Bang!

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4448, 7 April 1883, Page 1

Bang!

AI ROMANCE OF HE FOURTH.

'bY VanNY FOSTKB CLABK,

He loved her —devotedly, madly. He watched her e?cry look, hung upon her every word, dodged her footsteps. He bad moments of delirious joy, and hoars of darkndffgpair., His name was Ferdinand Mo«ton. Her name was Blanphe Layine. fhe was his sister Jenny's dearest friend, and she came every sum* mer to pay a long visit at the Morton country se-< t. He' fully expected to marry her, on some future happy day, and meanwhile his expressive glances, his delicate attentions, h s fiery jealousy, should have made the whole case plain to her without the em harassment and insufficiency of word*. Not that Blanche was cruel or unapproachable. She was, on the con* trary.most gentle, playful, and affectionate towards' her adorer, but -he was just nine years <Jold, and she watt twentythree. *M

A year before, Blanche had inadver- ■' tently called him " a small boy," bat this year, this summer, which wsi to tee his lore affair brought to its startling crisis, she remarked, on her arrival': " Why, Ferdie.dear, how you're grown! You're almost a man." . After dwelling for several weeks upon this open encouragement, Ferdinand, on the Fourth, of July, the glorious.day of his country's freedom, attempted to achieve his own emancipation from the bashful habit of adoring through cracks of doors and taking fond but brief observations around the comer of the ' ' piazza, Hfe resolved to; ofler iboldly a gage cTamour. . Blanche had jttst come, down, us was her royal- habit,' very'kte to : breakfast. With her goldett head afid in her sweeping white draperies, she looked like a princ ss out of a picture-book. - "Oh, Ferdie," screamed Jenny, who was embracing her friend's slender waist, "you are all smudge,.and yon smell of powder! ,Do go 'way." . , . " Won't," and a grimace was the proper and brotherly reply, and at the same time he forced into Miss. Lavirie's.hand two small articles. ' " What arc they ? " asked that divinity, '-' smiling down upon him from the heights of her tall blonde beauty. "Bunch o' firecrackers an' a-piece p' sassafras : presents from, me/* Ferdie jerked out, in great agitation. *' pi)," exclaimed Blanche, - holding the gifts iv rather a gingerly way between. .j her finger and thumb, "what a generous ! boy ! I must find—" here she stooped to .. the level of his. shyly averted eyes—" that nice place en his forehead where there are no freckles, and'five, him a little kiss." * ;_" * * At the word, up went Ferdie's elbow across his face. '"Moo.'" he shouted, and shot out of the house. A young man may observe the star of his existence through cracks and around corners, and yet find the full blaze of her nearer, glory something of a nervous 1' shock. ' The twq girls, laughing, went to the breakfast table kept standing so late for '*■ their tardy, highnesses, and began eating strawberries with their fingers by way of an appetizer. Ferdie in hi* headlong escape. was brought up short, just outside on the piazza, by coming in oomact with a slender, pale, scholarly looking gentleman,, who was quietly pacing up and down. '. " Hallo! my boy," said the gentleman, setting up the small humaq catapult that had sprung and overtoppled directly •gainsthis diaphragm, "fiallp! whata,^ the matter?" „, ,"•> , #i . : " Nothiu'," answered Ferdie, with the pardonable mendacity of a lover, and iu.jj that choice American language used among small boys. :" Nothin'; I'm only - goin' ter fix up my fireworks." Yet he

liDgewTtPlWUt,-'- and ~« rh^iS^oTaprcffir shade crossing tbe intellectual and unfreckled- portion —«f—bis—face, wound hinfglfafLiojpd aj&pa* piljmr, aid. at last opened MH!iq%)9 this, .w. ay:..,-: "iJajvProfeßSor Angus." r > „o . "pWeII, FerdiejV the quiet man replied. "Say, Hike yon; and I was awful, glad when you came last night." - V" - *>■ ■«•'•". '\%*iXk',ocfin&%oisee father every summer, donr'^iytfu?*"- .*'.?■:'- -r< r i • ' • •'■•)■" -" ..■■ "?AtJd*^youujus*' edme to^ talk' about bookstand'Toti: of other iirj old ihinjjs, don't youP" "Of course." •tffhrfli 4lw I.»Moi'll'. lfke you.' >bd,' yotffe^gflftin- bAIaV 'aia't tyou? ": This' with" that' cheerfn-^iribrest*'with which chil*r«n ' ; '-' '■'■" • vn^ sad 1 !faß,t'/;biit updeniable," s»id the Professor, Ruefully' feeling the top of his head.** — . . — -tiWenVyoVre'a briclr, anyway. There's; tba*i'Mr Gus Clair—be owns the big hou«owe¥ there "i (Profeßsor Angus' foUlowW*l^ line' of Ferdie'n finger to some Elizabethan chimney-tops not fir off)— "that Mr 6ns Clair he don't come to see •Si»w? .'-Dttßi^JicVeaU here? •■'><- •-. / •t*»l§*^e«ryrdiyr'moßt." '■ ■ ••' " Oh! Then does^Mhe dome to 80e s

