Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1896-03-03
DOUBLE POVERTY.

had gone down to my village to
work, to set that local color which is
supposed TO be 80 necessary 70 sound &c
tion. At the end Of a fortnight l had
not written, at the most generous COM
putation, more than a dozen pages, and
] had grown very brown and a trife
melancholy. The cottage in which /
lived lay broadside to the village street,
and this, under the clear sunlight, had
such a lazy and pleasant aspect that /
was content 70 sit and watch IL while
the ink dried ON my pen. When this
simple occupation failed me, I sat on a
fence overlooking a sloping meadow.
Beyond the meadow vas a climbing,
scattered wood, which ended In IN
open, sunbaked heath.
AS / sat on this fence one day / saw,
far up ON the edge Of the heath, a hat
and ribbons that 1 recognized. They
belonged to q girl whom / had met at a
dinner party a couple Of months before.
Indeed I had taken her in to dinner,
and we rapidly hit upon 30 many points
Of divergence and agreement that we
soon assumed the candor Of old friends.
/ had not discovered then that she knew
my village. Indeed we were both IN
disguisedly surprised when we one day
came face to face by the postoflce
steps. / then learned that she had come
down with her mother, a younger broth
or and q maiden aunt.
After that we were continually meet
ing, quite Unexpectedly. and I began
to feel reconciled to my meager produc-
tion.
/ watched the hat and ribbons for a
time placidly, in profound enjoyment Of
my morning pipe. When it was finished,
] knocked out the ashes, dropped ON the
meadow side Of the fence and began
leisureiy to wade through the grass. It
was evident, from the extraordinary
stiffness Of the ribbons, that Miss Bur
Bar was either reading OF asleep.
I could not keep my point Of destina-
ton in full sight the whole time, be-
cause the ground was perplexiDgly un-
even, and the trees were sometimes as
impervious as q wall, but l made as
straight q line as l could and rather be-
gan to fancy myself in the character Of
a slow but inevitable fate. This idea
had commenced to spin itself into a web
Of sentimental verse, when / became
aware Of Miss Bursar herself within six
yards Of me. She had an open book on
her lap, but her eyes were turned ON me.
"HOw very straight you camel she
said. Ny feigned surprise at seeing her
collapsed instantly.
"How do you know" I said. sitting
down beside her, "tbat I came straight"
She pointed toward the village. My
fence was in full view, and my track
through the tall grass palpable, leading
in a bee line toward where she sat.
$50 you watched me?" / said.
II saw you" she answered, quite
by chance and wondered what you were
going 10 do"
She was very young, so young and 80
pretty, that sDatches of verso began 10
weave themselves in my brain again. ]
sternly repressed this dangerous tend
ency and thereby abandoned my only
hope Of safety.
How long are you staying heref"
asked.
"Oh. l don't know. Perhaps for three
weeks. And your"
/ looked at her. "That depends on
my work, / said. She laughed lightly
and closed her book.
1T seems to me-, abe said, that
you don't do much work You spend
half the day on that fence"
"And you, F." / said, pass me at least
six times a day"
mind opening my parasOlY" / unfurled
it for her with great tenderness. It wa
q tiny, dainty, silk affair, that matched
her ribbons IS eye matches eye Il had
the delicious effect Of isolating us still
more completely. II threw q pretty
golden shadow ON her face that made
me dream infinitely pleasant things and
grow as bold and reckless as the sun.
shine that drew the scent from the
heather round az.
Miss Bursarn- / began.
"Yesf" she said, tapping her shOo'
together till they made q sound like
busy wOodpecker.
II was going 70 say / went ON.
WHAT 1 did not interrupt you. Yor
stopped yourself"
81 know / did. Twas going 70 say
paused again.
"Do you think you will ever aucceeS
IN saying it?" she laughed, nodding o.
me.
Certainly, II you viii give me time
/ wa going 10 say what an inferno
nuiashce It Is 70 be pOorl'
Il don't agree with you" abe SAID
decidedly. 81 am poor. but ! don
mind In the least. The admission wa
like wine 10 me. ! took a deep breatl
aud buried one hand IN tho hot grass.
f'But you are a woman, " ! said.
''That makes Il an the worse, doesn'
it, she asked
"Eot at all You are q woman, yOI
arc young, yOu are beautiful
"That's very pretty, she said, "bu
what thon1"
NOV l." Z hurried on, Sam q maj
with nothing but my brain 10 earn mon
~ with. q brain that has the tricko
getting added with overwork. Sh
looked az me ngain and laughed
'sYou are giving Il q rest down her
anyway, /" she said
'I'm noi 90 sure about that. Now. !