The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20

cause she wore q dirty, limp .sudnbonnet, which
obscnrod her feature; But ! c9 NnishnS bs 40
hanging MSsSih G and took Ss "u up the s%S basket to eoin
again; nnd thereon, suddenlyi n tho act OF
rising from 8 |hns , shS Looked 90 Ss , dhiGG @ost, az tb ms,
PAGES from me. 1t was but one look. and \
lasted, suppose, two nS second, ,Snt hS Of s so; eq bec N
touched before, and to this time OF writing, and
though 1 have been long married and have chill
For not only was the face that for those two
seconds looked into mino Of rare beauty, brown
nhh iSGiSs0 tcStSi, T and syes'S q %itshcrsy,' Bright IL;
er than n queens Jewels, but In the look, short
as It was and passing, shone a something that
something. God knows what, appeal or passion
or temptation, that on tho instant firod my
face that dashed that look at mo from under
tho dirty sunbonnct could change, to Q marvel,
dull and almost ugly or the most beautiful in
tho world. But then, that and all such things
werc new to me. who knew no women, and had or
thought OF ono whom her back was turned; 30
new that when It was over and shc gone without
n second glance, ! went back to the house an.
SnS my %H 'aSicg ky S SSanf snI %nS, ny N whole %S being being
dor and curiosity, and a hundred other emo
tions that would not r permit init, me ne to be at ease un-
w we aI' to o'1 be- br assV that d0m IN tho e' space I have
taken TO tell 1t changed all. l was 10; the
girls shining eyes burned me up as flame burns
say within what time than I can describe what
bofell me before 1 was born-for II that was q
and confused as. one-I was ,madly and desper.
ntoly. in love. Her face, brilliant, mischicvous,
day and the window Of the ,fetid, cffowded bed.
room by night, and filled the slow gray dawn.
ipes, now with joy. and now with despair. For
the time, l thought only of her, lived for her,
did my work in dreams Of her, kept no count
OF time, I gave no heed to what passed round
cradle life, happy as the slave that, rich In tho
possession Of some beneticcnt drug. deaes the
EblEe, life OF but aao9 I SAY agi it. .n SO . sreat was sH he m Change mtSef in
u figure only and in retrospect; Mrs. d. might
s sc mn, me now, and II the ,ob boys saiHseShlss round nnnn a me-
whereof every morning fattered me with hopes
Of seeing my mistress, and every third day or 80
With all this, and though from. the mo
ment her eyes met mine across the fence her
elapsed before ope'f I spoke With her. In the Inter.
val 1 saw her three times, and always In the
wretchod, guise in. which she had first appeared
s sag mss Mai'h i: By III the rf fail faesslrs % OF ytR Rss mys:
terry and charm with which the sordidncss of
Invested her in my mind. But for speaking with
her, that was another matter and one present,
ens tS %I prsse anea'u and Mrs. fMn'6fs .'s temper sS ias 1 We're
tho greatest, SO my bashfulness was not tho
leastl that l think, We might have gone another
greatly prridod Herself come to our aid in the
room Ia thing which had never occurred before,
and Of itself threw me into a fever) combined
This privilege"for so Mrs. D.. invariably
styled twas the solemn gathering Of the house
hold on one Sunday, in each month to listen to
u discourse which she read to us herself, her
husband sitting meekly by, from the works of
some independent divine. On these occasions
much gusto that l do not doubt she found COM
pensation in them for the tedium Of the sermon
kite. to which. in compliance with the laws
earlier in the day; The master and mistress
with the boys, on the other; and hitherto l am
Unable to say which of us suffered more under
u ~ Wben madam fu' voice rang sRriiiest and
most angrily over the soapsuds. had come
and mistress being the same in which the old
servant had nodded and grunted every sermon
evening eve I'M sir since To my coEF min put sps new cSm complex n eH.
her seat with downcast eyes and hands folded.
chose. yelled three-fourths. OF its beauty. But
my ears famed and the blood surged in my
head. and l thought that all must read my
With Mrs. D., however, this was the ono hour
in the month when the suspicious, natural In
one of her carping temper slept, and she tasted
a pleasure cqmparatively pure; Majestisally
this occasion and in the character of the family
priest her vanity permitted and even melted
her to wear, and provided with q couple of tall
tallOW CdnultS, WnlCn IL was 10 uuSDdul 3
duty to snuff, she would open the dreadful
quarto and prop it firmly on the table before
t hesi n mssn; not al' have sit dissr See hf Hu 1eat Peters 'n tone or
the most famous preacher OF her persuasion, II
was her custom to lift her eyes and look around
ton. and this was the trying moment, and woe
to the boy whose gaze wandered his back
liminaries at an end, however, and the discourse
begun, the danger was over for the time, for in
the voluptuous roll of the long, wordy sen,
fanca9 and the elections and tamnAtiOnA and
free wills that plentifully bestrewed them. she
speedily forgot all but the sound Of her own
voice, and nothing occurring to rouse her,
might be trusted TO read for the hour and a half
with pleasure to herself and without risk to
So II fell out on this occasion. As soon. there
fore, as the steady droning OF her voice gave me
scene with which lad a dozen sunday evenings had
made me. familiar: the dull circle OF yellow
light; within it madan's, spectacles shining
over the book, while her finger industriously
followed the lines; n little behind her her hus-
band, nodding and recovering himself by turns.
also and imprimis a dim. oval face, framed in
the background behind the two old people. and
fore my fascinated eyes with uncarthly beauty.
Once or twice, fearing fearing + to be 9bserved' 1 Hycr ted
with hot temples; but always / returned to II
again. And always the longer l let my eyes
dwell on the visionnfor a vision 1t seemed in
nous hung tho silence, broken only by Mrs. DIS
even droIe, the more distinctly the beautiful
lace SIOOu OUT, ant IHe mDTt DtWllCnlnB ana
alluring appeared the red lips and smiling eyes
and dark; clustering hair that moment by
moment drew my heart from me and kindled
my boys brain and filed my veins with fever!
nSoventhly. and under this head. OF tho sin
of David!'
So Mrs. ID. doomed on, In her deep voice, to all
seeming endlcsSly; while the air Of the.dingy,
w~hitewashed room grew stale, and the candles
guttcrcd and burned low, and the boys. poor lit
Tic wretches, leaned on one anothcr's shoulders
and sighed, and IL was difficult to say whether
Mr.. ,D.'s holdings or recoyeries went nearer To
breaking his neck. AT laAt-Or wna n only my
fancyl-I made out a small brown hand gliding
within the circle. Of light. Then-or was ]
dreamingi-onc of the candles began to move;
but to move SO little and 80 stealthily that ]
sworn, II Mr.. DIS wig had not a moment later
taken fire with a light flame. and n stencil and
a frizzling sound that in n second brought
him, still half asleep. but swearing, to his feet. ;,
Mrs. ID. halted In the middle OF n word, as II
she had been shot, mouth open, and the volume
lifted her surprise at the interruption 80 great
that she could not for a while find words. But
the stream Of her Indignation thus checked only
gathered volume. and In q few seconds broke
forth,
NJ Dr. she cried, slamming the book dowI
on tho table. you disgusting beasti DO you
know that the boys are herei"
"My wiz Ia IN 0r.l' ha cried for apawar III