Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-03-27
NV FIRST LOVE.

Up twenty-five miles higher.
nv FIRST LOVE.
sWhat an old, worn out titlep | fancy |
hear somebody saying, as he or she turns
the leaf and reads the heading of my idyl.
Old, grant you, sir or madam, but worn
out-never! Do you say, as you meet the
hundredth face in crowd, sWhat an old,
WORKOUT pattern" No; for though the
faces possess the same features, those
features individually and their arrangement
are ever varied, even to the millionth face
So it is with the story of my 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 any
right to head these lines. :.
I am an Englishman, brought up in all
the traditions of an old Tory family by a
dear mother-God rest her soul-of whom
her friends used to say "Ahl but she is of
the old school," Very stiff and ceremoni
ous. very puuctilious 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 per-
fumes of dried lavender. Man, says Her
bert 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 noun
tain 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 q more than ordi-
nary "Euglish" horror of anything ap-
preaching to 'sbad FORM" ! tell you all
this to show you once more how love
laughs at prejudices and calmly ignores
preconceived ideas.
Ny mother died with the tulips of 1886,
and sons of the fellows at the club per-
suaded me to come to America, and further
more, with view to thorough distraction
of my thoughts. prevailed upon me to give
a series of readings in the States of my own
and others verses. have coquetted little
with the muse and, as would be the case
with most young poeFs-or rather rhyme
sters-the thought of presenting my work
viva voce to the people of the United States
caused strange thrill of delight. I com
municated, therefore, with Maj. Pond, and
in the early autumn of Isl sailed for
the States, and commenced tour which,
am happy TO say, was not unsuccessful.
The following June found me in Denver,
Colo, and l put up at the Grand Canon
hotel for week, during which time gave
couple CT readings and rested amid the
gorgeous scenery of the State. The third
day after my arrival 1 had come down as
usual to take my matutinal coffee in the
public dining room, and was hardly seated
when lady, whom candor compels me to
describe as ian old lady," came into the
room, accompanied by young girl. They
took then seats exactly opposite to me. a
young girl, did say? Nay. she was hardly
more than child-17 or IS, may be-and
her face traced itself upon my soul Il, q
manner which is ineffaeeable It was a
round face. with just that slight square
ness of jaw which promised to give to it a
wonderful strength of personality as years
went on. Her coloriDg was perfect, family
flushed with the dawn OF womanhood, with
s7hite temples and throat. and a high, pale
forehead, the whole framed in a careless
torrent of hair like to liquid gold. A pair
of great wandering, but withal fearless,
blue eyes, finely modelled nose, just the
least bit tip-tilted, and mouth like those
of the cherubs in Raphael's "Madonna" in
the Sistine chapel. She was little girl,
and her figure was just taking unto itself
the sweet sinuous curves of womanboOd,
which showed themselves as she moved to
her seat with all the untaught, unconscious
grace of perfect and healthy development
Our eyes met as she sat down. She looked
at me with full, frank gaze in which
there was Ed underlined something of half
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. 4 moment
afterwards I 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 en- the streets
of Denver, and we always threw one
another in passing that glance Which,
though apparently absolutely expression
less, seems to say: "If we knew one
another we should be friends" Have you
never seen people in the streets, in thea
tres, in bathrooms, concerning whom, as
your eyes meet for a fractional part of
second, you have ssis this to yourself al
most unconsciouslyq / have, and I always
regret these unknown friends of mine, bnt
! never felt it more strongly than I did
with regard to this golden haired child
whom l met way out in Denver, Colo.
The last morning of my stay in the city
arrived, and ] was sitting alone in my rom
up stairs, jotting down on scrap Of music
paper the chords of an accom- paniment to n
little song that had written for friend
in Baltimore. My task finished, | went
down stairs to the parlor, where there was
piano, to try their effect, and, finding the
room apparently empty, seated myself on
the music STOOL AS opened the piano
heard a rustic, and turning round l say
my little unknown friend sitting in low
arm chair in the emhrasure of window,
her great blue eyes fixed upon me in fear
less curiosity. l rose instinctively and
said:
''Shall 1 be disturbing you, mademoi-
sele, if play over few chords?''
''Ob, no." she said. "Please go on"
As turned to the key board she added:
''Will my presence disturb you? Shall 1
go away7"
SPY no MEANS" I fastened to reply;
con the contrary. Indeed, l shall take
the liberty, if you will allow me, of asking
your opinion on O little melody that | want
TO run over
She looked cut of the window for mo-
ment, and then turning her eyes full upon
me once more, she remarked:
81 came down here because I was SO
lonesome up stairs. Auntie has gone ont
on business, and some friends I expected
to call and take me for drive haven't ar
rived"
sis it possiblep' was my rejoinder, ard
in ten minutes we were the greatest friends
IN the world. We sat 10 the drawing-room
of the Grand Canon hotel for nearly an
hour, chatting gayly of America and Eng
land and of our hobbies and Of ourselves.
At the end of that time she rose and said:
swell, it's a humiliating necessity, bat
| must eat to keep alive, and if you will
excuse me, l II go down to luncheon"
I rose also and answered: "You are
quite right-if there were no prosy eide 20