Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-01-23
THE TELLER'S STORY.
by f. ]. VERY.

Il teiiei' Oiea t"'' 10y
- me, and, as an es.
pecial mark of his favor, was in the
habit of inviting me to dinner on
Sunday afternoons, favor l shared
with Jerome Naylor, the cashier and
junior partner in the firm. Mr.. Day
was widower, and his only daughter
and hciress, Enid, did the honors Of
his table.
Beautiful Enid Dayl I shall never
forget, nor do wish TO forget, while
I live, that afternoon Of our first meet.
ing. 1t was one of those dull, sound
less autumnal days, when the frowning
sky threatens storm and yet withholds
it, expressing the heart with vague
sense OF something evil to come, and a
profound melancholy which one can
neither deine nor shake off.
Yet as entered that parlor swift
change to ,nexplicable happiness came
over me. Standing there, where the
warm hue from the half.drawn Grim.
son curtains fell across her simply
clad figure, she seemed to me like the
embodiment of all the song, perfume,
sunshine and cxhilsration of early
spring. She was very young, but her
form, despite its girlish immaturity,
was nobly developed. Her face, with
its soft, oval outline, its pallor, deep.
ening in the cheeks to the tints Of n
roses heart, the large, violet eyes-a
childs eyes in their innocence, and
yet woman's eyes in their depth and
suggestion OF strong emotlon-her
face, say, as saw it at that moment,
never again faded from my soul. At
tha. first instant I loved her; and it
was with n voice that shook and q
hand TINT, touching her little palm,
trembled rs if guilty OF a sacrilege,
that greeted her.
Jerome Naylor, standing by, wit
messed our first meeting; and as, by
some intuition, glanced aside at him,
I saw look in his pale eyes that re-
called long afterward. Then I was too
confused, too inexperienced in lore of
love, to comprehend its meaning. But
there came day when 1 could inter
pref only too clearly, its bitter malice
and hateful resolve; for Jerome Nay.
lor had long loved Enid Day, as such
men love; had even offered himself
and been refused, and his keen glance
had already detected n rival in the
laundering, stammering youth, whose
sole thought at the moment was hum
BILE, almost unconscious, alteration.
Yes, it was more than simple love ii
was wonder, reverence and devotion
such as, in the old time, the PROSTATE
worshiper felt for his divinity. As
time went on, and l saw her again
and again, my love grew upon me, uu.
til it became the ruling principle oi
my life; and as I came to know my
own heart also learned how wild a
hope it was that l nourished in my
breast. Even if so rare an example
of Gods handiwork could have stopped
to love so unworthy q man as l knew
myself to be, how could salaried
clerk of the rich banker pretend to
the hand OF his only daughter ant
heiress?
So day by day the gloom of deer
dependency darkened upon my life
I grew silent and distracted. 1 ptr
formed my duties as faithfully as ever
but I no longer laughed and jestet
with my fellow clerks, nor joined il
the amusements of their leisure hours
jerome Naylor was invariably courte
ous in is treatment of me. but
caught more than one sidewise glance
of his eye, that, had been less alb
sorbed in my own trouble, nigh
have startled me. But hopeless o
the one thing which could have mad
existence valuable to me, what Ind
to fear from the worst his malice
could devise?
Latterly had absented myself iron
the usual Sunday afternoon gatherin.
at my employers table. One day b.
came to me where 1 bent over IN,
books, and clapping Inc upon til
shoulder, in his genial, kindly fash
ion, said;
"Trescott, my boy, if you do 40
dine with us tomorrow afternoon, yo1
will make. AN enemy of Enid"
1 muttered something about no
having felt very we'll OF late.
"That is what told my girl" re
piled MIR. Day. 81 said you wer
, looking thin and pale and general.
out of sorts. Whereupon she aston
ished me by getting very angry an
accusing you of--wbat was it?-ego
tism, believe, though why, why,
) do not quite understand, Any way
she made it u condition Of her futur
! favor that you should take Dime
! with us tomorrow. So have deliv
/ cred my message. You'll come, Q
: course, Naylor?"
Then l saw that the cashier ha
! been standing behind Mr.. Day an
had overheard our conversation.
81 shall be delighted" responde
Naylor, with peculiar glance at me
, "And surely our young friend canno
resist an invitation couched in sue
terms and emanating from such
source?"
~ will come" / said briefly, for tn
cashiers manner affected me with a
inexplicably unpleasant sensation, an
, TUNED again to my work.
l reached the Day mansion at q
early ho,S the next afternoon, and, 9
/ had hoped, yet feared, found Eni