Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-06-20

talk. At that time, I did not know
much in regard to his antecedents, he hnd
the air of person well brought up
and he told mo his father had been s
Georgia planter before the war Evi
IDENTIFY he was not rich fellow, though
he nevor seemed to want for means. he
had an atelier, like many Of us, and lived
| round at the restaurants. He had nc
| friends in Paris outside of the class, and
was tho only one there whom he visited
intimately. However, the fellows all
felt honored by an invitation to Esby's
| atelier, and many crust of bread we've
broken there. There was piano which
Smith used to play, and we had some
good voices, too. Esby himself never
touch the piano before any one. OF
course he only had one hand to play
with, yet I've heard him making music,
pretty, strange and beautiful, as I've
sometimes come up the stairs, which
would stop as soon as he heard my step.
he was particularly sensitive about his
music. A song he never sang through
with the fellows, though in particularly
fine passages he would often join in, and
his voice had rich quality. But if ever
he sang more than few notes there
would be the consciousness of something
out OF harmony in the singing-some-
thing which you did not quite like to
hear, though not off the tune or any,
thing of that kind. He would immedi-
atcly stop himself then, with a slight,
impatient movement, and probably not
N in a
There was one subject that we never
broachcd Mt Esby's. That was 'thc
ladies' 1t always fell flat, and we
learned by-andbye that either Esby was
totally indifferent to the fair sex-his
manner implied tor else he had had
wound from Cupid which was not
hcaled. The fellows speculatcd some
about it.
"Imaginc, then, my surprise when I
came in on him one evening and found
him sitting over his fire with letter in
his hand, which he held in listless.
melancholy way. AS he didn't nut il
away or make any effort to conceal his
attitude of mind, the characteristic
thing for him to do, of course, I looked
at him inquitingly. said: What's up.
EsbyF He just handed over the letter
with I'm rascal, Harry and then got
up and began pacing the floor. The let.
ter was dclicatescented thing, in a wo-
mans hand writing. 1t ran thus:
"'MY DEAR RALPH: You will be surprised
20 receive this letter so soon after INV Iast
which mailed but two DAYS ago Bnt tho,
last wns like all the letters which [ have
Deen writing tn you this winter, not time
frank letter, but n kind of make-believe
Ana to-day hive determined to tell YOU nil
l nave been thinking. that for once more
I1n,hgs may Dc open and real between us.
for your letters, dear Ralph, have been
nlake-bclieves too. Indeed, is it not so thai
our happy frankness had disappeared even
before you said farewell! 1 felt it, although
would not believe il thon. | cannot ey-
piain-l cannot understand it. Not in re-
caro- 10 you Kalph. With another person
II might be different Oh! Ralph, nv dear
Ralph, you still love mey
"Thc letter was blistered with tears
here, and there was no signature.
lyon may imagine felt melancholy
enough when l read that letter.
"Esby came over and took it ont of
my hand, saying: Il shall write to her TO
come over, and f'll give it fair trial.
Perhaps it will return to me. thought
it might by absence. But I'm afraid it's
like the painting and everything else,
can't put anything moro into it. 1t must
be left unfinished. I'm afraid it's con.
stitutional.' And Esby-reserved Esby
.hctually buried his face in his hand
and wept.
81 felt sure that i was the first time
he hnd candidly declared that last even
to himself. 1 left him weeping there.
although full of sympathy for him; in
fact, ! was crying myself. But knew,
with his temperament, the reaction would
soon come from such an extra amount of
and that it was by all means
the most delicate thing to leave him
alone.
"The month following this, Esby
worked in particularly spasmodic way.
and he was in more than usually re-
ticent frame o. mind. We had no con-
fidential talks, he did not come to nv
room without one of the other fellows
and | avoided surprising him alone in
his.
"But one evening he came in with the
expression of detected determination,
which had been growing on his face for
six weeks, good deal deepened.
bright, he said, I'D like YOU to
meet some friends of mine-NIiss Hart
ley and her father-just come over
81 understood perfectly who Miss
Hartley was, and l was somewhat aeita-
ted by the invitation. After all, it WINS
only formal call that we made, but 7
came away feeling that if Ralph could
cease to love Madge Hartley, there must
be something normally wrong about him.
All his other peculiarities became as moth
ing in comparison with this strange in
capacity, and my sympathy and pity for
him were dazed. felt almost ready to
call him rascal, as he had called him
self. That was when 1 thought of her
eyes when she looked Mt him.
But when 1 said goodnight after our
silent walk home through the streets of
Paris, the moonlight showed me such a
face, that cried within me, God help
him.
"For whole week, aalT:, and l saw
Mr.. Hartley and his daughter daily. We
show them Paris-Ralph devotedly at.
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