The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-05-22

what she had wished for--to be per
fectly understoodi
She ought to be above such little
weaknesses anyhow.
Perhaps if she tried books the
conversation might become more
animated.
The stranger followed her glance
as it rested ON small table near
her, where several books were lying.
you have been reading" he re-
marked. "Ah, yes, l see-Ibsen,
Browning, Tolstoi" He smiled
little wearily.
You, of course, have read them
all, > said Miss Rossiter little shy
ly, for she happened to think that
"boundless knowledge" was one of
her wished for ideals attributes.
"I2 Oh, yes, he answered. You
do not quite know whether you care.
for Ibsen or not, do your"
Now, this was indeed true, but as
the president of an Ibsen club Miss
Rossiter had never before faced the
fact.
She was a clever girl and accus-
toned to being looked up to as quite
an authority on literary matters by
her own special coterie Had not
Dunning Jones, the most successful
journalist in the city, told some one
that Miss Rossiter was very inter
esting girl, we'll read and up in ev-
erything2 But before "unbounded
knowledge" how could one talk
easily or air ones little opinions2
For the first time in her life the
self possessed, cultivated Miss Ros-
sitter felt shy, crude ard ignorant.
She was really very superior
young woman, of lofty aims and
ideals; but, being very human and
very charming person, she had her
little limitations, all of which she
would have confessed to you with
refreshing candor. Still she could
not help wondering for moment if
life with person who thoroughly
understood" her would, after all, be
as helpful as life with some one
whose love exaggerated her virtues
and blinded him to her defects
AS she said to her most intimate
girl friend afterward: "It never oc-
Cured to me before just how many
of my so called virtues were called
out just because Tom thought pos
sessed them
You see that touched me so, the
implicit confidence in me, that
would Immediately proceed to cult
vate all my supposed good quail
ties, so that 1 might keep my place
in Tom s regard with greater salts
faction to myself
This night referred to, however,
she did not allow herself to so dis.
tinctly formulate the thought.
Oncs more she turned the conver-
sation to books, to art and to music.
But what pleasure could there be in
conversation where the other par
ty concerned knew before she spoke
all that she would say He even in
directly apologized once for antici.
pating her.
II cannot help it, you see," he
said. Il came in answer to your
wish, burdened with the conditions
it imposed upon me.
1T does make conversation awk-
ward, I admit, but we may as we'll
make the best of it, for l am power
less to leave you unless
UNLESS whata" said Miss Rossi-
ter with more of the "speeSl the
parting guest in her tone than was
consistent with true politeness, but
the stranger only smiled and looked
once more into the fire.
A sense of injury commenced to
rankle in Miss Rossiter's mind.
And all because of foolish wish,
that ! have heard a dozen girls
make, my life is to be spoiled in this
way" she thought Perhaps Tom
would not have loved her so deeply
had he really understood her.
The past tense of that last thought
sent pang through her heart.
Was she always to be tied to this
dreadful mind reader of a realized
ideal2
She supposed the only thing left
her to do was to live upon such a
high plane that she need not object
or fear to be as a printed page for
him to read.
And yet, oh, the weariness of the
ideal
No more half severe, half coquet-
hsh lectures to Tom on his stupid
ity, always ending in increased
alteration on his part and increased
affection ON hers, for it always
pleased her fancy, after having
firmly established her claim to ideal
ship in Toms mind, to be so ex-
tremely gracious and penitently af-
fectionate that the 'tlarge and ap-
preciative audience of one, as Tom
remarked, went home happy
But all those old, happy times
were over, she thought
Such deep pity for herself filled
Miss Rossiter's mind that the great
tears gathered in her eyes, and one
had escaped from beneath the long
lashes and was slowly rolling down