The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-06-20
FIRST LOVE.

sm most ut home i'll railway carriages,
waiting rooms hotels and restaurants.
On this account my reading has been of
all kinds, and have given up wishing
to be dainty i'll my literary diet Only
German and French rumances and novels
by authors unknown to me, or writers
whose style | do not enjoy, inspire me
with an uncOnquerable respect
Books by these authors never ven
turo to open, even in the greatest dearth
of reading matter. Besides 1 eagerly
welcome everything published by the
latest journals and look through euch
weekly and monthly periodical that I
come across i'll dining or waiting room.
That is why have succession of
fragments of considerable number of
stories i'll my head, and as their classif-
cation does not especially interest me it
thus happens that l occasionally join the
end of one to the beginning of the other.
Some of these dovetailed stories please
me quite us we'll as the noted novels of
famous authors.
This is II matter of taste, and allow
myself no criticism. Sometimes I finish
for myself story, the beginning of
which L have read, or invent the first
chapter for the conclusion of romance
which has fallen into my hands Then,
after time, it is difficult to distinguish
between what is mine and what is not
mine. III most cases indeed have of a
morning when I leave a city forgotten
what l have read there on the preceding
evening But when story has pleased
me l enjoy repeating it to myself in the
railway carriage, and then it becomes
fixed i'll my memory and rccurs later at
irregular intervals, as something per
sonally experienced or again invented
by myself.
The following narrative is one of these
tales. l have forgotten where read it
for The first time. Whether tho talo was
exactly as [ now have it i'll my mind 1
do not any longer know. But tho idea is
not mine. l believe found it in Paris
| review. Then it must have been many
| years since, for several omnivorous read
crs among my French acquaintance, of
| whom l made inquiry regarding that
easily recognized sketch, could not re-
| member to have read it. 1t is also posi-
bic that found it i'll Berlin or London.
Should the owner at any time reclaim it,
will return his property with thanks
Here is the story as it has shaped itself
little by little i'll my head:
The numerous guests of the countess
had been slowly retiring since / O'Clock,
and about 2 there wero only some half
dozen people assembled i'll tho salon, the
very intimate friends of the house The
handsome Palamede had pronounced his
verdict upon the notable toilets of the
evening, Rene had recounted the last
duel, Edmond the last steeplechase The
scandal of the day had been commented
upon i'll the usual philanthropic fashion,
and for the first time for half an hour
the conversation had languished.
The countess turned to her neighbor.
the quiet CASTOR.
"You are making more noise than
usual this evening"" said she "You
have been sleeping this half hour with
open eyes. " The gentleman addressed,
who had been sitting upon low chair,
earnestly engaged in keeping up fire
in the chimney, in which he had dis
played the ability that, according to q
French proverb, is privilege of lovers
and philosophers, turned slowly and
first love-"
Gratitude does honor to the receiver
and to the giver alike, said the count
ess. Tell us the story of the first love
that still makes you dream today"
CASTOR slowly rubbed his thin hands,
rs was his habit, and without waiting
for further urging began as follows:
When say my first love, I do not
mean the very first. This indeed caused
mo i'll its time much pain and anxious
JOY, but that is long since forgotten.
Many time, when l. now recall it, it
seems as though l thought of another's
love tale and not my own. was mt the
time perhaps ~ or ID years old, and she
was the sister CT my schooifellow
jacques.
81 saw her for the first time upon our
playground, where she appeared with
her mother, during an intermisSion, to
see her brother 1t was winter. The yard
was full of snow, and fierce battle
waged between the opposing factions in
to which the school wifs divided AT the
moment when [ saw her at the entrance
to the playground, Il harder SNOWFALL hit
me Oh the head, SO that / fell down un-
conscious. A few minutes after, when |
again came to myself | was sitting upon
a chair III the porter's room, and both
ladies, the mother and sister of my
friend, stood near and regarded me anX-
iously.
"Thc next morning she caused inquiry
r.