Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1892-10-07
even, had grown to see her a. we'll as ii


ssshe is eating-now she has finished
she is putting things away-she has sat
down-she is going to sew" And it
seems to Jnmcs that he, too, sat there
opposite her, contemplating her in
silence. Sometimes, always astride of
his chair, his observatory rs he said, he
closed his eyes aud took to dreaming.
What is she thinking about2 Does
she suspect that am here close to herr
| If she knew how loved herl And he
| was tempted to call her attention to HIM
self by an act Of any kind of folly, but
the fear of displeasing her always re-
strained him, and he preferred that she
should not know he loved her, rather
than to know himself that she would
never love him.
He constructed romances, too. "It is
impossible" he thought, "that she
should never be thinking about me.
She knows that 1 exist, that 1 live be-
side her. When she comes in my door
is always half open; she can sec that
there is light in my room. She is
curious like all women. She must ask
herself what | am doing, why never go
out. Perhaps she has noticed me in
spite of my awkwardness-on account of
my awkwardness-who knows2 Pos
sibly she has OWNED that l love her.
She waits for me to declare myself, aud
seeing that dare not begin, it is she
who will take the first steps. One day
| (cvcrything Is possible with women) she
will quit her work, cross the landing,
and merely opening the door OF my
room, she will enter rs if ut home and
say to me: Since you do not come.
1t is | who come Yes, but it may be
long time before she comes. What
way is there to hurry herr"
And James, always astridc of his
chair, sought the best means of bringing
Charlotte to declare herself. Slip note
under her door2 All how long he had
dreamed of doing that; but would she
read itl And surprising that she began
to read, at the first burning phrase she
would tear up the paper. Get her TO
speak through third party2 But
whoma They had no mutual friend.
No; decidedly all those ways were bad
or impracticablc, and the only course
for james was to wait. But how long
must he waltz
Matters went slowly at personal---very.
slowly. Charlotte, in her room on the
left, made her needle fly. She had de-
cided that she must finish that very
night the work begun, no matter how
late she had to sit up-and to keep
awake better, while she worked, she
sang. James, OIL the right, sat up too,
of course, always in the same posture,
listening and mechanically making his
body follow the movement of the rhythm
indicated 10y the singer.
While it was n slow air all went we'll.
But when the strains grew more lively
the game became truly dangerous, and
the poor shaky chair found itself sub
jectcd to gymnastics beyond its power
to resist.
The whole modern repertoire passed
along. James heard "Faust." ALL if
he were herel But he is here he was
on the point of responding. He heard,
too, "Rigolctto," and ale Prophetic"
and "William Tell"
Hours elapsed and james, who had
never been ut such an entertainment, did
not leave the concert given HIM.
Gradually Charlotte grew tired. The
song was lower, the notes were given
with less force. TO the grand airs,
hitherto sung from the first to the last
measure, succeeded broken spntches, and
the loud outbursts were changed to soft
modulations. Romances and reverics
took the place Of cavatinas and dances.
1t was no longer the captivating Car
men, nor the coqucttc Philinc-it was
the melancholy Mireillc, aud the dying
Ophclia.
James, always on his chair, had, little
by little grown lrowsy and was now doz-
ing, but in his sleep he heard the music
and, in spite of himself, gently swayed
his body to follow the movement shown
by Charlotte.
She was very drowsy, too. But the
courageous girl had resolved to complete
the work commenced. She made up
her mind for a supreme effort to rise
above her fatigue and sleeepiness, aud, to
rouse herself, she suddenly attacked a
waltz-the "Valse DIES Roses" of Mctra,
one Of the most seductive that exist, to
the sound of which all of us,
| Whatever We ulct nave Wulrlcu, anu
which would bring dying mau to his
| feet.
James was dreaming now, and, doubt
less, he dreamed that ne was waltzing,
for he followed the movement and
waltzed. But the trouble was that the
chair could not keep on its feet. In spite
of itself it made with its proprietor some
desperate turns, then, exhausted by the
effort, it gave sinister crack apd COL
lapsed, dragging its bailcd cavalier to
the floor. There was a.terrible noise.
The floor tremblcd. The whole house
was upset. AS for Charlotte, she
screamed with fright. The only one
who did not cry out was james. This
would have been n difficult thing for
him.. He had received a severe cut
/ ON his forehead, and was entirely un-
conscious.
sssSsWhen James came to himself next
morning he was stretched on his bed
with congresses on his brow. A woman
| 1ttou -, l.. L.