Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-26

- E-rslC atA4 A~4if(a- caee1 - $50 ~-%-
held long and confidential conversations
over the stis, green wire fence that sep
arated our grape arbor from her bed s1
tea roses. saved the last sweet. frosty
bunch for her, and at the irst chill hint
OF winter helped her cover her roses
with straw, making their tai stalks IN
70 queer, angular searecrows for Jack
Frost's terrifying.
Ny mother was New Highlander,
aud the thirst for knowledge OF toozs
and men that sm0ldered III her breast
famed into power for her only son, and
so was seat 10 Harvard. While stlll a
freshman | came 10 regard my native
town as the vanishing point in the per
spectiye of an inglorious past. With
what a lofty smile should have received
the hint that the dark eyed little girl
whom | had left to tie her roses alone
might one day amply avenge all nay
sights,
u concealed my boyish delight in life
-p,ier the most pronounced and classic
'indiferentisn. and l wonder even now
how ever my mother could put up with
me. Nv old friends laughed at my airs
and my reformed accent, secretly dislik-
ing and envying me. naturally found
il much pleasanter 10 spend my vaca-
tons in the soothing atmosphere OF be-
iass like myself, after brief visit to Iay
mother.
During these occasions / saw Mar
garet only once or twice, and always
carried away the disturbing impression
that she was in no way impressed either
by my superior manners or talents. This
was slightly annoying, as she was far
and away prettier than any girl Of my
acquaintance, east or west. To be sure,
had made her blush-such anexquisite
red-but it was with vexation. Upon
my first departure we had written one
another quite regularly. but about the
middle of my first year l received let
ter from her, III which she professed
humbly to believe that her western ways
were but burden to such an exalted
being as / had become-and wrote no
more. Her letters were SO fresh and in
dividual that l missed them. but was
fatuous enough to accept her silence as
a SIMPLE hearted tribute to my worth.
say, Sawyer, when a man is fool how
many different ways he finds to show it"
.'Or when he is in lover added Saw
yer ruefully.
That stage was to come soon
enough. Along the last months of the
year l had caught winged words here
and there regarding some not impos-
ible she. spending year in Boston,
who had become a creator Of contention
between various givers of college
Spreads You were in 80 and of
course not interested. Would this she
accept one or all of the invitations show
cred upon her? Would she like Van
Rensselaer's rooms best, filed as they
were with old colonial furniture and
silver, or would she prefer to linger at
Tarrey's, in purely Bohemian atmos-
phere, with boxing gloves and burrings:
The affair promised to be interesting,
and was bent upon being a witness
possibly myself not wholly unnoticed.
1t was therefore with very bad grace
that read in letter from my mother
that Margaret Burton was in Boston,
and asking me to see that she was suit
ably initiated into the preciousness of
things Harvardian. And yet l was
piqued enough when in answer to my
formal note-I had dispensed with the
needful CALI received closely worded
little note saying that she had already
accepsed for spreads at Weeds and
Halworthy. / had of course supposed
that she knew nobody, and had been by
no means averse to act the modern
mentor to a fair Telemacha. OF course
you've guessed the end. Even an expert
detective would have clew by this.
"But / was IA unsuspicious as only
foregone conclusion can make one, and
when sauntered into Whites rooms at
Halworthy and saw Margaret sur
rounded by the superlatives,' as we
call them, smiling. gracious, witty and
wholly at ease, / was dumfcunded,
overcome. ecrase. Whether it was that
my nativity spoke for me. or as l think
now, from pure womanly kindness, Mar
raret neither scorned me, as | deserved,
nor froze me, as she well knew how.
She gave me her hand in its long yellow
glove. made ;pplace beside her. and then
seemed to quite forget me.
I've made a lengthy preamble. but
the denouement is at hand. Suffice il
that the next year | was her slavish
shadow. | climbed awkwardly down
out os the rarefied air Of my superiority.
content to be in the same world with
her. She perhaps suspected the truth
Of one Of my own epigrams-that il is
only an unrequited love that makes
man good and keeps him humble. She
was sweet and frank and charming, but
she had no bushes TO hide from me.
There wete no quarrels 10 make up, and
while | got rs many smiles as the rest
and the rest We're many and ardent
was never given a confidence nor made
trembling witness Of tear.
Wherever Margaret went followed,
usually on q later train. as | was always
forbidden II l stated my intentions.
Now comes the crisis, modestly dTa-
mattel Margaret had gone 10 Nara
gansett for a week, After two days
found the town unexpectedly hot. and
getting of late arrived at the hotel
about II O'Clock. There was dancing
IN the ballroom. and as registered at
the desk through tho wide doors | could
see the lights and the moving figures
As | hesitated there. making up my
mind az there was no chance If dance
with her. 20 grumbla Grossly ct 70 bed
aud lover = dreams. child. almos. a
baby. dashed suddenly ont # the side
corridor and ran. screaming shrilly.
tnrnneh The dn.rs anh down the aisIa