Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1889-04-27
The Girl | Left Behind Ne.

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When hired lodgings at Mme Hampton's.
| had no idea that she owned so precious o
thing as a daughter. Not that it would have
made any difference if had known it. l
had become Indifferent to women; they inter-
ested me only as trivial study. You will
say that woman as a study is too dangerous,
but it had never proved SO with me. In the
meantime | neither sought nor avoided them;
those whom fate threw in my way placed
under my mental microscope, not caring
much for what it revealed Ny indifference,
however, did not arise from any lost illu-
sions. had never been in love, and it never
occurred to me that tho thing was posi-
BILE had been on friendly terms with blopde
and brunette, with the prade and the coquette,
the clever and the designing; but bad forgot
ten their existence half an hour later. Mime.
Hampton herself never left her room she was
doubtless dying, but she had been SO long
about it, and made SO little circumstance
about it, that nobody gave it thought, it
would seem. She saw her dodgers, and ar
ranged terms, and sent in the bills; and yet
the house and all its appointments seemed to
share the order of the planetary system. The
motive power was madame's daughter in
voluntarily pictured her, since we always
picture those who appeal individually to us in
any way, as coarse featured woman, with
''silver threads among the gold" a face more
or less wrinkled, sharp voice, big rough
hands, and a genius for snubb;ng the servants
and haggling with butcher and baker
On entering madame's room one day in
order to settle my account, according to the
custom of the house, behold q slender being
before the open fire, with one tiny hand on
the mantel, lavender morning gown turned
the knot of yellow hair at the back OF her
head, from which some curls escaped, into
pure gold There was an air of luxury and
leisure about her which was simply delicious
in view of the facts.
"My daughter" said madame presently.
''Estelle, this is Mr.. Van Huysam; you have
heard me speak of him."
Estelle turned beautiful, naughty face in
my direction, bowed slightly, smiled vaguely.
Indeed, might say have heard you speak
of no one else Plainly the old lady had
been singing my praises, and the young one
did not fancy the tue
do not know what chord thrilled in my
heart at those words, in that soft minor voice,
how got myself out Of the room. man
who has received fatal bullet in the breast
does not recognize the sensation, for tho rea-
son that he has never experienced it before;
he-does not know its import. We met often
after this, always by accident, it would seem,
ON the staircase, in the hall, and finally one
night made so bold as to knock at the door
of her music ROOM She welcomed me with
her naughty cordiality, if haughtiness can be
cordial. There were three or four young
men already in possession, but she placed her
seat near my own, and while she anon threw
out javelins OF wit for the general benefit,
received the lions share of attention. This
was flatterng to my amour propro. But
still, whenever I repeated my call, l had
always to wrestle with o handful OF
younger men for the supremacy. l must
confess that before I reached this point
l had been obliged to wrestle with
myself to overcome a prejudice. A Van
Huysam in love with his landiady's daugh-
ter was an anomaly. What would my family
and friends say to such an affairl With
what eyes would they regard iti What
would Miss Douglass think, for whom ! had
been destined, but who had been hobblede-
hoy girl Of i3 when l had last seen herf or
course she could care nothing for me; il
would be a wound to her vanity at the most,
had never intended to marry her; l had
never consented, in fact; that bony, shy
school girl, with the big eyes and lank
figure, had never appealed to me; l had
never been able to forgive her for stammer.
ing and blushing. Besides, there had been
some rumor that the Golfers of the family
had suffered during their sojourn abroad,
and had lost sight of them through their
own negligence. But landlady's daughterl
The idea would wither all my acquaintance.
However, love not only laughs at locksmiths,
but at ones relations When / summed myself
in Estelle's presence cared no more for tho
worlds opinion, or for that of any Van Huy-
sam but myself, than for the inhabitants OF
Flatland; but once away from that subtle
magnetism, then my poles changed saw
thousand reasons for giving her up-if ono
can be said to give up what one does not pos
scss. Such a thing as Van Huysam mar
rying out of his sphere had never been known
in the family annals. But how did l know
that Estelle would marry met To he sure, II
| had been quite certain of that perhaps !
should have hesitated to proceed further.
The far off, unattainable and dim is dear to
the soul of man--at least till it is his to take
or leave One day, when we were reading
now poem together, a card was brought in.
"Tell Mr.. Chester that am engaged and
cannot see him tonight" overheard her say
to the servant "Mr Chester does not ap-
preciate our author" she apologized to me,
land am not self sacrificing enough to ac-
cept him in exchange for Browning" 1t oc-
Cured to me at that time that there were