Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-03-10

pose, for my hair is yellow. A cat,
he said, for which he entertained q
most murderous antipathy-a regular
ribalder that had in truth been dis
turbing both our dreams nightly for
some time. Then we began to laugh
about it, and it wasn't long before he
was on the wall by my side and we
were chatting away like old cronies.
1t was little improper, admit,
but you know starving man will
not likely refuse dainty morsel
given him, and ] was ready to die
from loneliness.
Well, after that the old elm tree
got to be regular trysting place,
and very soon-but this Is Aunt
jeans romance, not mine.
Walter Fairfax was his name. He
had come to study medicine with his
uncle, DIR. John Fairfax, the owner,
and besides himself the only occu-
pant of the next door house. The
old gentleman, I inferred from what
he said, had in q measure adopted
him.
After good while, with consider.
. able trepidation, I put few ques.
tions to him relative to the feud ex.
listing between the two families, and
found that he knew as little and was
as curious about 1t as myself.
We soon began to compare our
selves to the Capulets and Mon
tagues; and he said II he was Romeo
l must be--but there l go again.
Well, it soon came to this, that
Walter loved me and I loved Walter,
and we admitted as much to each
other and had come to the conclusion
that things couldn't 60 on in this un.
settled, unsatisfactory way. Walter
insisted upon coming over and speak.
ing to my aunts about It, and when
he would take no refusal I promised
to mention the subject to my aunts
myself. It was most absurd state
Of things, and I was determined to
get at the bottom OF the trouble. /
knew that for some reason any allu.
sion made respecting our neighbor
was painful, really distressing to
Aunt Jean, SO / made up my mind to
unbosom myself one afternoon when
Aunt Jean had gone out by question.
ing Aunt Caroline regardless Of con.
sequences. This I did. I went to
her room and found her alone. Aunt
jean had gone for walk, and with.
out preamble ! let 1t of.
You will not believe me when tell
you the old lady tainted outright.
Well, she did; and such a time /
hope I will never have again. But !
got the secret. 1t seemed that long
ago, when they were young, Aunt
Jean and the old doctor over the way
had been lovers, but that few weeks
before the marriage the old fellow
had just quietly walked of and Tilted
Aunt Jean, which almost broke her
heart; and for no rhyme or reason
that anybody could see had, indeed,
stayed of until the last few years,
when he suddenly came back one day,
and had been Mt homo ever since, for
which Aunt Caroline had sworn q
vendetta against him and every re.
mote connection Of his.
OF course 1t was very bad for him,
and felt very indignant, but l could
not help 1t, nor yet could Walter; SO
when Aunt Caroline quietly forbade
me ever to speak to Walter again l
simply told her I could not and l
would not make any such promise.
She seemed to regard my loyalty to
Walter as the most unprecedented
ingratitude and bad faith on my part,
and told me plainly that she would
write ut once to mamma to explain,
and upon receipt of mammals letter
l was to pack up and put out for
home.
OF course I went straight to
Walter. waiting ut the old trysting-
tree, and wept away my wrath and
Indignation in his comforting arms.
He consoled me by saying that he
would come to my home TO see man.
ma about It, and felt sure that he
could make 1t plain to her that he
was in no way accountable for what
his uncle might have done. He said
also that In three months he would be
81, when he would come into some
property OF his own and-who would
think this was Aunt jeans romance
! Aunt Caroline after this kept such
a sharp eye on me that II was almost
impossible ever to get meeting witt
Walter. But we wrote letters every
day and put them into crack In the
wall, which made nice little post
Office.
But the days sped by and mammals
letter came. did not think 1t wa!
in mamma to be SO cruel and hard
hearted. There is no use to tell yor
all she said. 1t was what Aunt Car
oline wanted her to say, and 1t meant
that was never again to have any
thing to do with Walter, and sh,
said was to come straight home. o
course all this was kept from Aun
Jean, but l had the greatest mind tc
tell. The only thing that restrained
me was that l hated so to mention
the subject to her, hated so the ide,
of hurting lrer.
1t was the afternoon before the da,
on which l was to be shipped hom'
, in disgace, when l walked out qui
city right before Aunt Caroline
eyes and went down into the orchart
to meet Walter. Why she didn'
! follow can't see. guess l looked
, SO sad she was afraid to inflame Int
any further.
When l got to the elm tree wa
: surprised to find that Walter was no
. there. waited awhile and still h
3 didn't come so l went to the wal
postotiice to see II he had put in