youP" ~~ - I •'Pltet iZdonlti^nt'terieehi'tnJ \No; he | con|Mf*t(»i*s^M«fl Blanche;" t i ■>-• i "'WelJ.thstl ghb^s He has very good taste, doesn't it ? " said Professor Ahgtts,' ■topptß^ffirtS-WSltrjtfsrKfefdrrthe pillar around whieLM^ste^Ferdie had twisted his knickerbockered Tegs in quite an intricate fashion. „ , , _ "iJh^Bfh'inr^l cjidl'vind; qsite a wicked; tragic little face came around the pillar with the last SOcaessfttl twist.' .-. "Why?" "JOaujp he, comes ter see-Miss Blanche, and in ] (tpr make loveto her. ,/ know.' srTiK;.,'' •> ',■_ ) ■ • < The Professor scanned small Ferdie sharply for-»«monjent, seenied to form a conclusiqn.and irjingrto control,^ quiver of amusement about his *lipa, remarked, " So you're in,lov£ with her T yourself, eh, Ferdje ?'':; in.^ ""*' 'V \ 'JJsw did'^ktfow that? ". the'young man je^cftfmetl, with.that affectation of gruffnesa we'uWe 1 io^.coyer .(he iqpst delicate feeling. Then softening to confidence as he looked into the Professor's calm and pleaffint ;ftcej l/he -Wdded i '"I ain't tall enough 'ter marry '"' her yet, but I'm growin, . J . , r-i.j .j » r •(, - ■■;. ~\ v ■/-.-.■■ " So 1 you arej,growing finely; land you must look sharp'and try to marry' her by all mean's!* J"> Wrdie's little' black Yeyes were keen, but, this friendly advice and sympathy "were delivered with a gravity that;disarmed suspicion. /'So;" AngUß went on.fV^tr Clair .cp.mes here often? " "Yes-; he^Qmesi with; Jack Pinner. Jenny's gpin,' .ter^marry- Jack, Pinner. But Jenny s only my sister; I don't care who she marries, anyhow." "Of course not." . " Glair said ter Miss Blanche the, other nißh|:t£fA*<tomii^oT«r on tUe^nrth of July, and you must gimme a few minutes alone. ><&re soipethin'vtQ aafc-yer.-, .Tben I jumped out from behind a rose bush, where I was hjdurj and he says,-' Confound the boy I 1' and then he says, 'I hope the next time we meet will be the happiest hour of "my" "life".' ' Say, Professor, 1 I'm goin', ter fix him so's he can!t say .notbin'. toheriflrdiylW." 1 l"! " ! ' J "Bravo,,! F;er^]nand. Then r yo.u,must ask her to marry'yW; but don't let him

speak first." ' " Bet I won't. Say "—and Ferdie put thßjC|ue^t.ion ! ,with the ,honest; self-djstru^t of -A^Jtue Iqvej—"do ,you .thint Miss Blanche likes, ,me? •<,.,, ... '^rn^ure sUe/idoes." .. ... Away went: the jpair of knickerbockers down the garden walk in a dance of triump^n^eteht,,.;, ? ,. v1 ..,, -„-,-* t( ,, Presently the two girls came loitering out on the piazza, with' arms entwined in the-wonderful fashion which girls have, and making quite a bewildering cload of white muslin, floating ribbons, straying lockj, |adep, jcoquettish hat* Discorerabte QutjQf thp, pr^Hy. con fusion was a little ro«n&ft>sy»ctafceked face with bright black eyes, aad.. set off by crisp tendrils of dark hair; that was Jenny's face. .Six inchesj^jgktr up • was a vision of calm blonde loveliness—pearl white for a certain ripe fullness about the iips; and that was Blanche's foce. The Professor gravely, raised his hat, and presemiy|Mr-MoTUm, with ai)pok in his hand.-'srcppelHoW- from' 'one of the long windows, pinched bis daughter's red cheeks, made an old gedtleman's gallant bow toßlinchf, then said,.," Angus, here.s - sometLii^ abtiut fae te^tiirjf formations I wish»yottd lookJver."* * ' . : - Professor Angus iook . the_ book, and just then there came dashing up the drive a gpauking t^of tkjrH (ind-a trap The gentlemafl aTlvittgJ'dn" *tiom' the Profes ' sor fixed for a memen,t his quiet, observant gaze, was a, tilli'Aa^'drome fellow of, twenty-fiveV a'iM&n'a tri'flS jtop stout per : ' baps for bis years, but'most 1 comely"; a

