Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1903-11-02
~ HOW ARD FIELDING
c II A R ES w II o OK

SibyPs wit, vivacity, scholarship, ac-
complishments-it appeared that she
sang well-were often referred to, and
especially her amiability. The last was
ominous, for goodness of heart has
been set against beauty since the days
when our early ancestors dwelt in the
branches of trees.
My father did not say that he wished
me to marry Sibyl. He was so careful
not to say it that | caught him lodging
1t on every page of all those letters
His satisfaction at some word of
mine in late communication to him
indicating that l was bringing my
whole heart home was really amusing,
and it was Immediately followed by
some rather vague illusions to the
number of Sibley's admirers. 1 was not
cheered by discovering that the chief
among them was young man who had
just assembled the pulpit and might be
disposed to hold beauty as a mere
tlansitory earthly vanity and those
traits which are commonly Jumped as
goodness to be the truly valid attrac-
tons. There was also hint about Ar
thur Strickland, and this was nearly
fatal, for Arthur as youth was a
special providence for homely girls. A
fellow who has that trouble never gets
over it, so far as l have been able to
observe.
Now, upon the subject Of beauty
am not quite right in my mind. | can
not honestly say that l ever so much
as asked girl to dance, except from
motives of politeness, unless she seem
ed to me to possess the element of
beauty. For me the whole matter be-
gins there. l admit the existence of all
the admirable qualities that are men
toned by name in the dictionary, but
if they were united in one woman and
she were not beautiful 1 could as easily
fall in love with the Data of Ethics"
as with her.
1t was perfect certainty that my ia
Their wished me to marry Sibyl. He had
expressed such hope long before, and
| knew that 1t was as strong in him
as ever, though there was not word
directly upon that theme in these last
letters. Doubtless he feared the usual
result of parental interference with a
young mans liberty of choice, and, be-
sides, he was too good a father to bur-
den me with a definite expression of
his wish. Therein lay all the sorrow
of the situation. If he had been the
sort of father that may disinherit a
fellow or invoke the wrath of heaven
to punish disobedience, l should have
been positively pleased with the pros
pect of disappointing him. But he
would never do any such thing; he
would always be kind and generous, al
ways helpful, sincere, resourceful in
my interests, comrade through and
through, always a gentleman and the
everlastingly unapproachable model of
fathers. Confound him. That was
where he had me. l should marry Sibyl
out of respect and love for the dear old
governor, supposing, of course, that
the girl would take me, as she certainly
would, for precisely the same reason.
So that was all settled, and it re-
manned only to guess and at last to
know what particular form of ugliness
the poor child had developed into since
my eyes had last beheld her She must
have been almost ii on that occasion,
but my memory refused to serve me
in regard to it. The wavering, compos-
lite image which l have already men
toned was the best | could exhume.
There had been something peculiar
about Sibyls hair. 1t was what the
children called calico hair" because it
presented a pattern in colors, wide
spread but singularly inaccurate term,
as calico, strictly speaking, has no pat
tern. However, Sibyls hair had many;
it underwent change of hue much
more violent than is ordinary and very
capriclous in it's scheme Of progress.
When she was a little girl her hair
was Lighter was it dark? | couldn't
remember. Anyhow, it changed from
one to the other; changed to match the
color of her eyes-or did it match them
first and not afterward? | couldn't
say. l remembered the striped head.
but not the course of its evolution.
Sibyl was bright girl, though great
ly repressed by embarrassment; an
original girl, IL ever there was one, for
she never said or did the expected
thing. remember when my father