Wallowa chieftain. [volume] (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909, 1902-06-26

to me as soon as she had an address To
give, SO that l might send her any
news. How l treasured that little
note! 1t was the first bit of writing
had had from her; and l read it again
and again that day and for many days,
and tried to Conjure a hidden meaning,
a lurking touch OF tenderness or con-
cern out OF its ordinary words. A
strange feeling OF being alone, and for
saken, seized me-a foolish feeling,
which could not shake off for some
days.
| looked in upon old Jacques, as
usual. He had been recovering him
self since | had seen him first; at
least, regaining a consciousness OF his
own existence, and of the existence OF
things about him. l thought that day
l could see something in his eyes and
in the twitching of his mouth, which
told that he missed the presence OF his
niece. He gazed at me long and keen
! ly, till felt rather disconnected, looked
down at his hands (the fingers OF the
right hand trembled a little), and ut
tered some cultural sounds, as If in an
effort to articulate. | talked to him a
little, though / was not sure he could
| hear me; or, hearing, could under
stand; l told him his niece had gone
away to the seaside; l hoped it would
| do her good, Tor she had been in very
anxious state of mind since her father 5
/ loss. 1t gave myself some relief to
speak these things. When | rose to go
away, he looked me shrewdly up and
down, and watched me to the door. A
week or two passed before | saw him
again.
My time was taken up with attempts
to provide a post for myself against the
day when l should leave that at Tim
perley. Under ordinary circumstances
would have taken the opportunity OF
the season OF the year, and such 4 june
ture in my affairs, to spend holiday
among my friends; but | was now con-
vinced the mystery l was pledged tc
clear up was in Timperley, and | was
resolved to sit down and besiege il
there-the more obstinately resolved
since | knew Steinhardt so heartily
wished me away.
wrote letters; l made journeys tc
this vicar and that rector in the neigh.
boyhood, who then needed, or soon
would need, a curate, with the same
result in all cases. | would not do
was not Just the kind OF man they
wanted; they were not sure that my
opinions were quite as they would wish
the opinions OF their curate to be. 1t
became plain to me that | was to be
"boycotted:" the word had been passed
round, apparently-and by whom, il
not by Steinhardt?
Again and again l tried, though with
little hope now, to find a curacy even
in the neighboring large town; but
nothing came OF my efforts except dis,
appointment, and weariness, and dis
gust. My time was up in Timperley
but l still retained my lodgings there
(they were cheap and COMFORTABLY
held them like an outwork advanced
against the enemy's position. The
situation was, indeed, becoming like q
duel between Steinhardt and me, il
which, for the time, he certainly hac
the best OF It.
My anxiety was not lessened by the
fact that in the three weeks which haC
passed | had not heard a word from
Louise, and did not know what haC
happened to her, or even where sht
was. l finally went to the girl whom
had seen Frank with, and from her
found out that he had written from al
address (Which she gave me) in Doug
las in the Isle of Man. AT the end o
another week, not having received any
reply to a note had written to Louise
! confess l was tempted with veal
thoughts OF giving the whole matter
up, OF surrenuering my position tC
Steinhardt, and going away. l wa,
earning no money, and my quarter
stipend OF % pounds 10 shillings wa,
rapidly disappearing. What could
do, when it was all gone, but surren
derP | am not ashamed to comics!
that, oftener than once, | was betrayed
into an unmanly prostration OF disap
pointment--of despair, may even say
and grief. But remember that | was
desperately in love q suppose a clergy
, man may be as desperately in love a!
another man) with a young lady, who
might be dead, or dying, or married
for aught ] knew that was soiourn
ing, so to say, in strange land, whose
chief was bitterly hostile to me; that
the affair upon which had staked my
success in love had not advanced al
inch during .those long and lonely
weeks.
do verify believe that, in spite o
the conviction which usually sustained
me of the final revelation OF the trutl
in spite, too, of the obstinacy OF m,
nature, and the high reward of success,
which had hoped to gain, 1 would
indeed, have soon beat retreat, if i
had not been for a visit had from my
old friend Birley, and the results tina
Immediately followed upon that.
One evening heard loud, cheery
voice there was no mistaking ask my
landlady, "Is tn parson at whoam
Betty"-a question which l answered
myself by calling, "Come upstairs"