Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-10-26
T L O w E. f
w 9 r % S
How an Ideal Nan Declared
His Love
By ANNhBEL 2. CARTER

Ethan Atwater was a well educated
young man, with fortune, good looks.
good health ana q good mind. His
occupation was seth occupation and
amusement. lie studied and did some
scribblng, occasionally sending very
pretty verses TO agsEines.
Atwater lived In q small place. but
n very old one. Maay Of the dwellings
stood alone and Gtten IN the center Of
large grounds. T1ts ho1sss was Quaint.
and the grounds were q marvel OF good
taste. On entering his study one
would Immediately be impressed with
the fact that Il bad been furnished
and decorated by d. artist with an ex-
Cuisite sense for harmony IN color.
Through the window appeared grounds
that had evidently been arranged by
landscape gardener. Both the artist
and the gardener were Ethan Atwater.
Atwater had been drawn to one or
two different women ut different times.
but had sooner or later discovered
something IN one or the other to offend
his sensitive taste, something that
either smacked Of coarseness or an
absence of ideality. Not that he was
q sentimental man. he may rather be
called a man Of sentiment. The senti-
mentnl was as repulsive to him as
coarseness.
On Atwaters return from q Journey
he found that the place next adjoining
his on the east had changed hands.
The same day he saw q young lady go
into the house whose appearance
struck him favu1Eoly. Her apparel
was in good taste. Her hat appeared
TO have been made neither for giant
nor a dwarf. The eolors OF which her
costume were composed were subdued.
Her face, too, bespoke innate refine
ment.
1t was In the autumn that Atwater
first saw this girl and nearly every
day after that he observed her either
going out or coming in or at a WIN
dow. His first impulse was to assume
the privilege Of q neighbor and 60 IN
and call on the newcomers, but it oc-
CURED to him that he would take
pleasure in studying the girl from the
brief distance that separated their
abOdes. One OF HIS theories was that
refined person could not be unre-
fined; that an ideal person could not
be commonplace. If she were both
ideal and refined she would show her
ideahty and refinement to him with
out an acquaintance. If there was a
lack Of either he would be able to de-
tect it without speaking TO her or be
ing spoken to by her.
Within n few weeks he had witness
ed acts on the part Of his neighbor IN
dicGtins traits that he considered usu-
al 10, If not essential to, refined ma
ture. BE saw her receive. child who
came TO her house and knew at once
that her heart warmed to children.
he was standing ct q window when
she attended an Old lady to her car
rage and was sure that she sympa-
thiZed with the aged. These are but
individual instances Of Atwater's OBJ
servatiOns, no one Of which was Of su-
preme importance, but all. taken to-
gether, Indicated nature such as he
could admire and revere
Then be went away for awhile.
When he returned he made a discoy-
ery. The young lady next door did
not appear either in the grounds or ct
a window. de began 70 fear that he
had seen her for fhe last time That
fear was akin 90 pain. He was tempt
ed to make inquiries. but knew no one
to ask. After q week of chatting one
afternoon he saw her drive up to the
house IN a carriage and received with
demonstrations Of affection by the
other members OF the family. Atwa-
ter lcnged to jump out OF the window
and take her In his arms himself But
this was On impulse that didn't count
for or against his natural Idiosy
sies.
Later he made another discovery
similar to the Grst. BE saw a very
handsome young man leave the house
next door and the young lady follow
him out to the gate. apparently loath
TO have him depart. This time It was
revealed to him not only that tho
young LADY was 4 person of interest
to him. but that he objected to her be
Ing Of interest 70 any other man
From this point she ceased to be Il
matter OF study By observation She
was TO be appropriated.
My story up to this point has been
very one sided, and II must continue
for the present to he one sided II Is
not TO be SUPPOSED that a gir may be