Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-10-15
CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XIII.
That same evening Dora and John Han
bury were sitting close to one another in
the window place where Leigh and he had
found her earlier. The long June day had
faded into luminous night; the blinds had
not been lowered, or the lamps in the
room lit. The long, soft, cool, blue mid
summer twilight was still and delicious
for any people, but especially for lovers.
'Well, Dora" he began, this has been
an exciting day"
''Yes," she said, softly, and added, with
tender anxiety, Il hope you have quite
recovered? | hope you do not feel any
bad effects of-of-of-what happened to
you, Jack" She did not know how he
would take even this solicitous reference
to his fainting
Il feel quite we'll, dearest. Do not let
us talk of that affair again"
Tell me ALL" sh- said. ''It was so
good o. you to bring him here l felt
quite proud Of you when l saw you COM
ing with him. Many men would have
been afraid to trust so uncouth man
with so unpleasant a secret into this room
Of Thursday"
'The fact is, Dora" said he in tone
Of elaboration and dissatisfaction, Il
did not bring him here of my own free
will. Indeed, / do not know how you
could imagine would invite such man.
l found him contemplating a paragraph
for the papers, and he promised he would
say nothing about what had occurred if
l would introduce him to you. He seems
to have conceived a romantic interest in
you, because of your likeness to some one
he knows" Later this evening he should
tell her all about this ''some one"
Il see," she said, hel spirits declining.
1t was not out of good nature or gener-
osity, but cowardice, moral cowardice,
Jack had brought Leigh. ''Oh, Jack, I
am so Sorry
Sorry! Sorry for whatT' he cried.
| She did not speak Cor a while. She was
| looking out into the dark blue air Of the
street. She had formed high ideal of
what he her hero, ought to be, nearly
was. But now and then, often, he did
not reach the standard she had raised.
She started without turning her eyes
away from the blue business of the street,
and in tone of wonderful tenderness and
| sadness said:
Il don't know exactly what l was
| thinking of, Jack. The evening is so fresh
! and still il is not necessary for one to
| think. Angry with you, dear! Oh, no!
Oh, no! Angry with you for what?
"About the harsh words / said of Leigh.
It seems to me your manner changed
the moment 1 mentioned his name. Let
| us not speak of him any more this even
ing"
"But why should we not speak of him,
Jack?"
Because dear, we are here together,
and we are much more interesting to one
another than he can be to either"
Eyes, dear, in way more interesting to
one another than all the world besides;
but in another way not nearly so interest
ing as this poor clock maker" she said
slowly, in dreamy voice.
"Well," said he, withdrawing his arm
from her waist and taking chair oppo-
site her in the window place. Il don't
see what you are driving att
Il cannot help thinking Of the man and
plying him. He will go into his grave
having missed nearly everything in the
world"
"Why, the man has enough conceit to
make battalion happy. He is a greater
man in his own opinion than the Presi-
| dent"
"Many are not afflicted as he is. You
say he is interested in me because l re-
mind him of some one. How must it be
with an ordinary human heart beating in
such body? Would it not be better for
such man to be born blind than to find
his Pallas- Athena, as he calls her?"
The eyes of the girl could not be seen
in the darkness of the room; they were
| Sc Zoo i,,h ar
! voice.
Hamburg started, he could not tell why.
He exclaimed: Good heavens, Dora!
you do not mean to tell me that you feel
seriously concerned in the love affairs, if
there are such things, of this man?'
slack" she confessed, 81 will not try to
disguise it, l am intensely interested in
this poor clockmaker, this mad visionary,
| if you prefer to call him that"
! This was not at all the kind Of preface
Hamburg wanted to the communications
| he had to make to her. He, felt discon-
certed, clumsy, petulant. Il have been so
unfortunate as to introduce the cause of
all this anxiety to you. / would have
| been better for every sake if / had not
| gone back and met the man the second
time much better than to cut ridiculous
| figure before all the town tomorrow!
He was growing angry as his speech
went on. His own words were inflaming
his mind by the implication Of his
! wrongs.
| She placed her hand gently on his, and
said in reproachful voice, voice quite
| different from the medatitive tones in
which she had been speaking, Jack, / did
| not mean that. You know 1 did not mean
that. Why do you repToach me with
thoughts you ought to know l could not