Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-06-04

taken pride in his pluck, who could ride
the widest horse as good as any man in
the country, who at college had been
considered champion at football, afraid
TO ask little girl simple question:
Poor Jacki This same ridiculous mod
esty did him one good service-it put of
the bitter hour Of disappointment
Miss Beckford treated him one day
like the other, with never changing
friendliness. She liked him as a friend
OF hers and, perhaps still more so, as
friend Of Ralph Never for a moment
did she have the faintest suspicion that
Jack returned her feelings with i'm
measurably more than equal fervor.
For this young mans mOdesty prevent
ed him from ever showing the slightest
trace Of warmth, which might have put
her on the right tack. Jack was not
by any means the typical ardent lover
for whom the conventional maiden that,
ivy-like, pines for an elm tree to cling to
is supposed TO sigh
But now, when the day of departure
from this mountain valley was but few
more days distant, Jack felt that he
would have to come to q conclusion.
When they had gone back to the city. he
would have far less opportunities to
take the awful step than now. For he
would hardly expect to see her every
day, except, perhaps, at balls and recep-
tiOns-the very worst places for a CONVEX
satiOn that is destined for the ear
of just one person, whatever the novel
lists of the routine sort may say. Here
at Fair Glen he was with her almost
from morning till night, and yet he had
not availed himself of a hundred oppOr-
tunities that had been thrown in his way.
Something must be done at once.
That he saw quite clearly. But he felt
at the idea like the boy with the swim
ming masters line around, standing
hesitatingly on the board from which he
is TO take the uncomfortable plunge
into the water.
Finally he concluded that he would
invite Miss BeckfOrd for a walk TO a
favoriJe place Of hers, about two miles
up the river, where the rocks formed a
picturesque grottO in the midst of
the most beautiful primeval forest.
There he would tell her all. At
ter he had thought over the plan a
little, he found it charming, quite
romantic declaration of love in a sylvan
bower, far away from the profane crowd!
| Why, I'm a poet, he said to himself, and
smiled merrily at the idea He paid ex-
ira attention to his toilet that morning,
and stood before the loOking-glass longer
than was his wont. He could observe
/ with satisfaction that he looked very
| presentable in his flannel shirt, blue scarf
! with the ends huttering in the breeze,
| knee pants he did not ride a bicycle,
but had taste enough to fancy short
| trousers, and need not feel ashamed OF
the shape of his limbs-and the broad
| brimmed straw hat with ribbon that he
| had begged from her. With a tuck at
! his mOustache he mentally declared him.
self ready for the fray. But his heart
would not stop beating quite Imperti-
nently as he walked the short distance
| from the hotel to the cottage in which
| the Warringham ladies lived.
Hattie showed at first some hesita-
| tiOn, for her aunt felt very poorly that
/ morning. But when Mrs Warringham
/ herself insisted upon her going she ac-
/ cepted Jacks invitation very readily.
1t should be remarked here that Mrs.
| Warringham and Mr.. SpOfford were on
very friendly terms now. When Jack
saw her the first time after the ominous
message he had brought her he was con.
siderably embarrassed, but as she never
alluded TO that occurrence by word OF
mien, he was soon at his ease in her
| presence
In a few moments Hattie had donned
her bonnet and light summer wrap, and
soon the two young people were seen
| lelsurely walking On the shady path
that followed the W1ndings of the brook
up TO the grotto.
1t was one Of those days in September
whose warmth, after an interval of cool
/ er weather, once more recalls the heat
/ of July. When Hattie and Jack had
walked this path for the first time,
| in June, they had picked yellow
| violets and blue Yeronicas on the wa
! ter's edge, while in the deeper shadows
| of the wood they found magnificent or
| chids and on occasional open sunny plots
/ wide-awakes and anemOnes. Now the
seed capsules were ripening where al
/ those blossoms had shown forth from
| their curtains Of foliage The only flow
ers to be seen anywhere now were asters
of dim violet color, or here and there q
/ few sunflOWers that seemed to be max
| ing preparations for speedy death.
But the brook rippled over its bed OF
sand and gravel as Justify as weeks ago
or once in a while made an impatient
! leap when stubborn piece Of rock tried
| to obstruct its progress. Just as weeks
| ago, every minute particle OF sand
| or many-co:ored pebble could be
| seen on the bottom Of the crystal flood.
| The cooling shade was as grateful as
| ever, and the sunlight painted the same
shining oYals and circles on the sOmbel
/ green carpet of moss. Even a stray bird
would send forth few sweet notes from
| its little throat now and then, although
the full sylvan orchestra had long since
ceased to play its springtime symphonies
| for the little artists now must direct al
their energies TO the bringing up oil
large families.
| Conversation was not very brisk be
tween the two young people, as they
| pursued this pleasant path. Persons al
| all susceptible to the subtle influences oil
nature will always be aYerse to destroy
ing its impression on them by misplaced
conversation. A quiet woodland ramblC
is always apt to evoke lyrical emotions
! just as the spectacle of a storm ON tho
water or the open prairie rouses men tC
epic energy.
| If lyrical mood is awakened by tho
charms Of the woods in everyday PEG
/ pie, even in the experienced, cynica
man Of the world, how much more mus
this be true of two interrupted young
| people each Of whom is in love.
Hattie's thoughts were where they
1 always strayed in moments of sentiment
| following Relph over the sea. She
had received letter from him the day
1 before. in which he announced that he
/ was at the moment in Eisenach, Ger
many, the place where Martin Luther
/ spent his boyhood- She had been struck
/ by the fact that Ralph did not speak OF
| his wife in as rapturous tones as in the
/ few that had preceded this one. But
she had not given this observation any
! further thought
/ Jack Spofford threw from time tC
/ time admiring glances at his fair com
/ paniOn, when he was sure that she would
not see him. Several times he was on
I the point of uttering the fateful word,
] but then he hesitated again and post
| pOned it till they should have reached
/ the grottO.
~.