Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-10-12
ALPENA WEEKLY ARGUS.
MISCELLANEOUS.
THAT HIDEOUS MAN.

OIL KNOW III IN your ia1iici
wish, Luly."
"Only wish, auntie, not cont
mand, and | think it is very cruel
for you to try to force me to marry
that hideous mani!
ale has been very i'll, dear, aud
of coursc-he-that is"
you can't make an Adonis of
him, auntie; SO don't try. And if
you could, he would not he much
improved in my estimation. Such
an uncouth mortal has never crossed
my path! If | speak to him he
colors to the hue of boiled lobster,
and fidgets his hands and feet as if
he was afraid | wanted to run away
with them; and his yes ma'am' and
no ma'am' are as broad and con-
strained as if were his grandmoth-
en-"
"And yet your uncle says he is
very accomplished"
"Oh, auntie!"
Quite true, my dear. You must
take into consideration his disad-
vantages. His mother, one of the
loveliest women whom / ever knew,
died when Lionel was but five years
old; and his father, inconsolable,
shut himself up in that out-of-the-
way country place of his and never
went into society again. Lionel's
education has been his whole care,
and, profound scholar himself. he
has probably spared no pains to
make his son his equal. Still the
entirely recluse life was calculated
to make the boy shy and nervous,
and the long, severe illness which
followed his fathers death accounts
for his pallid face"
81 hope his trip to France will
restore his health" said Luly, rather
coldly.
"And you?"
II cannot go with him" cried the
young girl, passionately. MY
fathers will only requests us to
look upon each other as the child
rem of such lifelong friends as he
and Mr.. Carleton should do. He
hopes we may love each other well
enough to marry happily; other
wise he does not desire our union.
| do not love him, and ] cannot
hatter myself with the idea that he
even admires me, so we had best
part as good friends, but no more.
At that instant the subject of the
conversation entered the room. a
few commonplace remarks passed
between him and Mrs. Raymond,
and then she pleaded some house
hold engagement and left the room.
The lovers, per contract, sat in ST.
lence for some moments, and a
greater contrast can scarcely be i'm
agined than the two presented.
Luly Hazelton was a blonde of
the most exquisite type. Of med
ium size, her form was graceful and
symmetrical, and her fair curls and
large blue eyes suited the Grecian
profile and fair delicately-tinted,
complexion. An expression of ami
nation and high intellect saved her
face from insipidity; and as she bent
now over her sewing, the rich color
mantled her cheeks proving her
EN- barrassment. She was but seven
teen, and not at ease with the lover
whom she intended to discard.
And Lionel Carleton, raising his
dark eyes from the floor, saw in the
large mirror this perfect form and
face, and his own figure. He was
very tall, and his height was exag-
gerated by the attenuation of long
illness. The large features, which
would have been manly and hand
some in health, were actually mon
strous in the thin, sallow face; and
his dark eyes looked hollow and un-
natural with the black rims which
suffering had penciled round them.
They were weak, too, and the pink
tinge of the lids, and certain
straining look did not improve their
beauty. A close fitting black skull
cap, which concealed the loss of
hair sacrificed in his illness, added
to the grotesque and gaunt appear
ance of the young man. He smiled
sadly as he studied the group in the
mirror, and then with the nervous
tro,,or of b;o yo;oa o,d Autfar;no,