Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-12-01


parcel he had made. Finally he wrote
seven words-"Wil you wear these at
lecture tomorrow"
Another half hour OF meditation fol.
lowed, at he end OF which time he
signed "An AdmirCr" TO his note. slip.
ped ii into the box. snatched up his
hat and sailed forth. The clocks were
striking o ms he marched resolutely
up the steps of the Ayres residence,
looked the servant who came TO the
door sternly I'm the eye. said with n
steadiness he bad not expected. For
Miss Natalie" and abruptly departed
Three hours later he was In bed. with
the covers I'm astonishing confusion.
staring at the ceiling and applying to
the person OF one Matthew Bacon an
Infinite variety Of the most unriatter-
Ing epithets imaginable.
He might have known 1t. The fol.
lowing morning i'm lecture. when in.
stinct rather than actual perception
told him that Miss AyrcS had taken
her place across the aisle. he sum
moned all his resolution and looked at
her. full and fair She was bending
over her notebook with an appearance
OF complete unconccrn. and there was
not so much ns the petal of violet
visible about her from top to toe.
That day WAS celebrated In The an.
nails Of his class us that OF "Bacon's
Great Crouch" lie was. rs his near
est friends conceded. positively unfit
for publication. For half the after.
noon, seated ON one of the campus
benches. he replied with acCrhity that
too frequently merged into profanity
to all remarks addressed TO him. He
became in short order an object of
deriSion. Groups gathered about him
ana from safe distance hombarlcd
him with sarcasm. as small boys throw
peanuts ut Il Gagged lion-to make him
roar The climax WAS reached when
The most irrcvcrcnt Of his tormontors
exclaimed. "Who is she. Matte" and
all the others echoed the inquiry with
extreme relish. Then Matthew gath
cred his books and himself together.
and took his way gloomily 10 the H..
brary TO the supplementary reading
which the professor of English VIII
had prescribed 1t was precisely seven
! minutes later that he opened his eyes
TO their fullest capacity. drew II deep
! breath and then said Cad"
Intuition told Matthew the story in
Il word-she had kept at least one OF
| his flowers. Her supplementary read.
Ing was naturally the same us his.
She had been in the library that day
reading that book ana to keep her
| place had left the violet between the
leaves. The spirit OF Matthew Bacon
scared instantancously into the sev-
cnth heaven Of delight But she had
not worn the violcts as lie had asked.
She had rebuked him for the imperti-
nencc Of his Anonymous letter. He
was cad. And Che spirit of Matthew
Bacon plunged promptly into the meth.
crmost abyss of despair
! For fifteen minutes. which seemed
like ms many years, he sat. with his
! temples in his hands. gazing with un-
"ceing eyes ut the lines before him and
telling himself that there was nothing
J eft TO make life worth the living.
Through his prcoccupation he heard
the voice OF one OF the library pages
speaking 90 reader opposite to hin.
Mt the table.
The librarian says he's sorry. miss,
but 'Purradlzc Lost is out. Here's the
other book you wanted"
In lightning fash OF thought Mat
/ thew knew what voice ii was that he
would hear in reply
oh, dear said Natalie Ayres.
well, never mind. This will do"
! n phrase from something he had
4
in fragments at first, finally in one
connected whole. There is n tide--in-
in the affairs-in the affairs of men
which-taken-takcn at the flood
| leads on-leads on-leads on TO for
| tune"
Hastily he tore leaf from his note
book and scribbled a message which
would have been a credit TO boy OF
ten:
| Will you forgive my rudeness In send
! lng you that anancrmous letter. / did II
| without thinking and In, terribly rcpen; o.
| ont But I'm really all right indeed am.
! and my mother knows yours I was IN
, Ger a kind OF spell
MATTHEW BACON.
Slipping this epistlc between the
leaves where lay the white violet he
returned the book to the loan desk
and tifcn went back 10 his seat and
/ spent an apparent eternity upon a racl;
OF mental torture. At the last moment
the voice Of the page, informing Miss
Ayres that She could now have "Pur.
iadise Lost" threw him into panic
When he looked up it was to meet
ncr eyes. For a moment they stared
~ each other. Matthew turning from
pink 10 crimson and from crimson to
white and the girl with an enigmat.
i"al smile ON her lips.
III your mother knows mine" she
said presently. with an air OF severity.
don't You think YOU might go 10 the
trouble Of getting a proper inroduc
iionT' Then she laughed outright.
I'm afraid your letter is what might
ho called kind Of spell" she added.