Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-09-06
THE LAST HOUB
BY DAVID kER.

''Now, Miss Maynard, you're moinr TO
behold Il wonder. Ashley AIclincourt's
to join us tonight, and You'll meet Il
man who has Travelled all over the world
without learning TO drink or smoke. and
has never gambcd or madc love in his
life! You must hide your literary fame
under ii b;ishcl now, for he dcirsts re-
viewers
Time, three O'Clock on IL fine summer
afternoon; place, the veranda Of II Quaint
little hotel in one of the most pi.tur
csqucly old-fashioncd of Breton cons,-
towns; subject, the addition of Il new
member TO the pleasant little American
party already located there
"Wcll, I'm glad the catalogue OF Mir.
Melincourts PROJECTIONS has one flaw in
it, says the young lady, with Il curl of
her pretty lip which many OF her admir-
crs know TO their cost. cor course IFS =
dreadful sacri:ege for any lady to NEEDLE
with literature; but must be content to
risk his disp!casure, terrible us il may be.
After all, it will he less insulfcgablc than
the stories of how many tigers he shot i'm
India, and how many days he went with
out food i'll the desert, and the fever he
had i'll China, and the dinner the Amccr
gave him at Cabul. suppose some critic,
has told him the truth on tina. score and
hence his cnmity to them"
'No; there's just the Observation-Disclosures
always spoken well OF him hitherto: and
as for talking of his travels. that's exact
ly what one can never ret him to do.
However, when six o'clock comes. you'll
be able TO Judge for Yourself"
SIN O'Clock came, and with it the O.;
pectcd gucst-a short, square. bearded.
sunburned man, with the grave. self
contained look of one accustomed 10 face.
un;iidcd, every form OF difficulty and dan
ger. He spoke little and seemed 10 follow
the conversation with "a quiet. attentive
vigilance indcscribably provoking TO
Laura Maynard, because, us she after
wards said, ii WAS lust like II school
teacher watching for somebody to make =
mistake"
Dinner over, there was general move
ment to the vcranda, to watch the moor
rise over the sea; and the influence OF the
hour gave romantic and semi-mvsticnl
cast to the talk which ut length turned to
the transmigration of souls.
Its pity such thing cannot be. -
SAID Mciincourt. "Just think OF the nd-
mlrablc changes we should behold! Our
custom-housc officers should haunt every
hnrDor as sharks; our policemen prowl in
the darkness us wolves our bankers suck
their ncighbors' blood in the form of
lecches; ourpoliticians chatter and grim
ace III that OF monkeys; and our critics
transformed to frogs, croak, amid con-
genial slime, against everything higher
and better than themselves"
You don't favor The critics. see. Nj;
Melincourt," said Laura, flushing with
indignation.
mo; look at them as they arctic
hired braves of literature, ready to take
pay on either side, and to stab friend or
foe rs their master bids them; infaliblc
because never owning mistake; free
from bias, since they never read the books
winch they review; showing their learn
ing by misquotntion: their rc!incmcn: by
billin9S@atc; and their modcsty BIZ setting
themselves up us authorities uron sub
Jects Of which they know nothing"
The litter which followed this I'M
conscious home. hrust kindlcd Laura
Maynard warm blood into a flame,
"Mr. Mclincouri," cried she. wrath
fully, ''yon are giving us an excellent
Illustration OF the danger of setting ,;p
as an authority upon a subject of which
You know nothing think | may
claim 10 know more about critics than
you. for happen to be one myself"
Melincomrt answered only by u bow.
and nm ironical smile, more CALLING ihan
the hitterest sarcasm, as he arose from
his place and sauntcrcd away.
The three. following days were so COM
plctely taken up with excursions into the
surrounding country, that the quarrel had
no chance OF Proceeding amy farther;
but ON the fourth morning. the reaction
consequent upon these energetic am,.sc
mentS began TO show itself in IL ranging
OF chairs along the vcranda of the hotel,
and general production of Tauchnitz
novels. Miss Maynard-who, sensitive,
like all clever women, felt the mere
presence Of 81 person whom she d:siikcd
intolerably burtlcnsomc-ga the oo-by
to this imprompiu reading club, and sci
oil on solitary stroll along the sands
which the rctreating tide had left bare.
The choice was good one for, even
in that picturesque region, it would have
been hard to find more charming walk.
On one side lay the blue, sparkling sea
on the other, the long, dark outline of
the frowning cliffs, dapped every here
and there with tiny white cottages and
green, waving woods Between the two,
smooth ms marble terrace, extended The
vast level of hard, white sand. Far
away to the right Graded in deep hol-
low between two mighty rocks, peeped
forth the white walled houses, the red
tiled roofs and quantity carved church.
tower of the little town; and over all the
golden sunshine and the warm, dreamy,
southern sky.
Little by little, as she left the inhabited
region behind her, tho grand renosc of