The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-28
NANNETTE, A STUDY

iNFAtNAN-A ~ VII
never considered her pretty. If l
describe her it will bs hard to see why
anyone should think her even good LOOK
ing, but they did-they all said she was
beautiful, though her face was too long
and her nose too small, her eyes were
deep-set and her m outh large-these wore
positive defects which l always saw. But
to Offset them other people saw only her
wonderful hair, which the villagers called
light and when was tinged with
bronze, and her eyes dark with a shining
light in them; her mouth, they insisted,
was perfect in shape if it was too large,
while her complexion seemed the most
exquisite thing in clear red and white
that nature ever made for arts despair.
Her hair was the village pride. 81, ght
hair and dark eyes" was a combination
rare amongst us; and believe for that
alone-to see those shining masses hang
ing loose that they we're always getting
up tableaux OF Ophelia and Marguerite
and the Sleepin; Beauty, so that Nan.
hette could he induced to show her hair.
II was curious thing.-this village wor-
ship, wherein the women equaleG the
men-and when took pains to Hoint
out its s:rangcness, the fellow who listen
ed to me expressed such annoyance at my
remark that | was virtually told to keep
silence on that subject in the future.
1 suppose it must have tesn her man
ner after all that caught and held every
one so close. She seemed to melt into
and tit every moo1 OF your own-anu
that is what l don't like even in wo-
man. l want her TO havs and hold On
St ~ AR
echo. But then Nannette couln hardly
be called an echo. When | limited to Wy
man that she agreed with everyone in
order to increase her popularity, Wyman
said to me quite unpleasant!y: Agree
with everyone, you fool! Why, she knows
more than all of US put together; and
town agrees vita hs-'' You see how
manner will produce blindness.
Nannette Blackstone was the first
That was the sign that he had grown up
and ''come out" in society when he fell
IN love with Nannette. The strange part
OF it was that the girls did not mind;
they appeared willing enough, and rather
expected to be second choice, if there was
had refused him. The men themselves
seemed not less friendly either after she
had said them no. She generally told
them that she had her father to support,
and must care for him (she was teach
err, and so made each fellow believe thai
lie would have bsen her cnoico had abe
been free, and That, OF course, left no
! ill-feelings between them afterwards.
| Oh, | assure you she was absolute SOW
ereign in that villag", and, like kipling's
Venus Ammo DominI, she never grew Is
day older. Her smile dazzled and her
eyes shune, and the lines appeared NO
more on her twenty.sighth birthday than
they had ON her eighteenth. Her very
last lover was youth of 10, WHO had
adored her since the tender age of 3.
The moment mis- uncle died and left him
small fortune he went straight to. Nan.
nette Blackstone and offered it to her
with his heart and his lifs's devotion.
He told me about it: "Nannette, he
had said, 81 know | am not worth your
old shoes, hut if can make your future
comfortable and keep you from working
so hard, won't you let me-" But Nam
nette had laughed and answered him
gaily: mo, no, Dick, nv dear child;
you are entering into your beautiful first
youth, and | will soon pc an old woman;
1 could not let YOU tie yourself to mo-"
to WORK long" An odd refusal surely
from "ouI queen" Nnnnette old. She
would De looming when Dick was a
s!ippered pantaloon. Dick was doubtful
about the last phrase. Gould there be
anyone else?" ne Queried.
Some time after this, two weeks per-
haps, 1 was passing the school house,
when one OF the children, with q fright
ened face, ran out and hailed me Il am
tho village doctor) with an "Oh, come
quick, come quick; Miss Blackstone
crying around her as she lny on the floor
unconscious. Dear, dear, the teachers
dead" they walled
Nannette dead' Had the sun forgotten
to riser She was not dead then; BUT
~ IL l,av k14 H.
insisted upon calling city specialist,
she never recovered consciousness and
died of spinal meningitis, as the death
certificate read, but the village said Of
overwork. She had given her lite to
them, and with her they said the light
of the place burned OUT.
Dick took her father home and cared
for him as MANY wears as the old man
lived
Wyman met me several weeks after.
He looked severe. ''Do you remem her,"
he began THAT once you spoke to me
sligbtingly Of" He started to sneak the
name, but stopped.
you cur!'' He broke out: you do
not deserve to know, but if it will mako
you realize what a cowardly brute you
have been-here, take what we found
with her things (Wyman was tAe lawyer
in our vil.aee) when we were settling up
her affairs. 1t has your name to tit IL
your property after ALL Wyman left me
with foolish little letter in my hand
giving me no chance to resent his slight
ing words-a letter | mad written to Nam
nette when we were both II, and which
[ had forgotten all about these many
years. 1t was sent just before l went
away to the medical school, and before
| met-well, never mind who it was I
met--put this letter was written during
a youths first attack-it was such little
affair, ana | had gotten over it so soon
that even the memory had passed away
yet here was the letter which ended az
all such letters do: "Nannette, wait
for me. 1t may De long, but it will not
be forever" and below Nannette had
written in pencil, Il will"
Now, was she not foolish to have at
tao he'd so much Importance to a scrawl
like that? And | really fail TO see that
l deserved Wyman's epithets.
HARRYET r. STRONG.