Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1904-01-28
DOUGLAS


The day l went to the country I
found Marcella mach depressed l
was told that Peter Douglas had gone
the day before. She said nothing to
ne about Douglas and supposed she
was not aware that knew of his hay-
ing been there. AT any rate. she gave
herself away by asking me to play
accomplishments for her and insisted
on singing:
! oh, won't you come back TO me Douglas
| Douglas, tender and true?
/ did not mind it at first but when
/ found that she could never go TO the
! piano without wanting to sing the
Douglas song l tired of it. Finally,
one misty evening when she appeared
more than usually depressed after the
| invitation to Douglas to come back to
her, she-well, she wept; wept with me,
an able bodied. fairly attractive man
present to entertain, amuse interest
her. l wished that Douglas would
come back and remain long enough in
| the grounds for me to go out and
punch his head.
l finally intimated that this Douglas
business was growing tiresome, think
ing she would mend her ways What
was my surprise when she sorrowcd
more for Douglas than ever. Besides,
she seemed hurt, if not offended, that
| should take so matter of fact view
of what she called tender associa-
TONS" and refused to allow me to play
the accompaniment again playing it
| herself and stumbling at every note.
| Something must be done. Two weeks
once year are too short to be spoiled
by such nonsense, and l resolved on a
| stroke. One evening, after she had
walled the usual plant to Douglas, /
went to the piano. and after a few
| melancholy chords sang:
o Mary. dear departed shade.
| Where is thy place of blissful rest?
See'st thou thy lover lowly laid?
| Hearst thou the groans that rend his
breast?
| l arose from the piano and went and
sat in a dark corner for awhile, then
| rejoined Marcella.
Don't you think" l said. signing,
chat anniversaries are very sad?'
Very" she replied. not sympathet-
ically, l thought.
Nothing more So sighed again.
/ II supposed you to be bachelor. 1t
appears that you are widower."
"How did you find that out?'
by your singing Burns beautiful
lament to his wife SO feelingly.'
Am l to consider you a widow be-
cause you are pining for Douglas?'
She got up and went into the house.
The next day was Saturday, and the
usual overflow from the city was ex-
pected. Marcella looked troubled.
whats the matter?" | asked
douglas moved farther away?'
She bit her lip. l didn't know then
why. but l found out before long.
Without any reply she went into the
house
In the afternoon when the express
came in the crowd came in with it, and
with the crowd who should come but
Douglas.
Well, upon my word, and this is
douglas, tender and true'-a pudgy,
fat, knockkneed little man who slut
tered.
would have supposed that Marcella
would have met him. Not so. She did
not appear on the piazza, and at dinner
time had headache. The next morn
ing haw her trying to steal through
the hall to get away to the woods, but
Douglas was watching for her, and l
saw him approach with the air of an
old friend, if nothing more Marcella.
who saw that was witness to the
meeting, blushed violently, made few
incoherent replies to his tender re-
marks and dash for cover. Douglas
looked puzzled.
There was little seen of Marcella the
Monday after Douglas had departed on
the early morning train. The same
evening she sat in an obscure corner
of the parlor with novel, / went to
the piano and sang
Won't you come back to me- Douglas,
Douglas, tender and true?
l sang the whole song over twice,
then walked out on to the piazza. 1t
wasn't long before l heard a few SOM
Der chords, followed by
o Mary, dear, departed shade,
Where is thy place of blissful rest?
I couldn't understand what had led
the girl to play such game. l went
10 Il Q..... q -