Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-12-18

able chair by the book-table, but, un-
like them, did not begin to read.
The GOODNESS, the quiet, the half
home-like air of the place, the care
shown for the welfare and comfort OF
any wayfaring young man-all were
attractive.
81 wonder" perversely unused Mr..
Halleck. with the cheap cynicism of a
too much petted sex, as he glanced
about in a critical way with his keen,
handsome gray eyes-'I wonder when
women in general will think enough of
other less lucky women to fit up such
pleasant places for them instead of
menP"
For it is extremely natural for a man
to seiZe any occasion 10 blame women
in general" for anything or nothing.
when one woman in particu ar has left
a sore spot in his heart
The reader nearest Halleck, tall,
lanky young countryman, suddenly
pushed away his book with little,
half-audible groan of disgust.
I'm goin', Bob," he grufiy in
formed his neighbor. Il heard so
much about Browning's po'try last
month At our Literary that L made up
my mind that I'd come here and read
it first morning l was in town and had
time; but I'll be switched # / can make
head or tail of it. It's harder work
than breakin' new prairie. I give it
up"
And he rose with a worn-out aspect
and left the room.
Halleck smiled little at this glimpse
of Kansas culture. Browning's poetry
Certainly. whoever selected that for
such a library as this must have had
exalted ideas. Or perhaps il was one
of the ''book-social'' contribut. .ons,
given because its owner did not care to
keep it.
With an idle curiosity lie took up the
rejected volume and read the title
Men and Women.' 1t had heen
familiar enough to lin once, and the
sight of it now touched him with a
sharp pain, while still he went on glanc-
ing at page after page with an odd,
half-unwilling fascinat on.
the lines seemed to come to him in
the music of girls pretty, unusual
vibrante voice; there seemed to bend
with him over the book a dainty,
golden-brown head; an Impetuous,
dimpled, little hand seemed to point
out beauties here and there with a swift
face seemed to look up with a fash oi
triumph in the dark, hazel eyes al
having won some disputed point of in.
terpretat'on.
She had been so full of sweetest life,
his Lucie, so intense OF feeling, 81
bright of intelligence, and so deter
mined that he should share her pleasure
in her favorIte poet. and they should
] h.a in flaat in al ~ fhirnnz
The good stars met in your horoscope,
Made you Of spirit, fire and dew"
he found himself reading out of Eve
| lyn Hope" as he had once read to her
and then turned some pages III haste.
Now Miss Willard was not ''hi
Lucie," lie reminded himself, bitterly
| Their engagement was broken b
mutual consent, they had drifted apart
He did not even know where she live
now.
He had quite over-lived the whol
! episode; could never again feel pain, o
JOY, or anger because or it; and to prov
this 10 himself, he began TO read jus
where the book happened to open at 81
Lovers Quarrel.
1t was the height of foolishness to le
himself shrink from the sight OF
harmless poem like this. Surely
ought to be able to read it withoU
remembering how Lucie had locke
when they read it together that la:
day on the porch, wien the apple bloi
SONS were drifting down in scente
showers, and she wore dress OF pin
and white like them, and her face
He would read Browning:
dearest three months ago.
| When We loved each other so,
Lived and loved"
Only little more than three montl
ago they, too, had lived and loYed-au
quaTreled. 1t seemed about such
trifle looking back nowl
Not from the heart beneath.
| Twas a bubble born OF BREATH
There had been few angry word
parting in wrath, a weeks chill, II
dignant silence. and then. when /
came, Tepeutant, TO make his peace.
found she had abruptly ended Ler Wis
to her couS II.
And as she had b en- too proud
leave any word that might hint of hol
to him, so he, smaTtlng under the stin
had been too proud u ask her new n
dress - for he knew heT fami y We
aD ut to leave the New \ lOik tow
where they liyed-Or to try to seek h'
out, and thus all their happiness ha
!. ended for hasty word.
'See word. how IL SeVereth
oh, power Of life and death,
: In the tongue, as the prea cher saith"
There was dreadful appiicabi ity
the rippling rhymes.
, From them he turned for relief to
mechanically close insp ctiOn of Il
I page on which they were printed. Al
Which was maj ked here and there Wi
-, -. -
and underlines."
LucIe was an inveterate marker
/ her pet books, he remembered. Mu
= lie always remember her ways, h
: words. even her tricks of markil
= p ems?
These, now Why, these we
marked just as they had been in q
: copy he had read with herl 1t must
7 1T was-the same boOkI
= The name on the fly-leaf was hiddt
D by the printed library label. but tie
were her delicate, familiar little mar
7 at the well-known passages, the sta
y where she had shut in a cluster of vi
:, lets he had brought her one day, 1
absurd little profile of the poet GIgadi
{ that he had tes sed her with by sketc
S ing on the marginl
For one instant his heart leaped wi
= a sudden, tender JOY at the recogniti
: that seemed to put him IN touch wi
y his lost love once more; the next
grew angry with the girl who had car
e so little for this book that she COT
J. give it, with all its traces of her OF
c inner nature and its associations Of t
man who had loved her, 10 be handl
It and read and curiously examined
J, any one who chose.
y Had loved her, indeed! No, Low
!. her still, he owned TO himself, bitter
!, in the swift self-knowledge brought
Ia the words of the nIaster-poet and t
t thronging memories evoked by 1
b familiar volume.
Il He recollected how, woman-like, J.
n ] c;a had heen won,t tn treasure