Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1897-02-25

I, III
habit of inviting me to dinner on
Sunday afternoons, a favor l shared
with Jerome Aaylor, the cashier and
JuLlor partner IN the firm. Mr.. Day
was a wldowcr, and his only daughter
aud hclress, Enid, did the honors Of
his table.
Beautiful Enid Day! l shall never
forget, nor do | wish to forget, while
| 1--we, that afternoon Of our first meet.
INC. II WAS one Of those dull, sound
less aatunnal days, when the frowning
sAy threatens storm and yet withholds
IT, depressing the heart with vague
sense OF something evil to come, and a
profound melancholy which one can
neither define nor shake off,
Yet as | entered that parlor a swift
change TO laexpllcable happiness cam 9
over me. Standing there, where the
warm hue from the half drawn Grim
son curtainst fell across her simply
clad figure, she seemed to me like the
embodiment OF all the song, perfume,
sunshine and cxhilaration of early
spring. She was very young, but her
form, despite it's girlish immaturity,
was no5ly developed. Her iace, with
It's soft, oval outline, its pallor. deep
cning IN the cheeks to the tints of q
roses heart, tho large. violet eyes-a
child's eyes in ttheir innocence, end
yet woman's eyes in their depth and
suggestion of strong emotlon-her
fac, | say, as | saw it at that moment,
never again faded from my soul. At
that first instant | loved her; and it
was with voice that shook and a
hand that. touching her little palm,
trcmbcd rs if guilty Of sacrilege,
that | greeted her.
Jerome Naylor, standing by, Wit
messed our first meeting; and as, by
some intuition, glanced aside at him,
| saw look in his pale eyes that | re-
called long a!terward. Then | was too
confused, too inexperienced IN lore Of
love, to comprehend its meaning. But
there came a day when | could inter
prct 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
md been refused, and his keen glac ce
hud already detected n rival IN the
h.undcr .ng. stammerlng youth, whose
sole thought a. the moment was hum
bic, almost unconscious. adOratiOn.
Yes, it was more than simple love 1t
was wonder, reverence and devotion
such as, IN the old time, the rrostrate
worshiper felt for his divinity. As
timo went on, and ! saw her again
nnl again, my love grow upon me, un
Ill It became the ruling principle OF
my life and as ! came to know my
own heart | also learned how wild q
Lore it was that l nourlshed IN my
breast. Even If SO rare an example
Of Gods haudiwork could have stopped
to love SO unworthy man as knew
mvself to be, how could salarieo
clerk Of the rich banker pretend t.
the hand OF his only daughter ant
heress?
SO dav by day the gloom OF deer
despondency darkened upon my life
| Grew silent and distracted. | ptr
formed my duties as faithfully as ever
but | no longer laughed aud jesteC
with nv fellow clerks, nor Joined II
tho amusements Of their leisure hours
Jerome Navlor was invariably courte
ous in lis treatment OF me, but
CAUGHT more than one sIdewise gianc
Of his eve, that, had been less ao
sorird in my own trouble, nigh
have startled me. But hopeless Q
the one thing which could have ma 4
existence valuable to me, what had
to fear from the worst his maiic
could devise?
Latterly.I / had absented myself from
the usual Sunday afternoon gathering
at my employers table. One day 4
came to me where / bent over n
books, and clapping me upon tn
shoulder, in his genial. kindly iasn
ION, said;
prescott, my boy. if you do 10
dine with us tomorrow afternoon, 70
will make..an enemy Of Enid.
muttered something about no
having felt very we'll Of late.
"Thst is what told my girl, rt
pled Mr.. Day. II said you wer
looking thin and pale and generali
ont ot sorts. Whereupon sne aston
shed me by getting very angry az
of What was it ?-eg(