Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-08-26
THE GIRL l LEFT BEHIND ME


When 1 hired lodgings at Mme. HspI
toms, bad no idea that she owned 6
precious thing as daughter. Not this
it would have made any difference if Ia
known it. / had become Indifferent I
women; they interested me only as
trivial study. You will say that woma
as study is too dangerous, but ii ba
never proved 30 with me. Iu the mean
time Ineither sought nor avoided them
those whom fate threw in my way place
under my mental microscope, not csrin
much for what itrevealed. My indifference
however, did not arise from any lost illu
sions. / had never been in love, and
never occurred to me that the thing wa
possible. / had been on friendly term
with blonde and brunette, with the prud
and the ecquette, the clever and the de
signing; but l had forgotten their exist
ence half an hour later. Mime. Hampton
herself never left her room; she was doubt
less dying, but she had been so long abou
il, and made so little circumstance abou
il, that nobody gave il thought, il would
seem. She saw her dodgers and ar
ranged terms and sent in the bills; and yet
the house and all It's appointments seemed
to share the order of the planetary system
The motive power was msisme's daugh
ter. involuntarily pictured her, since w
always picture those who appeal individu'
ally to rs in any way, ~ coarse featured
woman, with silver threads among the
gold" face more or less wrinkled, q
sharp voice, big, rough hands, aud ge'
Illus for snubbipg the servants and bag
Cling with the butcher and baker.
On entering madame's room one day in
order to settle my account, according 70
the custom Of the house, behold slender
being before the open fire, with one tiny
hand on the mantel, q lsvsndar morning
gown turned the knot OF yellow hair at the
back of her head, from which some curls
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 the madame pres
emily. 'Estelle, this is Mr.. Van Huysam;
You have heard me speak OF him"
Estelle turned beautiful, naughty face
in my direction, bowed slightly, smiled
vaguely. Indeed, i 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 ex
preston, nor how got myself out Of tue
room. A man who mas received fatal
bullet in the breast does not recognize
the sensation, for the reason that he
has never experienced it before;
be does not know its import. Wemet often
after this, always by accident, it would
seem, on the staircase, in the hall, and
finally one night l made so bold az to
knock at the door other music room, She
welcomed me with a hearty cordiality, II
hautiness can be cordial. There were
three or four youBg men already in posses
sion, but she placed her seat near my own,
and while she anon threw out javelins OF
wit for the general benefit, l received
the lions share of attention. This
was flatteripg to my amour pIopre. Bnt
still, whenever repeated my call, had
always 10 wrestls with handful OF
younger men for the supremacy. | must
confess that before reached this point l
had been obliged to wrestle with myself TO
overcome prejudice. A Van Huysam in
love with his lsndlady's daughter WAS an
anomoly. What would my family and
friends say to such an affair? With what
eyes would they regard itP What would
Miss Douglass think, for whom / had been
destined, bat who had been hob6ledehoy
girl of Is when l had last seen her? OF
course she could care nothing for me; 1t
would be a wound to her vanity at the
most; had never intended to marry her;
| had never consented, in fact; that bony,
shy school girl, with the big eyes and lank
figure, had never appealed to me; L had
never been able to forgive her for STAN
meriug and blushing. Besides, there had
been some rumor that the Golfers Of the
family had suffered during their sCjourn
abroad, and 1 had lost sight OF them
through their own negligence. But
a lsndlady's daughter! The idea
would wither all my acqusintances.
However, love not only laughs at lock
smiths, but at ones relations. When j
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 inhabitants of Flatland; but once away
from that subtle magnetism, thsn my poles
changed I saw a thousand reasons for CIV
inc her up-if one Can be said to give up
what one doea not possess. Such thing
az Van Huyssm marrying out OF
his sphere had never been known IN the
family annals. But how did | know that
Estelie would marry me: To be sure, II
I had been quite certain Of that perhaps l
should have hesitsted to proceed further.
The far of, unattainsble and dim is dear
10 The soul of mau-at least till 1t Is his to
take or leave. 0ne day, when we were
reading a new poem together, q card was
brought in. TELL Mr., Chester that / am
engaged and cannot see him tonight"
overheard her say to the servant. Mr..
Chester does not appreciate our author, -
she apologizsd to me, "snd l am not sell
sacrificing enough to accept him in ex-
change for Browning" Ii occurred to me
at that time that there were
other Young men belonging to aristocrstiC
families who had no fear OF u mesalliance
with a Iandlady's daughter, although to
be sure they might be simply amusing
themselvss, ~ gilded youth were wont to
do. Estelle would never 20 out with me
she had no chaperone she said. wondered
what NV sister. in law would answer
should 1 write her to cbaperons my land
lady's daughter to Lohengrin, she who
chaperoned only the very elect, so to speak
One evening the conversation drifted in
to the subject OF marriage. Mr.. Chester
and some others were present, and led the
theme. 81 would marry the woman
loved, :" said Mr.. Chester, IF she were
bsgsar, and my father disinherited me on
the spot."
'tBegyary signifies nothing" returned
another. "One would not ask has she a
dot. bat has she blue blood"
IAN ancestral tree, in short, with more
roots than branches" spoke third. "A;
for myself, I confess i should prefer my
wife to belong to the impecunious old
families rather than to the nouvsau richie.
Poor Bishop. how his world came down
upop him when he fell in love with shop
girl, with neither blood nor bullion, his
mother especially! But Bishop stood to
his yuns: il must have taken lot of pluck