Show I 1 my 6 cousin horace horac L B 11 y M X A IL Y E C L I 1 A R K X she is a woman that is enough to make me dislike her 1 the words fell upon my ear as I 1 lay just waking from my afternoon nap upon my sofa ho horace racel my bly aunts gentle penile voice uttered the word in a reproachful tone and I 1 knew that her son bon whom we had been expecting home from his european trip for some days had arrived egl eil 1 I did not mean to grieve you mother 2 said the first voice 1 I do love you if you you yoa are a woman batoh but oh mother if it you knew knew what horace 1 1 I wrote to you about amy how I 1 loved he her r how gentle true and fair she seemed and how slie site made me believe I 1 was the only one I 1 she loved I 1 well horace you wrote that she had I 1 promised to be your wife next year 1 I 1 ISh she evas was married to tw another one week before I 1 left E england and she had bad deceived me she loved hu him ll 11 all the time but they quarreled and while they were estranged she met me they met again were recon reconciled clied and I 1 well it is over I 1 sprang up from the sofa ashamed of the part of eavesdrop eavesdropper eaves drop dropper er I 1 had been unintentionally playing and Tegan regan began to dress for tea As I 1 stood before the glass I 1 mentally drew a contrast between the amy he be had so often described in his letters and the face before pie me she had fair light curls blue eye eyes sand and blonde complexion with a tiny fairylike fairy like figure I 1 was a tall tail full figur fi gurewith emrith jetty hair and e eyes y es a gipsy complexion and dark crimson roses on my cheeks cousin horace was tall too not very handsome but manly strong and talented with an erect free carriage and nd flashing eyes rug rugged gred features and a loud ringing voice all this I 1 knew from his mother for we had not met since we were children so be he has determined to hate me because I 1 am a woman I 1 thought as I 1 braided the black hair and looped it near my cheek well it wont break my heart I 1 guess I 1 came into the parlor with quite self pos session and was introduced to my cousin he started to find the little he girl rl he remembered a tall woman but I 1 think he felt relieved that I 1 did not in any way resemble the lost amy coldly distantly polite was his greeting and mine matched it we chatted on different subjects till tea time and I 1 took the earliest opportunity to retire and leave the long parted mother and son together we were in a pleasant country house on the banks of the delaware passing the summer but we knew none of the neigh neighbors dors gors and horace and I 1 were forced to become friends we walked and rode together but always chatted on general subjects and with the formality of perfect strangers it was exceedingly tiresome all my other cousins cousins when I 1 had visited them had treated me like a sister and I 1 enjoyed it but this iceberg of a man talked in dis ris his stately composed way eay as if we were entire strangers meeting in in a crowded saloon and yet strange as it may seem I 1 looked forward with impatience to our walks or evening chats longed wished for them my cousin was talented and had traveled not to return and prate idly of the wonders he had seen but bilt to profit by them and improve the areat reat min mind J d god had given him fourby hour ly hour e could converse of all he had read road or seen without one egotistical remark or anecdote of his own powers I 1 could listen I 1 losing osing I 1 little by little my heart to one who I 1 reflected bitterly cared nothing for it I 1 would pace my yoom my heart sw swelling ellin almost to bursting Y with ith the mingled ed love ans and in ing to go home and yet his voice the fall of his foot upon the stairs calmed me and I 1 hastened down to listen to him and return more miserable than before he never referred to amy but sometimes when speaking of his stay in england edgland a bitter smile would flit over his face as if the reminiscences he spoke of were connected with others buried deep in his own breast one morning while we were at breakfast 0 a car drove droye up and from etwas it was hoisted a large box containing a piano cou cousin in said horace you were lamenting dg the abs absence ence of a piano last week wi will I 1 you use this one the delight and gratitude I 1 felt at this kind thoum thoughtfulness were crushed b by the C ness like tone of his voice voiced I 1 awed bowed tried to speak and finally ran up stairs and cried I 1 could not tell why it was i lery iery tery kind of him to indulge me in my favorite pleasure but he evidently hated me all the while else why that chilling tone it was a merely polite attention offered by a gentleman to a lad iad lady Y nothing 0 more he has no heart no fee feeling lingI p I 1 thought as I 1 dried my eyes but before ni night P I 1 chan changed a ed my opinion we were seated in the parlor with no light but that of the moon as it pou redLin redin relin at the open windows and I 1 opened the piano it had a fine deep tone an dafter my fingers once lighted upon iti ita forgot everything every everything else horace and my aunt were silent I 1 p played for some time when a deep bitter sigh made me look up auntie was gone my cousin sat upon the sofa his head bowed down and his face buried in the cushion are you ill I 1 asked crossing the room no 1 no but music such music as yours recalls many things you are a fine performer cousin but fiut it is nothing compaan compared to the soul music you pour out I 1 could be a better man if I 1 heard such often y my heart bounded high at this his hirst first compliment ment 1 I love hove music I 1 said fenily ge gently nily F 1 I love it too cousin chave ave sat for listening to a harp played by ra 0 ile he paused I 1 knew what he meant ana and ad my heart eart full of sympathy I 1 softly laid my hand upon his thick curls the action slight as it was recalled him it is getting late I 1 will close the piano a and nd then good night cousin 21 cold distant stately he rose letting my hand fall from his head never heeding it I 1 went ident up stairs it iab wab was the drop too much in my cup and humiliated by the thought that I 1 had given my love unsought for I 1 passed the night in sleepless tearful agony the next morning I 1 resolved to return ho home me and was more determined by hearing one phrase which fell from horaces lips just as I 1 entered the breakfast room it was never mother I 1 can never trust another woman I 1 turned from the room and went out into ined the open air I 1 was choking stifling all unheeding where I 1 strayed I 1 went ident on ont eward toward the bahof bank of the river I 1 thought of the loving kind attention toward his mother his gentlemanly bearing to our few visitors his kidun ostentatious benevolence to the poor with whom he came in contact and contrasted it with his cold indifference to myself till I 1 grew nearly frantic then my thoughts turned to that silly girl whom he had loved false deceitful ceita ul as she was and I 1 hated myself that I 1 had no power to efface her image image from his heart 1 I dark and tall dis disgusted stud him when her angel face rose before izu ISU ins minds eye I 1 was handsome and did not want admirers to tell me so my heart f full till of bitterness and sorrow I 1 dashed on hearing the waves of the river kiss the shore fifty feet below me and sometimes looking down the steep bank half tempted to end my misery like sappho I 1 was standing exhausted with my passionate haste leaning against a tre ewhen a deep manly voice called loudly kate kate where are your you I 1 startled lost my balance and fell down aown the steep bank there vas was vasa a rushing sound in my ears and then I 1 lost consciousness I 1 was lying on the sofa when I 1 recovered my senses I 1 felt strong arms around me as I 1 lay there too bewildered to open my eyes I 1 felt too hot tears dropping on my face and I 1 heard oh music a ri 1 ch deep voice broken with sobs saying katel kate darlne darine darl dari darling nF my own kate speak to me do not lie so still like death kate and then oh she is dead I 1 shall never be happy now I 1 opened my eyes and then as of old afraid to trust his own hearts choice he started to draw back but I 1 nestled close to the broad chest and clasped clasped the hand that drew back horace 1 whispered love me trust mel mei me well I 1 cant write any more because I 1 am employed in twisting orange flowers into the most becoming t shape for a wreath and tomorrow my cousin horace becomes else to me |