Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-10-26

'I mean it,"
His cousin ground an oath be
tween his teeth.
~ will thank you to attend t
your own affairs for the futureW h,
said.
And with that he stalked out o
the room.
That evening he went to see hi
little rustic sweetheart.
And he thought, as he looked a
her, she certainly was charming
enough to make a man willing t.
relinquish Miss Fannie Gilman and
her $500, 900.
He recalled Maurice Egan's pretty
sonnet avowing, "There were nc
flowers till the first child died." and
he paraphrased it to suit himself.
"There were no flowers till Vera
lived" he said, looking at the deli
cate, snowdrop face, the pansy-dusk
eyes, the rose-heart lips, the III. :
stamen gold of the hair, the sweet
pear pink of the cheeks.
And her youthfulness, her limo
cence, her absolute trust in every
one, were delicious--and pathetic.
He wished-he really wished,
from the bottom of his heart-he
need not go back to the city in Sep
tember and be inundated on-or at
the altar Of cOnventionality, pru
dence, and prosperity.
He had found these few weeks,
during which he had been almost
in Vera's society, so rest
ful and refreshing and delightful.
She hadn't been to Vassar, as had
Miss Gilman, and her fund of small
talk was extremely meager.
But all this was, by contrast, very
pleasant, he thought. Poor dear lit
tie girl! He hoped-he really hoped
she had not grown to care for him.
He took her out on the lake. He
all his life long just
how she looked that evening. The
soft milk-wbite gown; the little
sailor hat set back Oh the bright,
curly hair, which below her waist
fell in ringlets of raveled mist; the
round arms, bare from the elbow to
The delicate wrist; the gentle, lovely,
girllsh face.
"Do you know" watching her
closely as he said it, "I have the
most miserable fit of the blues? 1
I'M obliged to go away"
"To go awayW
Like a flash the radiance went
,ut of her countenance., leaving it
'ddlv panied and pale.
"Yes. Lookout for that boatW
She was steering. Around them
n the leaf-fringed silver oval many
ray little pressure crafts were speed
ng to and fro.
'I've been in paradise up here
His wedding day!
She uttered no word-only looked
It him with wide, startled eyes of
ne who hears and hardly compre-
lends.
"Yes," he went on uneasily, feel
ng that silence between them was
nendurable. "She is nice girl
ot very young but very nice-and
lever. l feel, of course Pm
lcky fellow"
"Yes3 she murmered, stiffiy.
She would have given twenty
ears of her life to have been able to
nswer airly and indifferently.
But she was just little country
lrl untutOred in the defensive de-
bit and fashionable fabrication.
The August dust was stealing up,
'eamy, sweet-scented and peaceful,
hen he parted from her at the gate |
her mothers cottage.
When she, as usual, gave him her
md moment, he leaned toward
'r. bent his handsome head.
"Vera," and the dark, liquid eyes
ere full of tervor, facination. N
ave tomorrow. Won't you let
g kiss you good.by.
Fiercely she wrested her hand
70.
II think" with a superb flash of
,rn, THAT you forget yourself Mr..
'yardW
She fled up the path between the
II and spicy geraniums.
The following morning Vivian
yard left the lakes. He went .
It to his club. {
Back so soon" cried his particu. !
chum, Charlie Kellogg .
Yes. You see-I suppose it is no {
ret now-Im booked for matri- j
NY the 4th of September"
'harlie made a grimace.
You are, you poor devil! Aud c
at miserable maiden have you r
'lved to make Mrs. Vivian?" II
lie LAUGHED nj the friendly rnillar,, y