Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-30
MY FIRST LOVE.

"What an old, worn out titler' | fancy
l hear somebody saying, as he or she turn.
the leaf and reads the heading of my idyl
Old, grant you, sir or madam, but worn
out-neyer Do you say, as you meet the
hundredth face in crowd, "What an old
worn out pattern p No; for though the
faces possess the same features, those feat
ures individually and their arrangement
are ever varied, even to the millionth face
So it Is with the story of " Ny First
Love- there are features in it which you
will doubtless recognize as having formed
part of your day dream, gentle reader, but
as you turn the last leaf of the narrative
| believe you will feel with me that none
save this old, pure, sweet phrase has anv
right to head these lines.
| am an Englishman, brought up in all
the traditions of an old Tory family by a
dear MOTHERHOOD rest her soul-of whom
her friends used to say: "Ah but she is
of the old school" Very stiff and cere-
monious, very punctilious and very polite,
but every action fraught with an old
world purity and courtesy that made
one think of the pictures of Sir Godfrey
and of the perfumes OF dried lavender.
Man, says Herbert Spencer, is formed by
his environment and my environment
was my mother, woman of the world,
mark you, aux bouts des ongles. You
must not imagine that / was brought up
to mans estate in ignorance of the foul
gases of the valley and marsh while
breathing the pure air of the mountain
top. The only effect visible of the tender
influences which guarded my life till | was
four-and-twenty was a certain reserve OF
manner and more than ordinary En-
glish " horror of anything approaching to
" bad FORM" | tell you all this to show
you once more how love laughs at preiu-
dices and calmly ignores preconceived
ideas.
My mother died with the tulips of 1886,
and some of the fellows at the club per-
suaded me to come to America, and,
furthermore, with view to a thorough
distraction Of my thoughts, prevailed upon
me to give a series of readings in the
States of my own and other verses. Ihave
coquetted little with the muse, and. as
would be the case with most young poets
-or rather rhymesters-the thought of
presenting my work viva voce to the peo-
pie of the United States caused a strange
thrill of delight. | communicated there
fore, with Major Pond, and in the early
autumn of 1S- sailed for the States,
and commenced tour which, l am happy
to say, was not unsuccessful.
The following June found me in Denver,
Colorado, and ! put up at the Grand Can
yon Hotel for week, during which time |
gave couple of readings and rested amid
the gorgeous scenery of the State. The
third day after my arrival | had come
down as usual to take my matutinal coffee
in the public dining-room, and was hardly
seated when a lady, whom candor compels
me to describe as ian old lady," came into
the room, accompanied by young girl.
They took their seats directly opposite to
me. A young girl, did l say? Nay, she
was hardly more than child-17 or is,
maybe-and her face traced itself upon
my soul in a manner which is inefface-
able. 1t was round face, with lust
that slight squareness of jaw which prom
ised to give it wonderful strength of per-
sonality as years went on. Her coloring
was perfect, family flushed with the dawn
of womanhood, with white temples and
throat, and high. pale forehead, the
whole framed in careless torrent of hair
like to liquid gold. A pair Of great wan
dering, but withal fearless eyes, finely
modelled nose, Just the least bit tip-tilted.
and a mouth like those of the cherubs
in RaphaePs Madonna" in the Sistine
chapel. She was little girl, and her
figure was just taking unto itself the
sweet sinuous curves OF womanhood, which
showed themselves as she moved to her
seat with all the untaughl, unconscious
grace Of perfect and healthy development
Our ewes met as she sat down. She looked
at me with full, frank gaze, in which
there was an underlined something Of hall
recognition-she had evidently known
some one who resembled me-and then
having satisfied herself of my non-identity
she turned her attention to the older lady
and their respective breakfasts. A mo
ment afterwards rose and left the room.
During the next two or three days we
met periodically, in the dining-room, in
the corridors, in the elevator, or on the
streets of Denver, and we always threw
one another in passing that glance which
though apparently absolutely expression
less, seems to say aft we knew one an
other we should be friends" Have vol
tiers, in bathrooms, concerning whom, a.
your eyes meet for fractional part of {
second, you have said this to yourself al
most unconsciously? / have; and ! al
ways regret these unknown friends O
mine, but / never felt it more strongly
than / did with regard to this golden
haired child whom | met way out in Den
yer, Col
The last morning of my stay in the city
arrived, and l was sitting alone in my
room up stairs, jotting down on a scrap Of
music paper the chords of an aecompani.
ment to little song that had written tc
friend in Baltimore. My task finished
| went down stairs to the parlor, wher.
there was piano, TO try their effect, anc
finding the room apparently empty,
seated myself on the music STOOL As
opened the piano / heard rustic. anc
turning round / saw my little unknown
friend sitting in a low arm chair in the
embrasure OF window, her great blue
eyes fixed upon me in fearless curiosity
rose instinctively and said:
"Shall be disturbing you, mademoi
selle, if play over few chords ?''
ooh, no. she said. Please go on
As | turned to the keyboard she added
VIII my presence disturb your Shall
go away ?"
BY no MEANS hastened to reply; cor
the contrary. Indeed, / shall take the
liberty, if you will allow me, of asking
your opinion on little melody that
want to run over"
She looked out of the window for a mo
ment, and then turning her eyes full upor
me once more, she remarked:
] came down here because / was SC
lonesome up stairs. Auntie has gone out
on business, and some friends | expected
to call and take me for drive haven't ar
rived"
Is it possible?" was my rejoinder, and
in ten minutes we were the greatest friend.
in the world. We sat in the drawing,
room of the Grand Canyon Hotel for nearly
and hour, chatting gayly of America aud
England and of our hobbies and of our.
selves At the end Of that time she rose
and said:
"Well, its a humiliating necessity, but