Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 March 1878 — LOVE’S A B C. [ARTICLE]

LOVE’S A B C.

“ Going to Europe ?” The speaker was one of two gentlemen sitting at an open window on the second story of the “ Ocean Hotel,” Long Branch. Both the young men were smoking. “ Yes; I am going to Europe,” was the reply. “I will be frank with you, Charley, for we were at school together, were chums at college, and have been close friends ever since. I will say to you what I could say to no one else; and I feel I must unburden myself to somebody.” “A woman, of oourso?” said his friend, t ententiously, selecting a fresh oigar. “Yes; a woman.” “Miss Temple?” ‘' Isabel Temple. ” “ Just as I supposed. . But look here, Hal, is she not a bit of a blue-stock-ing?” Harry Darnley winced. He could not bear that any one should speak disparagingly of the woman he loved, and Charley Rossiter used the phrase, he knew, disparagingly. “ I do not think so,” he answered. “She ranks intellect above all else; is fond of the society of men of ability rather than that of mere boys; likes, in fact, to talk of things, not persons; in other words, is no gossip, as so many women are. If that is being a bluestocking, then she is one.” “Precisely. Reads Darwin, Herbert Spencer and Huxley. I don’t mean to be offensive, but isn’t thitJ your lialffledged female lecturer? Before long, mark me, she’ll be haranguing from a platform, probably in full Bloomers, with a monkey-jacket and a man’s hat.” Even Harry could hardly repress a smile. But he replied, warmly: “ You do her great injustice. She is a thorough woman at heart, with infinite capacities for sympathy, self-sacrifice, tenderness, devotion. Only nothing has yet touched her deeper nature ” “ You mean that no man has ever yet won her love,” interrupted Charley. Harry finished, without* noticing the interruption: “As she is full of character, she feels the need of doing something, and so throws herself heart and soul into all the movements, from the Radical Club down.” “Oh! yes; goes to feminine conventicles, where they read poems and essays, admire each other, and listen to transcendental fools lecturing. Faith, Harry, I thought you had more sense than to fall in love with a girl of that kind. Grant she is pretty, charming, fascinating, even. lam quite ready to admit the two last, and I know she is beautiful, but for heaven’s sake don’t marry any woman who thinks more of herself than she ever will of anybody else.” Harry took a turn up and down the room to calm his irritation, regretting that he had made a confidant of this cynical Charley. “You entirely mistake her,” fie said, at last. “ You should see her in the privacy of her home, as I have; for I first met her a year ago at her father’s country seat. Her little sisters fairly worship her; so do all the poor of the neighborhood. A woman more free from affectation, or who is less self-con-scious, never lived.” “And she will have none of you?” “ In every way I have shown my love, but she will not let me speak. She seems to wish to spare me a refusal, and in that reveals the delicacy of a true woman. ”

“ Well, old fellow, I’m sorry for yon. You’re not tlie sort of man either that really first-rate women dislike, and that convinces me that you overrate this Miss Temple. If she knew you as I do, she’d crawl on her hands and knees to beg you not to go away, but to remain here, and live for her. ” “Some day,” said Harry, with a sigh, “ she’ll find she has a heart, and then you’ll see how you have maligned her. She s the sort of a girl to die for the man shejovea.” “Stuff Sand nonsepse ! Sfio’fi dieifor nobody , «lid dyes, for hereon. Pardon the pun, I Know it’s ' intolerable, but it’s good enough for her. I onlv hope her hair, instead of coming nut'chestnut oolor, will come out blue Hal h»r “You may laugh at women who are intellectual, nnl sneer at them for blues,’’ answered Harry, sternly ; “but for my part I wouldn’t marry one who wasn’t. Think of being tied for a whole lifetime to a silly woman. But with nne as bright, as full of spirits, as cultivated ns Miss Templo for a wife and companW’ one ’ B homi^would never grow dull.

“ * A perfect woman, nobly plaon r d To warn, to comfort and command. And yet a spirit still, and bright, With something of an angel light.* ‘ * Heaven bless her ! I hope the mau who ■wins her, when I’m far away and forgotton, will bo worthy of bo rich a prizo.” “ I wish him joy of his icicle. The oold glitter of steel; all brains, no heart. Bite isn’t capable of learning even the ABC of love, and never will be. Forget her, Harry. ” " ' • I* Well, we shall never agree on this subject, so let us drop it, and forget I ever spoke. What say you to a stroll on the Parade ?” “With all my heart,” was the response. , Vlafcall see her tomorrow for the ,?m. tim , e ’ , Harry, in conclusion. 1 here s to be a picnic at Paradise rojks After that-well, Europe.” » Hittladid either of the speakers im- , agine that there -had been a listener to their conversation, much less that the listener was the very lady under 'discussion. But so it was. Miss Temple had oome to call on a friend at the hotel, and, finding her out, had sat down at the tabls, in her privatoparior, to pen her a note. Now this parlor was the next room to that occupied by Charley Rossiter, and, as the windows of both apartments were open, she heard distinctly every word that was spoken. It was Harry’s admission that he was going abroad which first attracted her attention. A sudden pang shot tlxrongh her heart, a spasm of absolute physical pain Harry had beeri so devoted to her for -more than a yeW that she had taken it for granted he would always be so. She had, therefore, nowish to change these pleasant relations; as Harry had said, sue shrank from him when he became too demonstrative; but, now that she

