one
day in order to settle my account, accord
ing to the custom Of the house, beheld a
slender being before the open fire, with
one tiny hand on the mautel. A lavender
gown turned the knot of yellow hair ut
the back of her head, from which some
cuTlS escaped, 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 pres
emily. "Estelle, this is Mr.. Van Huy-
sam; you have heard me speak Of him"
Estelle turned beautiful, naughty face
in nay direction, bowed slightly, smiled
vaguely.
Indeed, might say 1 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 these words, in that soft
minor voice, capable of all melody of
terse expression, nor how / got myself
out of the room. A plan who has received
a fatal bullet in the breast does not recog-
nize the sensation, for the reason that he
has never experienced it before; lie does
not know its import. --=--s,--
We met often after this always by acci-
dent, ii would seem, on the staircase, in
the hall, and finally one night l made
bold rs TO knock at the door OF her music
room. She welcomed me with her
naughty cordiality, If haught.ness can Der
cordial.
There were three or four young men al
ready in possession, but she placed her
seat near my own, and while she anon
thrpTy ont Ia vyalina Of wit for ba crarseral
ben, fit, received the lions share Of at
tention. This was fiattering to nyanour
propre. But still, whenever ] repeated
my call, had to wrestle with n handful
OF younger men for the supremacy
/ must confess that before l reached
this point / had been Obliged to wrestle
with myself to overcome prejudice. y
Van Huysam in love with his landlaJIy's
daughter WAS an anomaly.
What would my family and friends say
TO such an AFFAIR." With what eyes
would they regard il,
What would Miss Douglass tLink, for
whom had been destined, but who lad
been - hObbledehoy girl of thirteen when
/ had last seen her, OF course sac would
care nothing for me; iJ would be q wound
TO her vanity at the most; had never in
tended to marry her; 1 had never con
scented, in fact; that bony, Shy school
had never appealed TO me; / had never
been able to forgive her for stsmmering
and blUshing. Besides, there had been
some rUmOr that the Golfers OF the family
had suffered during their soiouru abroad,
and that had lost sight Of them through
their own negligence.
But = l-ndl sdy's daughter The idea
would witLer al my acquain;Anccs. How
ever, love not only laughs ut locksmiths,
but st ONES relations. When | summed
payself in Estelle's presence l cared 10
more fo- tho worlds opinion, Or FOR that
OF sny Van Huysam but myself, than for
the iphSbitaEts of Flatland; hut once
away from that subtle magnetism, then
my poles c.anged-
Is-u Thousand reasons for giving her
up-if one u be said to give up " hat one
does not possosS- Such n thing ss = Van
Huyssin marrying out of his sphere never
had been known In the family annals
But how did Ikpow that Estelle would
marry me? To be sure, II had been
quite certain OF that perhaps l should
have hesita cd and proceeded further
The far-off. unattainable and dim is dear
to the soul Of man-at least till il is his
to take or leave.
One day, when we were reading n new
poem together, n card was brought in.
Tell Mr.. Chester that l am engaged
and cannot see him to night, ;" overheard
| her sag 10 the servant "Mr. Chester
does not appreciate our author" she
apoloSizea TO mo, land i am no. self
sacrificing enough to accept him in cx-
charge for Browning"
1t occurred TO me at that time that
| there were other young men belonging to
aristocrStic families who had no fear Of n
mesaliixncc with the landlady's daughter,
although to be sure they might be simply
amusing themselves, as gilded youth are
wont to do.
Estelle would never go out with me;
| she haa no chareron, she said. / won
dcrcd what my sister-in-law would an
swer should i write her to chsperon my
| landlady's daughter to Lohengrin, she
| who chaperoned only the very elect, so to
| speak.
One evening the conversation driftea
| into the subject OF marriage. Mr.. Ches-
| ter and some others were present and led
the theme.
II would marry the woman / loved :"
said Mr.. Chester, ''if she were II beggar,
and my father disinherited me on the
| spot
''BeSgary signifies nothing" returned
another. lone would not ask has she n
| dot, but has she blue blood"
| AN ancestral tree, in short, with more
| roots than branches" spoke third LAS
for myself, l confess / should prefer my
wife to belong to the impecunious old
| families rather than to the novcau richie
Poor Bishop. how his world came down
upon hin when lac fell in love with a
shopgirl, with neither blood nor bullion,
his mother, especially! But Bishc-p stood
| to his guns; it must have taken lot of
pluck to weather all he did from friend
| and fee"
/ ssNnu call that DIrtck sr said Chester
/ al II it obstinacy in his case. H. was
/ .t,clt thing fnr DisLL..n 10, LII