The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-05-14

see what had caused our delay.
Miss Gordon was trembling with ex
citement and could scarcely keep up
with me- s5 IA
What In the world, !" / began, but
she interrupted me-
Oh don't you didn't even see him,
then
See whom?''
That dreadful old China man. Z Z
No, what about him?'' #5
'sOh, / don't know but he was go
Ing to do something awful to you. I
am sure I saw the CLINT Of a knife
or a dagger in his hand
Well, I laughed her fears away, told
her she was foolish to be frightened,
accused her having nerves, and ali
that, as we do when we want Wo-
man to feel our superior mental poise,
you know. All the time, however, I
had a suspicion that she might be
right about it, and remembered the
look on the face of the man I had
logged Withxmy arm some two hours
before. 4s3
When we reached Mrs. Staffords
home a declined to give up the tea
pot. told her I would have it mend
ed for her, and we had some pleas
ant sparring about the cup Of tea
which she would brew for me in the
e-preserving pot
The next day I received note from
Jim Lee asking me to be at my rooms
that evening at 8 o'clock as he wished
to see me. He confirmed the young
]adys story. An eyewitness to the
affair had told. him about it, and he
warned me to be on my guard against
old Chung who was, it appeared, a
dark character, and subject to fits
of violent rage when half drunk
with opium, though he had not yet
committed any act which would
cause his arrest or imprison1nent,
''She YER brave young lady," jim went
on. You must be proud to be her
friend. She save your life,. cause she
think SO quick
After that I had to call, Of course. I
hope I was little more civil about the
affair that evening. She. very sensi-
bly,. had not mentioned it to Mrs. Stat
ford, nor any one else. She looked so
pretty that night, in soft, rose-pink
sort of a gown" Again MI. Austin
lapsed into silence. His pipe had gone
out unheeded, and his eyes looked ten
DERBY into the glowing GOALS
Harold Summers looked quizzically
at his ''stoic" friend, and new light
broke through his unbelief. He opened
his lips to say something when the mar
ratOr resumed:
* ''The teapot couldn't be mended, for
the pieces were lost. [ took it back to
her as it WAS, one afternoon, and asked
for my promised cup of tea. She was
alone at home, and we talked of every
thing under the sun. from bumtle-bees
to Browning. Finally, she made tea.
and just for the fun of it, brewed it in
the shattered receptacle. She had
such dainty wys and such pretty
hands-it was a treat, really, to see
her manage this clumsy thing Then
asked her to read. and she chose BY
the Fireside.'" Don't know it, Sum
mers interposed. ooh, it's the one be-
ginning: .&
How we'll I know what mean to do
When the, long, dark autumn evenings
come ~.
Browning, you know" ~ @
NO said Harold; las said before,
I don't know
''Well l knew it, but never saw be-
fore such wealth Of tenderness in it
its Wonderfulp'
ooh, is it - inquired Summers, in a
tone that implied scepticism, while
through his mind stole a remembrance
of a conversation he ONCE had with
this same Henry Austin, when the lat
ter gentleman had declared that he
fully believed he had passed through
the poetic stage of development and
would never care to read poetry again.
1t had its value, undoubtedly, but it
required for its appreciation "a 'combi1l-
alton of feeling and sentiment which
belonged purely to youth. He had ,ex-
planned, as Summers remembered, that
some people never advanced beyond
this stage of development, some never
reached it, owing to serious deficiencies
in their composition but that this APP
probation OF OF feeling tor poetry
could he coeXistent with the keen intel
lec1ual Thought of maturity. he denied;
| at least, he was sure of his theory. as
applied to himself.
With these thoughts running Through
his brain, he scarcely heard. as Austin
talked on, more to himself than to his
listener IS
But who could have expected this,
when we two drew together first?
tJust for the obvious human bliss, to
satisfy life's daily thirst,
With a thing men seldom miss..'''
She has such a we'll modulated voice,
and she reads so mteIligently i al
ways enjoy that. We read a good deal
together before she WENT s
'STlen she is mot in town at ypresent?'
No
1But YOU keep this shattered, de-
crepit, forlorn old teapot ITO remember
her by? That's what I call compl-
mentary- How pleased she would be
to know that this erumbling relic rep
resents herself -
She does know it, returned Austin.
calmly. She gave it to me to keep for
her, for she said her four sisters would
be into her trunks as soon as she got
home, and she didn't want to hear 1T
ridiculed.''
'.To keep for her. repeated Sum
mers; ito go on forever with that thing
staring you in the face, to have to lug.
it about with you wherever you go, to
grow old with that hollow mocke1y of
vanished JOY idiotically posing on your
mantel shelf-wel-"
Until she returns Austin cpntin-