The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1904-02-04
Her First Love
Copyright. 1905. by Daily Story Pub. Coz
ISABEL G. wHITEHURST

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Copyright 1905 by Daily Story Pub. Coz
NOU will let me confess to you, won't |
I you? You are just the listener |
want You can be sentimental / have |
seen the tears in your eyes when you |
have listened to tale of distress, and |
when you are moved I have seen the
color come and go, and your lips quiver,
and l have known that you could feel.
Be quiet, you interrupt me. You say
you are not priest, but man? That il
you sit and listen, and I sit and talk,
some day you may also be found with
arms about me telling me to be faithful.
Absurd! We know each other too well,
you and l. You will never again be my
lover. there must be mystery and diff
ficufty and reticence for love. and it Is
an atmosphere We have emerged from
long ago. So long ago that l have al
for that past. No, l do not hate you.
l like you, and will believe you, and
when / have told you all my story, and
there comes the moment when you Will
know why have told you, will be
guided by you entirely; because what
l know you know, only more-for
know only the men l have loved or
those who have loved me, while you
know men when they do not love, and 1t
may come to that
When, where, how shall begin my
confession to you? Here, l will roll
you cigarette, will light it for you,
see; will take one myself. Sit there,
in that low chair, that cushion will fit
your back, and through the smoke-rings
you shall see me young again. No!
do not want compliments from you.
am young still, fair still, of course; were
! not, you would not listen. But the
youth of 80 and the beauty of 80 is not
the youth and beauty that wish you
to see through the smoke.
You have often wondered why love
Ashbury Park. 1t is because l first met
him there. was barely II then, and
had gone down from my home, my coun-
try home, on the upper Hudson. where
papa was a poor Episcopal clergyman,
to visit my uncle, who had cottage
there for the season.
l remember it we'll. We were about
to start game of tennis, and | had a
racket in my hand.
Dolly, DEAR" said my eldest cousin,
"do you mind not playing this set? I?
Papa has brought man down with him;
see. they are just getting out OF the
coach. He is asthmatic or consumptive,
or something, and can't play. Talk tc
him instead of me, there's good girl. =
was always amiable; am not amiable
now. dear? l consented, and they be-
gan their game.
This is our little cousin from Oak
ley" said my uncle, patting my shoulder
kindly. Dolly, dear. this is Mr.. Bas
ing; he is little out of sorts. You girls
must cheer him up among you. and yor
had better be the first. You are thu
quietest, and won't frighten him."
He turned to me, and said, in voic'
that had in it musical hoarseness, sucl
a voice as had never heard before. no.
will again, think, unless hear it il
Heaven, for I have listened for it al
my life:
mo; don't think you will frightel
me-"
He was tall man, very slender. witt
brown beard, and hair SO thick 1t stoo'
up on eithae side of the parting quite al
inch above his head. His eyes wer
small, deep set, and brown, with dis
tant look in them. | can see him nov
more distinctly than l can see you.
have always seen him distinctly. Shal
l show you his portrait? There it is
Be quiet, be quiet, do not say word
it hurts like touch on wound If 70
should criticise, if you should even ad
mire.
If you dare to laugh shall hate you
but, there, you may laugh If you will.
Is true. all the same. have been faith
full to HMM my way. But | will pu
away the portrait, then can tell you
it better.
Salt air sprayed in our faces in thos
summer mornings by the long sea wall
In the evening the band played, and b
the band it was light, and the crowd
moved hither and thither in the ga
But we walked apart from them all. b
and /, between the green hedges, han
in hand. I believe there never was
love dream like ours. He was dying {
consumption, and half my love was pit,
but he went down so deep in my hear
and the uprooting left the place SO tel
der, l could not bear touch. and so
shut it up, and people say since then
have no heart.
If you ever love q young girl-don
protest, you are the very man to do
with your blue eyes and sensitive lips
# ever you should love such one, the
remember this: If, though she love 20
she does not shrink from you, ii, thoue
she love you, her hand barely press
yours in return; and her lips Quiv'
and move away under yours; II, thou&
she love you, she does not shrink fro
you and fear you, and she jests Wht
she would rather cry, and mocks "
when she would rather caress-if 81
does none Of these things. why. the
you are deceiving yourself, or she is
ceiving you, or both. but she is no YOU