tri% J tap > k ( 3ad ; i 1 ixerhi»pß;^but a young: chap whojdrjTea bi« f ,9vp f .fine Jiorses, and has hisiwrn Eli^l^haQ; miDMpii.is readily.: pardowd a-littlei self-assertion. This, as . Ferdie«jt«iegT«j4i«di tO'ibe^jProfeasor^by means of -an; •ujri^oi^ contoMion; was Mr Ous Clair. With- him'was. Jack. Pinner, little Jack Pinner, the stockbroker, free^WKf ewjr>' dreS- . sed, libw^, mne»h . liked and admired attoDg'^ the boys." Jack jumped;do,wn, and" with the disregard -'Hii 1 gave Mr Mortott^tiod tfiQV fU'Rom d'ye do P " and ,fixed his round practical .eyes ' indpeH;aat>rktißtfnponlfi*a%iiti Ted Jenny I.' Jenny-made him' ril"'fascinating little pucker of the face that meant bale' defiance, half playful surrender, and clasping her jfamp hands ojerr his'varm^ttify went 6ff into tW housed looking most unmistakeably engaged. Mr Morton, impatient for a scientific discussion, drew . the Professor' inWthe library,: and so Mr Clair ariH Misa EaVine' wefe left tcfeeCher. Clair, after Razing c'rificaHy'/first' 5 at the . sky,'< then rat the^toer"of'biß- b&dfa J «'•' .masked; by >6f introduction' to 1 an important subject, " It's a warm^m&rn. iTnluokily, as he spoke, he looked down upon her lovely blonde head in an ardent way that conveyed subtly a notion of proprietorship4| SbStttfbfed off a little, vif 'he bad toWK'd'i&r, iluckedVfoie-i bit ' the edge*Ur awirpan* answered, llowly, •' Yes, it is warm." ' There, fell a silence. Clair plucked a rose-to^andrrhwheditr lifeOTit::with:one ■troke againstihe railiDg. !y Preßeatly J»e ; aßk«d» V:Woa'typu.take* »troll.P"s : -;i - "1 don't mind," •aid-Blanche, " though J tbink 'wt^rt^ireU enough here;" List-;

after the other down .the "steps, and they entered a shaded walk. v ." Won't you take my arm ?" was Clair's 'next advance, and ho. tried hard to .meet and read her-eyes. -. ~ r _ * i "' "Thankyou, but"l [niu'sf hold up my /dress." f Clair bit his mustache, md japsed into until they reached a summer-house "all covered, with sweet-brier. IThen he said, " Sit here and let me speak with you a moment." - She turned a little pale, tben slightly red, but answered, indifferently, " Oh yes." While she ■• was arranging her dress about her, • brushing down a frill there, 'lifting up a ribbon here, Clair 'waited ■restlessly ; then, as she folded her hands, 'he threw himself beside her ; bis impetuous breath swayed the loose locks of her hair, as he began : "^Blanche, you are an angel. All'these nappy weeks I've been longing to tell you how;devotedly I lo—" Bang 1. bang! bang! came a hideous explosion close.beliind'them from out of the tanglei of Vswi'etVbrier. , " Blanche started lip with'a scream.

" Who's that ? " exclaimed Clair, rashing out to find the cause of the disturbance. "Oh, it's yoa, is it?" he remarked, with a growl,; as he found ' Ferdinand cheerfully., and industriously loading.a«mall cannon.,^ „ ,• , . „..,, r !i< Yes," replied the imp, " I'm keepin' : the Fourth/ , - '.. r '< Ttia^T brute' of a child has stationed ' himself here. Let us go to the river," Mr Clair suggested to Blanche; She rose'passively and walked by his side, keeping always' a good space between them. It isn't easy to say confidential and. important things to a listener- who edges off, so Clair made for the boathouse, selected the shady side, again seated his irresponsive companion, and again plunged into the whirlpool of his declaration. "Blanche, I've promised myself that to day should seal my happiness for life. Let me tell yqu how fondly, how madly 110-" . ..■■ (i Bang! bang,! " Hurrah 1 hi! hi!" and the boathouse was quivering like a Eussian palace from the'force of the explosion. >r "It's that d—" Mr Clair finished his phrase with "detestable imp," and sprang round the 7 cor* neV of the building. Ferdie, rocking perilously in a small boat a few feet distant, nodded up at him in a . friendly .way.:. The suitor, trying to recover something of the eager yet languishing expression proper to his position, returned to Blanche and recommenced : " It's in your power to make me a very happy or a, very desperate man. You are the loveliest woman in the world. Will you be my w—". (To be continued!)