The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-09-24
A ROMANCE OF A WALTZ.
An Old Time Melody Brings Parted
lovers Together.

My first impulse was to rush in and
ask Ellen what troubled her, but there is
something about my cousin that pre-
vents any display of sympathy, so clos
ing the door as quickly as its remonstra-
tive old hinges would allow, / suppressed
my wonder until l stood before the long
mirror in aunt's spare room. As usual
once there, my reflected and rejecting
self put our heads together to puzzle the
thing out. Everybody in this house is
so painfully superior that l have been
driven to seek the companionship of this
girl in the glass, and, to let you into a
secret, we really have a great liking for
each other, though you may think diff
ferently some time if you happen to be
present.
"Daisy," said this aniable parsonage,
'you've just discovered two very strange
things. That Ellen was careless enough
to leave her door open is one mystery;
that she is lying there on the bed with
her head buried in the pillows is an
other"
No wonder the ''glass Daisy" looked as
if all the problems Of Euclid and algebra
together would not outweigh this one,
for never before had it entered her wild
little head that Ellen could feel sorry,
or worry about anything. Ellen, who
closes her door in a way that no n ven
lures to question; Ellen, whose calm,
clear eyes hold such a fine contempt for
somebody who cries over her book; Ellen
to be lying there s~obbing-for I heard a
sob, Ibid, positively Ibegan to wonder
if it were worth while dressing for dim
ner. 1t seemed out of place that a plain
everyday dinner should be served where
such things as this were happening.
"Where's Nellg' asked uncle, glancing
at her empty chair as we gathered about
the table. Nell late! This was almost too
much for my powers of silence. / was
just on the point of unburdening myself
of everything / had seen and thought
when my cousin came in looking as calm
and imperturbable as ever and swept to
her place with the old stateliness | have
been envying three times a day for the
last two weeks. !.
To be sure she didn't say much. / did.
/ always did. Auntie calls me "Unques-
tionable." So it was quite possible for
her to be quiet without attracting atten-
ton, but I thought a strange light leaped
into her eyes when Uncle Harry said:
SPY the way, Isaw Maxwell on the street
today. When did he return?'
The question being addressed to the
center of the table and that dignitary
not being communicative l thought it
quite time to ask "Who is MAXWELL" for
/ am only a visitor here and am not yet
as well acquainted as / intend to be.
Yes, I did see Aunt jeans quick glance
that meant not to ask anything more,
but it was all wasted. It was absolutely,
positively necessary to my happiness that
l should know all there was to be known
of the mysterious Mr.. Maxwell, 10 / at
once stated my views to the family at
large, whereupon my uncle, who knows
something of my perseverance, conde-
scended to inform me that he was an old
friend Of "ours"-"ours," indeed! and I
had not even heard of him before-that
he had been away for several years and
had suddenly returned. AS if any girl
could not have deduced hat much from
his question! Aunt spoiled my nice little
speech, telling him how grateful 1 was
for his wealth of information, by rising.
Of course we had to follow suit, though
any one could see her coffee had not been
tasted-and auntie's love of coffee is one
of her weaknesses.
Wasn't it contemplate of me to pre-
tend I wanted something from my room,
as an excuse for following somebody up
stairs? Wasn't it atrocious of me to
stand in that somebody's doorway, just
to see how she would manage to get me
away? Was it not perfectly ridiculous
to burst out crying and run away when
Ella said, gently: sit was good of you to
close my door, Daisy" Perhaps if she
had not kissed me afterward l would not
have been SO frightened, but / didn't sup
pose she knew how to do such q thing, it
was SO unexpected. No wonder rushed
to the glass Daisy to tell her what would,
I knew, brighten her, too. But she looked
SO absurd with her red eyes that / laughed
at her in spite of myself. "You foolish
thing" she said, "inquisitive and prying
as you can be one minute, crying and
making a goose of yourself generally the
next! Better battle your face and behave
like a sane girl or as near like II as pos
sible." Then, as it is a woman's duty to
obey as well as to command (herself), I
bathed my eyes forthwith and reached
the drawing room just in time to hear
my uncle say: "Why, Maxwell, old fell
low, glad to see you again.
So this was the mysterious stranger!
this tall man with such black, deep set
eyes that I scarcely knew for looking at
them whether he had anything else in
his face or not. He didn't seem at all
impressed with me. Strange, too, wasn't
it, because l had just given my hair an
extra touch and considered myself quite
charming again. Yet this Mr.. Maxwell
treated me as if I were nothing but a
child. He and uncle talked, as men
will, of commercial union, of federation,
and of annexation.
Now to quote Jack, for brothers are
always eloquent, ''annexation" is worse
than a s'red rag" to me, and 1 was up in
arms at once. But alas! Mamma thinks
that my vehemence is unsuitable for
Aunt jeans august presence, and there
are cases in which my opinions necessa-
rily agree with mammals; SO not finding
INV cp,otbared wrath Dio0obla I c..orenH