Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-13
IN.

The student had a soul, and was indeed
conventionally aware OF it, but it was as yet
almost wholly uBdeveloped. He was in no
i'll sense an animal, of noble instincts, not
without religion. He had not until now ex-
perienced any great emotion that was needed
to foster and swell by its warmth the seed
ling of the God-descended plant that was in
him. But from the day that he carried little
Ebret down to the river there was within
him new stir of growth. A depth had been
pierced that reflected things of a height
heretofore not dreamed a mute string had
been touched, that now trembled to
sounds of celestial sweetness. He dimlv
knew of the change and now indeed for the
first time began to think; yet, being BY
nature slow, wholly uHaccustomed to self
dissection, it was not for long, and then only
bv a kind of chance, that he discerned its
origin. But none the less it had influence
upon all his actions, and lent to his devotion
to his mother, which was ever a touching
peculiaritv, grace and fneness of feeling
that it had lacked, and that at times sur
prised even her.
And in the meantime he was courtlng
Penny Morrison.
Penelope was a good girl, as Mrs. Beggs
had said; that is to say, so far as anyone
and herself also could at present tell For
she also was yet untried by any love or grief
and many things that were in her remained
hid. At home she tended little Ehret and
in her household duties appeared nowise
uncontented. Penelope was a demure girl;
but in one corner of her cheek, Just where
the pink began, there was dimple, and one
should never trust to the occurrences of a
girl with dimpie.
Penelope was not very clever, but too
much brains are no good in a woman-they
are apt to work out in unexpected ways, so
that you do not know where YOU are with
them. That was what Joshua thought But
there was nothing of this kind with Penny,
who was one of your old-fashioned girls,
the same one day as another; and most
things that occurred she took for granted.
The visits of the student soon fell into this
category, and he himself also, and all
things continued smoothly without necessity
for explanation. Such silent acquiescence
is to be commended in courtshlp.
And Of another, who also witnessed this
sober love-making, l must speak; yet, per-
chance, with certain reserve. For 1 my
sell knew this lady and loved her, as L
might say, too well, did not hold that our
tribuIations are ever brought about by too
little loving rather than too much. How
ever that may be, she was indeed most fair
to look upon, Dut since II is rare, even with
the great masters of writing, to find one that
can put before you face other than as a
catalogue of features-item, two lips in
different red; item, two gray eyes with lids
TO them. 1 shall here attempt no description
of this one. Yet if every man invest her
fi..ure with that nameless charm that hangs
about his mistress, l shall Herewith be con-
tent.
And 1 count it no small virtue in our
Door Joshua that he was by so much ex-
cellence inspired with a very lofty passion,
of a nature so pure that it no way came be-
tween his simple liking and honest in
teution to Penelope. For this lady was to
him nothing human or attainable, but the
embodiment OF all goodness and beauty, a
manifestation of somewhat that he felt but
at best could but dimly understand. 1
would not say that she was perfect (though
haply there is one who to this day holds her
sol. but rather that her imperfections were
of a sort that added grace to her virtues. In
her attitude to the student, with whom she
soon came to be on a friendly footing, there
was something of a fine raillerv, she regard
ing him, ii at all, as a lusus nature; per-
baps. indeed, believing his uncouthness to
arise from that deficiency that goes to
make what the country folk call an
innocent" Yet think she had a sort of
compassion for him, too. At every meeting
land since little Ehret was now very ailing,
and loved to see the "district lady," these
often came about) she had for him some
little merry quIp or jest, as "How DO the