Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-12-20
The Girl | Left Behind Ne.

made any difference II had known IL
had become Indifferent TO women; they inter
ested me only as a trivial study. You will
saw that woman as a study Is too dangerous,
but it had never proved 50 with me In the
meantime neither sought nor avoided them;
those whom fate threw in my way placed
under nv mental microscope, not caring
much for what it revealed. My indifference,
however, did not arise from any lost illu-
sions. had never been in love, and it never
occurred to me that the thing was posi-
BILE. had been on frisldly terms with blonde
and brunette, with the prude and the coquette,
the clever and the designing; but had forgot
ten their existence half an hour later. Nine.
Hampton herself nSver left her room; she was
doubtless diving, but she had been so long
about it, and made so little circumstance
about it, that nobody gave it thought, 1t
would seem. She saw her dodgers, and ar
ranged terms and sent in the bills; and yet
the house and oil its appointments seemed to
share the order Of the planetary system. The
motive power was madame's daughter. in
voluntarily pictured her, since we always
picture those who appeal individually to US IN
any way, as a coarse featured woman, with
"silver threads among the gold" face more
or less wrinkled, n sharp voice, big rough
hands, and a genius for snubbing the servants
and haggling with butcher and baker.
On entering madames room one day ~
order to settle my account, according TO the
custom OF the house, behold slender being
before the open fire, with one tiny hand on
the mantel, lavender 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 madame presently.
"Estelle. ths 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 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.
1 do not know what chord thrilled in my
heart at those words, in that soft minor voice,
capable of all melody, of terseexpression, nor
how got myself out Of the room. A man
who has received fatal bullet in the breast
does not recognize the sensation, for the rea-
son that he has never experienced it before;
be.does not know its import. We met often
after this, always by accident, it would seem,
on the staircase in the hall, and finally one
night I made so bold as to knock at the door
of her music room. She welcomed me with
her naughty cordiality, if haughtiness can be
cordial There were three or four young
men already in possession, but she placed ner
seat near nv own, and while she anon threw
out javelins of wit for the general benefit,
received the lions share of attention This
was Aatterng to my amour propre But
still, whenever repeated my call, had
always to wrestle with handful OF
Younger men for the supremacy l must
confess that before l reached this point
had been obliged to wrestle with
myself to overcome O prejudice. Van
Huysam in love with his landlady's daugh-
ter was an anomaly. What would my family
and friends say to such an affair? With
what eyes would they regard it9 What
would Miss Douglass think, for whom l had
been destined, but who had been a hobblede-
how girl of i3 when had last seen herr Or
course she could care nothing for me; it
would be a wound to her vanity at the most;
had never intended to marry her; l had
never consented, in fact; that bony, shy
school girl with the big eyes and lank
figure, had never appealed to me; had
never been able to forgive her for stammer-
ing and blushing Besides, there had been
some rumor that the Golfers Of the family
had suffered during their sojourn abroad,
and had lost sight of them through their
own negligence But a landladys daughter
The idea would wither all my acquaintance.
However, love not only laughs at locksmiths,
but at ones relations. When summed myself
in Estele's presence cared no more for the
worlds opinion, or for that of any Van Huy'
sam but myself, than for the inhabitants 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 not pos
sess. Such thing as Van Huysam mar
rying out of his sphere had never been knowr
in the family annals. But how did know
that Estelle would marry me! To be sure, il
] had been quite certain Of that perhaps
should have hesitated to proceed further
The far off, unattainable and dim is dear tx
the soul of man-at least till it is his to taxi
or leave One day, when we were reading {
new poem together, q card was brought in
'sTell Mr. Chester that / am engaged ant
cannot sec him tonight" overheard her sa.
to the servant. "Mr. Chester does not ap
preciate our author" she apologized to me
land am not self sacrificing enough to &C
cept him in exchange for Browning" 1t oc
Cured to me at that time that there wer
other young men belonging to aristocrati
families who had no fear of a mesallianc
with landady's daughter, although t
be sure they might be simply anus
ing themselves. as gilded youth wer
won't to do Estelle would never G
out with me; she had no chaperon, she said
wondered what my sister-in-law would ar
swer should write her to chaperon my LAND
lady's daughter to Lohengrin, she who chaI
eroncd only the very elect, so to speak
One evening the conversation drifted int
the subject Of marriage. MIR. Chester an
some others were present, and led the theme
II would marry the woman | loved, sii
Mr. Chester, "if she were beggar, and Ill
father disinherited me on the spot"
"Beggary signifies nothing" returned a,
other. "One would not ask has she do
but has she blue blood"
IAN ancestral tree, in short. with mol
roots than branches" spoke a third. "A
for myself, confess should prefer my wi
to belong to the impecunious old famili,
rather than to the nouveau richie. Pot
Bishop, how his world came down upon hi
when he fell in love with a shop girl, wit
neither blood nor bullion, his mother esp
eiallyl But Bishop stood to his guns; it mu
have taken lot of pluck to weather all
did from friend and foe"
HYou call that pluck |" said Chester.
call it obstinacy, in his case 1t was sue