The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-27

not hear him enter, and as he stopped to look
at her she seemed to be in a revery that was
not cheerful. He had never seen her looking
$3.50 plain, he would have said, had she
been any one else There was no color in her
face, and her cheeks seemed thin and drawn.
An involuntary motion startled her, and she
turned, exclaiming:
"How you frightened mel"
81 wish you might punish me in some way
for it, :" said Phil, approaching her.
sit was so late that l did not imagine any
one would cal, !" the girl exclaimed.
81 was quite busy in the earlier part Of the
evening"" said Phil, "and needed osee your
father"
Business is horrid," said Lucia. 81 should
think men would attend to it by daylight.
Well, believe papa went to the club"
Eyes; found him."
"And, as usual, he sent you home for some
horrid papers of some kindf'
mo, not exactly" said Phil How I'M
comfortable it is to have dream dispelled-
even day dreaml All along the way to the
house he had imagined just how she would
look; he could see the flush of her cheek
through the half mile of darkness that he had
traversed, his path had seemed illumined by
the light of her eyes, yet now she was pallid,
and her eyes had none of their customary
luster, and her mental condition-it did not
seem at all appropriate to the conversation
which he had hundred times imagined and
upon which he had set his heart that night.
Well, he would be patient: Faint heart never
won fair lady"
Aren't you little severe on your father
for his devotion to business2" he ventured to
ask "Out in the country we have an old
saying, Make hay while the sun shines. The
sun never shone brighter than now in the
iron business"
YES, know, replied Lucia YEARLY. "It's
always something for business sake Yes,
we have that same dreadful saying in New
York"
But it's all for the sake of women that
men are so absorbed in business" argued Phil
What would your father care for business,
if it weren't for his wife and charming
daughters and younger childreni He never
sees iron, imagine, while lie is talking about
it, nor even thinks Of the money for its own
1ake. Greenbacks and gold and notes and
bonds all transform themselves in his eyes, |
suppose, into dresses and cloaks and bonnets
and opera boxes and trips to Europe and
"You silly fHllow" said Lucia, with the
first smile upon which she had ventured that
evening; ~ wouder where you get such no.
tons. If you don't give them up you will
some day find yourself writing poetry-some-
thing about the trans1nutation of railroad
iron into gold. Think how ridiculous that
would seem!"
But when iron attempts to gid refined
goid-to paint the lily" said Phil. las it
does in your fathers case, why, 'twould be
worth dropping into poetry to tell of at least
one instance where Shakespeare's conclusion
was wrong. You know the rest of the quo
tationYn
Yes, evidently Lucia knew it, for her cheek
glowed prettily under the compliment,
which, while somewhat awkward, reached
its mark by the help of Pills eyes As for
Phil, his heart began to beitself again; whose
heart wouldn't, he asked himself, under the
consciousness of having given one second OF
pleasure to that dear girl9
"You seem to be in sermonizing mood
tonight" said Lucia. ~ know my father is
the best man alive, and l supposed you liked
him-a little; but | can't imagine what
should have impressed you so strongly with
him tonight"
Phil studied the toes of his boots, the tints
Of the patternless rug, the design of the
frescoed ceiling. Lucia watched him with
an amused face and finally said, Even you
don't seem to know"
Il know" said Phil, slowly, ''nnd I'm try
ing to think how to express it properly"
Poor fellow! how he did despise himself,
that VIVA. he had hurried there to say would
not come to his lips properly! Such story
boI ,yy-ba ba had road
in books of how other men told it-so easy,
indeed, that he had come to have very little
patience Nith that portion of novels. Of
course he could not tell it while Lucia was
laughing at him, too. Perhaps
he could lead conversation back to the de-
sired tone; but no, for just at that instant
Margie flew into the room, exclaiming, be-
fore she fairly entered:
"Oh, Lu, isn't it awful just went across
the room for something, and my dress caught
the table cover, and over went an ink stand
on my very, veriest white Why, Phil, !
didn't know you were here"
II wish knew what would take ink stains
from very, veriest white"-
ooh, so do l. What shall l do, Luf Do
tell me at once"
perhaps" suggested Phil, with CLEAN of
hope for Margie and several for himself, your
laundress can tell"
The very thing" said Margie what a
blessing you arel | wish you were always
here" Then she few out of the room, but
not until she had flung meaning look at her
sister and another at Phil. Both blushed, and
Phil felt uncomfortable, but rs he stole look
at Lucia he mentally blessed Margie, for Lucia
was no longer laughing, and she was looking
unusually pretty; her eyes, slightly down
cast, seemed more heavenly blue than ever.
"The reason have your fathers goodness
on my mind tonight" said Phil, breaking
the silence TO abate the awkwardness of the
situation, lis because tonight he has made
me his partner in bllsiness-his own equal"
''Oh, Phil" exclaimed Lucia, her whole face
suddenly aglow and her eyes looking full into
his I'm so glad-so glad for you-for him,
mean; for both of you. What meant to
say was Oh, how did it happenr
"Oh, | CHANGED to get an order which he
was kind enough to think the greatest stroke
Of business that any firm has made this sea-
son. So he asked me my price, and while l
was wondering what to say he made me the
offer"
Just like his dear. noble heart" said
Lucia.
YES" said Phil, rising, and pacing to and
fro in front of the piano, and fixing his eyes
on the floor; land all the nobler it seemed or
account of the sordid, grasping way in which
took it. | wasn't satisfied with that, but
wanted more. hope he'll never have cause
to think unkindly of me for it,"
"Morep said Lucia, wonderingly, and
somewhat soberlv t'What moro could Won
want than to be prominent merchant"
"As we say in the country, guess" said
Phil, approaching the piano stool and open