The Portland daily press., 1889-01-26
KLEIN e.
A Summer Romance in the
Lives of Two Women.
RY CARRIE E. HALE.

[Boston Traveler.l
"To break. or not to break: that is the question.
Whether It's nobler In the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of hungering curiosity,
Or, TO take knife against the stuck-up paper
And by reading end 1t? Win j, or will not?
Il Is my wilt o lcok beyond TIE outside
AT the herogyphics defasing that snowy white
Shall not repent being so willingly wilfulq"
''Oh, Kleinel Win you show us no mercy I!
/ abhor puns at their best and to shower us
with such deluge of poor ones is an inflic-
ton too great for ordinary nerves to endure
with calmness. If you propose to persecute
US further, at least add few fresh ones to
your vocabulary. But L see you have let
ter; who has written to you??"
THAT is just exactly what am trying to
find out. Don't believe I'll succeed very
soon by gazing at the outside of this envel-
ope. do you? Well, here goes"
"Hele will my quietus Make with bare bod
A little red-haired, brown-eyed maiden,
brimming with mirth and assumed curiosity,
eyed askance large square envelope just
delivered by the passing postman. Sudden
Iy she tosses her head to one side, and with a
most deliberately determined expression set
tling about the corners of her mouth, she
slips one saucy finger beneath that portion
of the cover that remains unsealed, and
passing it along the entire margin of the
note impetuously breaks the bonds that
withhold the contents of the mysterious
epistle. In spite of her pretty German d.
minutive given to her by her father, little
ness did not imply pettiness of nature, in
the impetuous creature who was strong
enough TO break almost any bond of conyen-
tiopalty.
While the letter is being eagerly devoured
by pair of dancing eyes. | will not consider
it at all impertinent If you glance over my
shoulder at the fair and interesting picture
on which am now feasting my sight; ON
the contrary think that thus bond of
sympathy will be formed between the one
who pens and those who peruse these lines.
riveted at the first glance by an interest SINH
larly awakened.
The view shows an interior; not decorat-
ed with gorgeous colors or respondent in
rare plus hes or ancient tapestry. The room
10 the neat and home-like sttiDg-room of a
country physician, rendered cheerful and in
viting by the willing hands of the young girl
seated by the open window, which OyerlOokS
engaged upon some article of apparel, which
would appear TO be in the first stages Of
rapid decline. The pose of her fair head in
ciiped forward upon her task, the charming
coloring of hair, skin and eyes, all combine
TO give at the first glance the idea of unusual
beauty. But, upon looking more intently at
the features, one discovers the mouth to be
trife too firm and decisive: the jaw is also
a little too square In form to satisfy the de-
mands Of perfect standard of beauty. A
warm tint glows upon the cheek, deepening
at times into vivid crimson, then spreading
from neck to brow The eyes are soft and
iustrous brown, shaded by dropping white
lids. tringed with dark lashes, and the hair,
which could not be described as golden or
chestnut is at best soft, light brown.
When the girl was a child it must have
tossed and waved about her head in dancing
ringlets; now those curls have disappeared,
save few refractory locks at the back Of
the neck aud waving about the smooth,
white brow; from the latter most decided
effort has been made to restrain them. Per
haps an air of repose and dignity, not TO be
expected in one so young, rests upon her,
caused without doubt by the early loss of q
good mother, whose death few years before
had made to fall upon her the responsibility
and care of two younger sisters. This had
developed certain mature consideration
and line Of thought, expressed in every mo-
tiOn.
At her side stands her younger sister
whom we have already heard her address by
the pet name of Kleine. A marked and yet
not unpleasant contrast exists between the
two girls. Entirely unlike in cOloring, fea-
lures aid manner of action, one could not
although her fair sister had elements much
nearer to the requirements of beauty. Her
head was crowned with gorgeous, if may
be allowed the expression, crop of glisteniDg
short red curls. The restless, brown eyes
move from object to object, or person TO per
son, with a mischievous twinkle that Is
irresistible. The nose is very dear and
respectable little protuberancP, and that to-
getner with the laughing, rather wicked,
small mouth forms the chief admiration of
tha Nafura hos hlacca1 Klaipa with
a stature neither very short nor very tall: 1t
has fallen to her lot to be kind Of happy
medium.
But while we have been intruding upon
the privacy Of these damsels, ruthessly pick
ing them TO pieces, privilege that all good
gossips can assume with perfect freedom,
our auburn haired Kleine has devoured the
contents OF her missive, and proceeds to inn
part the fact to her sister Louise in the fol-
lowing edifying words:
II say, Loul What do you think Is up
now? That double walking-stick Lala
Goodwin Graves the extreme honor of coming
out here to make us call. thought he
was dead long ago. He ought to be, if he
isn't. The last time 1 saw him, he looked
like walking guillotine,. trying to cut his
own head of such high collar, dontcher
known I'll lead him such life, If he comes
here; he'll would be we're not born. i say
LOul
ats the bright day that brings forth the dude,
And that Graves wary walklng-crush hm
That. and then. grant we have The best OF him
Oh! dear Lou Turn not those reproachful eyes
on me
Thou canst but say did it!''
And without further warning. her clinging
arms are flung around the elder sister neck !;
that dear nose proceeds on foraging expe-
ditiOn among the ruchings OF Louise dress,
and mockiDgly repentant voice cries;
''You know, dear, / can'thelp 1t! It's con-
stitutional; | was born to become heavy
tragedienne, and to tear Shakespeare all to
pieces. But somehow Shakespeare, "as ne
Is spoke" don't suit me at all, always have
70 twist his lines round and round before
they strike me as being at all sensible.
People don't understand him, that's the
trouble; all his plays are written for low
comedians, only folks are so stupid that they
don't see the fun in every line. : For in
stlnet:" as Yawcop says, you remember that
eyentful day when first tried to cook, and
what heart rendiDg mess | made of it, and
how no one could name the decoction-
hen! I'm proud Of that last word,-until I
cried:
"'Ah, girls! its grayyl
The quality of gravy IS not strained.
II falleth like the rattliDg hail from heaven
Upon the throats that eat; It IS thrice cnrst;
II eurseth him that eats and him that tastes,
Besides the cook! 'Tis tougher than the tough
Don't you think now that's the true
snirit of the quality of mercy? OF course it
''oh, Kleinel fear you are wholly in
corrigible," sighed Louise, while a faint
smile could not resist betraying itself about
the corners OF her mouth. 81 can scarcely
decide In which you are the most unfortu-
nate; your puns or your parodes."
Don't try, sis, take them for inst vhat
they are worth-nothing. But tell me. shall
we allow Lala Goodwin the extreme honor
which he craves?"
''Are you in earnest, Kleine. Does Mr.
Goodwin desire to call upon us?"
"cer-tain-lee," with a decided and pro.
longed accent upon the last syllable. "I,ook
into my eyes and be convinced, or better still
look into his letter,-there, there are the very
words. the extreme honor! / tell you what
Lou, you don't bali appreciate me.
81 am the queeni
My humble sister gaze
And would 1t were not so.
He is a dudep'
ssIn tY,at case / shanld advisa ,yo,, - ,a,,l,,