The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1891-10-23

sembly there would be at least seven
different ideas OF what that plan had
been, and seven opinions OF any thing
that might be offered as q substitute.
The resulting debates would not be In
the line OF mental progress.
But IL was not because Of these con-
siderations that Russell continued to
call upon Miss Ray as frequently as the
circumstances would permit. He went
because he found IL more and more
agreeable TO do so. He was becoming
even deeper involved in money-making
schemes OF nature i'll calculated TO
make a man feel at peace with himself.
These fanciful projects appeared to
spring up without his volition and 70
control him. He was their creature.
They gave him a living, but for all he
could see they might cut him of with a
shilling any day. lie regarded himself
as an inflated fraud, and though this
was on the whole rather pleasant a,
arst, h. enjoyed the variety OF feeling
honest once in awhile.
And when such desire came TO him
he called upon Alice Ray, and talked Of
the subjects which interested her as
frankly as she herself, and derived o
pleasure which he did not understand,
but which came to him because he really
was honest in regard to her, and hadn't
a thought in his brain which couldn't
have been safely photographed for her
inspection or Browns. He liked her
simply as he liked sunshine and fresh
air. She was so palpably innocent Of
small deceits and vanities.
Russell rather liked Mrs. Ray, too.
She was inferior to her daughter in
every way. Even in her youth she had
not possessed half of Alice's beauty, yej
at forty-fve she was by no means the
embodied prophecy which sometimes
frightens suitors away. Mentally she
was almost blank, as Brown had said,
but with good instincts and breeding
she had never felt the want. A safe
mother for girl, after all: for it is i'm.
possible TO inherit evil tendencies from
a person of no tendencies whatever.
1t was easy for Russell 10 win her ap.
probation. He made no special effort
to do so, but he was innately respectful
and of q most courteous demeanor. Gil.
bert Ray had told his wife that Russell
was hustler who would be heard
FROM" and she had taken this to mean
an active young man who might be sup
posed to prefer theaters and wine sup
pers OF riotous and forbidden char.
acter, rather than peace and quietness.
She therefore felt complimented by
his evident delight IN the home-like
evenings he spent there, with no more
hilarious entertainment than q some
what vacuous conversation and little
music. IL he had been in love with
Alice that would have been another
matter, but the maternal eye detected
no sign.
The life OF the family was simplicity
itself. They spent almost all their
evenings at home, and enjoyed each
others company in the good old fashion
Alice sang and played well. and both
her parents were good listeners, though
Mrs. Ray had slight tendency to
somnolency. They stayed in the city
very late that season, to Russell's great
satisfaction. g..
He made other acquaintances through
the Society for General Culture. This
organization discovered at its second
meeting that the approaching summer
would dry up the springs of knowledge;
and 1t was voted and reconsidered and
voted again aud finally settled by gen
eral misunderstanding that the third
session should be the last till fall. The
girls all pledged themselves to read
during the summer lot of books (the
names OF which they couldn't afterwards
and thus gain store Of wis
dom to share when they reassembled.
Russell read the minutes OF the previ-
Gus meeting which he had made out
with offensive accuracy. The girls all
protested that they never said any thing
of tho sort or voted that way at all. The
report was then amended in such a thor
ough but unintelligible manner that tho
Recording Angel could never have rec
ognized IL as an account OF any thing
which had transpired on earth during
his term of supervision.
This second meeting was not at the
Rays but at house near by. All tho |
girls lived within stones throw Of one |
another. Through this association Rus.
sell received invitations TO one ur two |
minor social gatherings in the very last
lays OF town life. Near tho end Of June
Tho Rays went to their summer home on
he Hudson. 1t was not beyond easy access
rom New York, and Russell was ex-
oected to come up frequently during
he summer. This cordiality wouli
nave amazed him il the extraordinary
which had hitherto hcen shown
him by the Rays had not prepared him
or almost any thing. He accepted most
y Rays invitations, which penerallv