found, he was going away, sty) the condciousness mat he waeliUtinjMpj to her hsbtrigess, and it burst on her like a jeretafion. She listened, spell-bound, to what It upr* to her {bat she was eaves-dropjffdg; she was too intensely absorbed. While her cheek flushed, half, angrily; poxjjtoan once, at ChsrWys cynical criticisms, her heartdhrobbed frith strange pleasure a mitted that he was without hope. ,And it began to dawn on her that She 5 had been, unintentionally, a little selflsn in expeoting to keep him at her side, on her own tenrs, receiving everything and giving nothing. She saw, too, that the had misunderstood herself. She had been saying all along, and her sek;Sad said it also, that only weak, silly women fall in love ; that men werfe all alike selfish ; that her sex were the victims of their affections—“too emotional altogether,” as the high priest of the ic Club put it. It shonld be her care, Isabel had early declared, to avoid this weakness. Life surely had enough in it, even for a woman, without the need of love. But now her fine-spun. philosophy fell from about her. Now, when one whose society had, somehow,, become essential to ner talked M going away forever, she suddenly discovered what a dreary waste of years lay before her—what a hopeless, purposeless future. And she compared Harry, mentally, with the other 'men she knew, realizing, as she had never done before, how superior he was to all of them; nobler, truer, manlier, more intelligent, better cultivated, chivalrous beyond words—a Sir Launcelot in all that was great and good. And she blushed, with secret pleasure, as she thought it. But lie was going away for years. It was too late to recall the past. Yet there was one hope—a slender one, but still a hope. They were to meet tomorrow at the picnic; and, though she could not take the initiative, yet something might happen. Perhaps—perhaps— • Suddenly she roused herself, with an effort, ( for site had been thus ipusmg for long after the two gfehtlefpeh qpd gone and rising, ran down stairs "to lids' pony-pheeton, feeling like *u&©:me guilty thing, all at once' .-remembering that hftd been eaves-dropping. . Tnere wae. a great dinnerparty that day where Isabel was a guest, but everybody remarked that she was not hefsen. She was drill,'spiritless, absorbed l / jfler usual gay sallies, her contagious wit, were absent. Little sleep .visited,,..her eyes that night She was thinking, all the while that she had disoovered her secret too late; Bhe Called it a secret now; ggeek mrn rlio would have called it a go, was almost certain to go, witnout a *' > *

She dressed for the picnic tiext day with the greatest care. She was, in a fever when she reached the rocks till Harry made his . appear She feared something might happen to prevent his coming. l He did' not, for awhile, he came up, she, welooiwed him with a bright smile; and from that moment slie was the gayest of the gay/ Never had she been more brilliant. Half a dozen of the most intelligent gentlemen present were about her; she had a retort for each; the ball of conversation never flagged for a. moment. But, witjl aIT, she was restless.. She was hoping that Harry would give her a chance to see him alone; but he made no movement to do so. “ Why does he not ask me to go for a walk ? ” she said to herself. The afterneon was rapidly passing; her hopes began to grow faint; she resolved on a decided step. “How very warm it is,” she cried, fanning herself vigorously. “Iwonder if there is more breeze on the beach.” Immediately her attendants, one and all, offered to escort her to the shore— Harry among them. She put her arm in his. “I/will accept Mr. Darnlev’s kind escourt,” she said, bowing gracefully to the rest. “ They tell me he is going to Europe, and it will be my last walk vs;h him. The rest of you I can see dozens of times yet.”. The others took the hint, and, bowing, left Ifcabel and Harry alone. Neither spoke until they had left the noisy company far behind them, and quite out of sight, and had reached a rocky bluff, with the low, level sands stretching before them, and the long line of breakers whitening in the distance. “Let us sit down here,” said Isabel. Tlffey sat down, and, as the suif-Htafe Still wagin', Harry put up her iftlk umbrella and held It over her, Stiil heitfffl not speak. Something in (Jfcabei’s ner began to give him hope, yet he could hardly believe it; and lie feared to spoil all by precipitation. “ Are you really going to Europe ? ” said Isabel; and her voice trembled a little in spite of her effort to be calm. “ Is it not very sudden ? ” “ It is sudden; but it is the only thing left for me to do.” “Why?” There was a tenderness in the tone that was unmistakable, and such as Harry had never before heard. He looked at her suddenly and keenly. Her face grew crimson with blushes ; her eyes fell; she turned half , aside. Then, as if hardly knowing wh{t sbfe sttid, she began to draw lines in the did with Harry’s thin bamboo cane, whiah he had put down when he opened the unibrella. A wild, desperate resolution took possession of her companion. He was no faint-hearted knight r ; but, as he had told Charley, never before had Isabel given him evea-tke-slightest eaeouragement to speak as a lover. At this sudden shyness on her part lie took courage, and resolved to peril all “on the hazard pf the die.”*

