Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-07-04
ONE HOURS CHAT

wide porch of q seaside hotel chatting or
things past and present, and finally Gid
ing into confidential Interchange of eX-
periences, unmindful of the fact that
they were within earshOt of an open
window. whose closed blinds were deep
tive. inasmuch as they kept out sight but
admitted sound.
One of the men, Roy Somers, had late
ly returned from three years soJourn
abroad and had accidentally met at the
dinner table his old college chum and
dear friend, Robert Blake, a young law
yer rising in his profession. Of him l
will say that he was yet young, about
26 or -, a good-looklng, manly fellow
with handsome income. Now let him
speak for himself.
Lying upon a wide lounge just under
the window of which l made mention
was a little figure hidden by an afghan,
but above this could be seen face of
delicate beauty, with child-like blue eyes,
wistful and pathetic in expression and
loose curls OF pure golden tint. Over
this face was a perDleXed shadow, and
more than once the pretty lips muir
INJURED:
''Oh, how mean. how wicked it is to
listen. But | must hear! l must hear.'
The friends had discussed current
topics until, as | have said, they became
confidential, when Roy said, rather
abruptly:
Il heard some gossip about you as I
passed through New York
Yes? | did not know [ was of suffi-
Gent Importance to be a subject for Cos
sip. What, if it is not secret, did you
hear?"
Tell me, first, if you are engaged to
be married?'
''Nor'
''Short and not particularly sweet.
heard that you were engaged to a hunch-
back, little monster.''
The face on the other side Of the Win
dow grew white as snow, but Robert
Blake gathered his brow into a heavy
froWn.
Don't be angry, old fellow" his friend
pleaded. I was foolish to repeat it.
might have known it was false, being
well aware of your fastidious love Of
beauty"
False, yes. But I would give all 1
the gossip, shall tell you the TRUTH
See here, Bob! I've made a mess
somehow. Do forget it,
Look at that.' said Robert, opening
4 small velvet case he took from his
breast pocket. Tell me what you think,
of it"
''It is beautiful. Lovely! One of the
few faces one may call angelic
And mind and heart are as beautiful,
as angelic as the face
4 can easily believe it. The expression
is pure and sweet as q Babes"
Yet you just called her little mon
Ster."
Bob! You cannot mean that she, the
original of this miniature, is deformed %
eyes. She was crippled in childhood
by me-
by your
''She is a connection of mine, a step
child of my uncle, and when we were
children we spent our summers together,
as l was yearly guest at Owls Nest,
my uncle's place on the Hudson. She
was the sweetest little fairy at 10 years
old that you ever saw, but [ was q great,
hulking boy of Is and did not under
stand how delicate she really was |
actually believe | was in love with her
then, but | was at the most awkward
age for such sentiment and [ covered my
actual alteration by teasing her, We
were on the hill behind my uncle's house.
where there was a steep declivity, and /
was as usual half romping with her. tax
ing her temper by my hateful manner,
when somehow, heaven knows how, I'M
Intentionally, | pushed her over the edge
of the hill and she fell down to the foot
When | reached her she was white and
senseless and | thought dead Oh, the
long agony of that walk when | took her
IN my arms to the house, staggering
into the room where her mother was and
putting her into her arms only to rush
for doctor. [ was a murderer in my
own eyes, and for days while she lay
between life and death my misery could
not be described. 1t was some comfort
that she lived, but when | was told that
the injury to her spine would be a life
long defOrmity, then, boy as | was, |
made solemn VOW to devote my life tC
her"
The little figure on the lounge quivered
'convulsively, the tiny hands pressed
each other closely and only by a great
effort did the listener smother a cry of
pain Presently the deep, manly voice
resumed the story.
Il was sent back to boarding school
before May did l tell you her name was
May TalbotO was able to see me, and
from school [ went to college, while my
aunt and uncle were in Germany trying
the baths for their darling. Every let
ter was torture to me, yet | longed for
them, watched for them, and shed bitter
tears over the record of suffering [ had
caused. But it was ten years before |
saw May again. [ went abroad when
they came home, but circumstances pre-
vented farewell visit to Owls Nest and
/ remained, as you know, in Italy on ac-
count of my fathers health Do Won