The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-07-03

PAGES, took long look at myself, deciding
that ms mustache fairly cancelled the part
ing, and that l felt happier with my figure
in the middle distance than l had in the
foreground. / have heard people call me
modest; others / know said I was dull: one
or two-chiefy those whose books L had
reviewed-said / was stupid, meaning by
that honest. Well, well, l said to myself,
taking last looK in the glass, things might
have been worse for a man who Is over
for-l mean between 30 and 40.
/ made up my fire and lit my pipe again.
Kate liked tobacco, / thought to myself
with smile, or the thing would never do.
Then l began TO dream again. Yes,
would propose to Kate. "ProposeIn The
very word called up q host of memories.
had proposed before this, | began to re-
collect. and had been rejected. Well, that
too might have been worse. | might have
been accepted, and then l should never
have seen Kate l shut my eyes and
Travelled ia memory through strange scenes
OF tho past. l was at Lady Haberly's,
standing in tie large conservatory that
leads out Of the drawing roonl-it must
have been at least fifteen years ago-with
tall, bright girl Of two-and-twenty. l
could see her brown, honest eyes and
truthful face framed in rudy curls float
ing before me. Had she led me on, dangling
about my quiet paths or had / rushed out
of my native element aud jumped at her
open mouthed like silly trout at a we'll
made Wess-end fyl Never mind now 1
shall never forget ner naughty indignation,
her superb establishment, and yet she was
only an earl s granddaughter. | don't
think ever had pedigree, aud l know |
cut very poor figure on that occasion in
consequence. She married a wealthy
American soon afterwards. ] wonder what
sort of pedigree he had AS for me,
kept q lock of her hair, and wrapped 1t up
in q newspaper cutting two years after her
marriage when she was the heroine of
some sad legal proceedings that many will
remember. But it was cruel. ugly way
Of keeping the foolish relic, and l
burnt ii long ago, ] am glad TO say. l saw
her ct Brighton quite recently. Her eyes
were still brown and beautiful, still honest,
perhaps, to those who did not know her
story. Why should l recall it? / escaped.
Then there was a tiny, plump, sprightly
girl | used TO meet at Aunt Harcourts.
She was the miller's daughter. IL sounds
romantic enough, il was q steam mill,
and is long ago turned into q limited lie
bility company. / cannot remember her
name, nor the color Of her eyes, but she
sang mo kathleen, Mavourneen,'' and l
leaned on the piano looking into those eyes,
though / have no notion to-day what their
color was And we danced together and
oNlk uNCtc. " AaS foAAOo Nbd4N Ill Wv
into my plaidie to the angry ART, I'd
shelter thee,' used to think she felt IT. SO
did Aunt Harcourt who was very eager
for me 10 ''settle down. as she called it.
and was always harping on the miller's
daughter, and saying, 'sAh, James, what
nice little wife she would make, to be
surei'' So one evening when aunt had left
us alone. dear. foolish old aunt and we had
looked into the IRE a long time in awkward
silence-I was very young them sug-
gested the ''Cauld Blast" for we had only
one duet ana indeed very little else in com
mon that 1 can remember. But our hands
met in The search for the music, as hands
viii meet in this world, and then-N Ia,
well: recollect il all In accurate d. all.
except the color Of her eyes. And she WAS
q very good, kind little girl, and so sorry 10
grieve me nE saying no, but she loved
another. And the other was the curate.
and after two or three years waiting they
got married, and they have ten or eleven
children now. fancy. ! was heartbroken
at the time, know, but perhaps it was as
well as II was.