Only ~ those wh» have been in guch straitsjthemeelvek, Imping ancfcjret fearing, btWfemnf monfthan they hoped, can know how he spoke. His earnestness, his passion, made him exceptionally eloquent, even for himself. Isabel listened with a beating heart, and with fast-changing oolor. He told how long he had worshiped her; how her coldness had driven him ti>7dfefc|&ir ; how, being about to go away for ever, he could not leave without' saying all this, even tfipugk he had no hope. “ Some happier man/’ he said, in conclusion, M will yet touoh your heart. I shall not hate him. I l6ve you too purely for that. Heaven bless vou both 1” She made no reply. But, if Harry could have seen her averted face, he would have seen that tears were in her eyes. After awhile, however, the tears ceased ; a look of perfect happiness irradiated her countenance, and then a roguish smile began to play round the corners of her mouth. She stopped and traced, once more, something in- the sand. But what she traced now were large, Roman letters—the letters “A BC.” “Haven’t you even a word for me?” said Harry, after a pause. “I haven’t, at least, offended you ?” “ I have some letters for you, as you may see, if they will do,” she answered, looking up with a mischievous smile; and then she demurely finished off the tail of the 0. n What (lid she mean ? Enigmatical as were the words, the loek made his heart high. He leaded toward her. She did not move away. He put hid arm about her. She did not shrink; on the contrary, she said, in a low whisper: “ Will you-r-give if I ask you ? And her appealing look was even more eloquent than her words. ”I Will give up my life, eyen,” fie an-

swered, passionately, pressing her to his heart. She lay passive for a few seconds with her head on his breast; theii made a fain* effort to release herself. “Not yet,” he said, holding her fast. “ Hot till you have told me that you love me. It seems too good to be true. My happiness would be too great.” “You must not hurry me s ” she answered, with a saucy, bewitching glance. ’ “ Don't you see I am only at the A B C ?” The look of those splendid eyes, her sweet head on his cheek, the close proximity of her tempting, inviting lips were too much for him. What could he do _ but kiss her ? “There, that will do—at least, to begin with,” she cried, laughingly, but blushing crimson; and extricating herself, with a sudden little movement, from his arms, she said: “You, at least, understand the ABO.” He looked at her with such a puzzled air that she broke into a peilof laughter. “Don’t be angry,” she said. “I am not laughing at you. I was in a room at the hotel yesterday, next to that where you were sitting. It was Carrie Stewart’s room, but she had gone out, and I was sitting at the table, writing a message to her, when I heard your voice. You understand now. The windows looking on the Parade were open in both rooms, I suppose ; yon must be more careful, Master Harry, in the future. And it was then I heard the talk about the A B C of love. ” And she laughed mischievously again. “ What a veritable sprite you are,” he answered, joining in the laugh. And catching something of hex sportiveness he said: . “But you must be punished few: eaves-dropping.” And he caught her once more in hia arms, before she could elude him, and kissed her again and again. “Oh ! but you’re getting beyond the A B C,” she said. “ Surely one— : is— quite—enough. ” “ One will be, or I suppose will have to be,” he answered. “I am waiting for it.” /iT She opened her eyes wide. “Waiting for it? Haven’t you hkd—a—a dozen?” ' 1 ‘ ’ - “* 4 ‘ Yes 1 may be. But none from you. ” “Oh!” . , u ll)7 “Certainly.” „ “Fromnie.” “Why not?” * She pouted. *#• “ Bat you lova me ?” - 1)n „ No answer. “ You love me ?” She looked up' from under her halfveiled eyes-, blushing rosily. “It is not much to” he said, “is it ? IPs only the A H C, you know. ” “There, then,'* 6he said, “that’s the A. We’ll see about the OB and C by-and« by, perhaps, if you behave yourself,;/ and she glided from his arms again, ana stood like a laughing Grace, full two feet distant. And there we leave them. But Harry was right. Isabel, once having loved, loved with her whole soul. “She does nothing by halves; she learned the entire alphabet, by Jovb 1” said Charley, speaking of it many years after. “ She didn’t stop, as namby-pam-by women do, with the A' B C.”