The Blue Glass Cure.

Otago Witness, Issue 1355, 17 November 1877, Page 20

The Blue Glass Cure.

One of the families in Nelson-street has a daughter nineteen years old, and of an attractive form and face. Her very black eyes and very thin lips .indicate that she is a person of considerable spirit. For the last six months she has had a sweatheart, who is a well-to-do mechanic, and very much devoted to her as she is de-^ voted to him. During the extraordinary spell of dampness which opened the paafo; week she was seriously troubled bs*h/ | return of a rheumatic attack, in whole withering embrace she had struggled for the past year. Her father, being a progressive man, easily fell into the bluer glass theory, and fitted up a window ia' the sitting-room for her convenience. Last Thursday afternoon, the father and mother being away visiting, she availed herself of the opportunity to invite her young mechanic up to tea. To be sure of his getting there in time for the meal (five o'clook), she told him to come an hour early. He cheerfully promised to do so. Thursday was the first day of sunshine in the week. The sun was very bright. This was an opportunity to apply the blue glass which could not very well be lost. So the young lady worked briskly all the morning at the bating, and at 2 o'clock she passed under the glass for an hour. The rheumatism was in her back, and she uncovered the affected spot for the admission of the light. While she sat there absorbing health, and beautiful thoughts of the tea hour with her lover, an evil spirit waß afloat in the air, with a package of woe under his arm for her. Her brother, aged seventeen, lounging on the Main street, was detected by the spirit in the air and closely followed. As he lounged he met and, passed numerous people on various missions bent, but he saw not the spirit hovering in the air above his head, but the spirit saw him, and watched him, intently. Coming by the post-office just as a sprucely-attired young man was coming out, the brother looked up and- recognised his sisters lover. They shook hands most cordially. Then the spirit descended and disappeared in the boy, and immediately thereafter the boy invited his sister's lover to go up to the house at once, which he said would be just as well as to wait till 4 o'clock, a view thai, made such 'a favourable impression upon the loVer^ that he fell in with it at once, and jbhey both went up to the house. And there she sat musing and doctoring, her fair face reflecting the quiet, hopeful happiness dwelling within her heart. And as she sat there musing, the lover and the brother, and the evil spirit, moved steadily forward. Nearer and nearer they drew toward her, yet she had no thought of it ; not the faintest thought until a quick step sounded on the stoop and she heard the handle of the outer door turn, then the dreadful danger came upon her. She uttered a cry and sprang from the chair, and with a wild look shot about the room for a place of escape. The open door to the china closet caught her eye, and without an instant of reflection, she dashed in there and closed the door upon herself. It was not a very large apartment, and offered no facilities whatever for the toilet, but the key happened, fortunately, to be on the inside of. the door, so the place afforded security if not comfort. She was no sooner settled than the steps entered the sitting-room, and the voice of her brother sounded,.followed immediately by that of her loyMfe Th« poor girl came very near to faintifflf dead away. With famishing intentn^Ss she listened to every sound. Why had he come so early. How long would he stay. As she thought that he might have possibly come to spend the afternoon, it seemed as if her senses would leave her. Her brother, who had left to search for her, now returned with the information that he could not find her, but believed that she had gone out to a neighbour's, and would be in presently. • , "She'll be awfully surprised to see you when she ccmes in," he added. She thought she would. And so the two sat there, and talked about one thing and another, until after the clock struck four. Still she did not come. Then the brother brought outa deck of cards, and they played euchre. He won every game. The lover found it impossible to keep his mind on the details. The prolonged absence of his lady rendered him nervous and uneasy. He found his thoughts going after her every moment. Gladsome expectation had now given away to oppressive speculation.' He found that he was beginning to doubt her love. Was this a cruel trick upon him;? Was ahe really heartless? Had she changed her mind towards him, and was this done to purposely avoid him ? These questions first hovered along the horizon of his mind, and then dashed across the space to disappear as quickly as they came, only to return again, and to return more frequently. Finally they disappeared no more, but kept upon his mind, whirling about so rapidly as to cover the entire space. He was very wretched.,

When the clock struck five, the hour at which he had pictured himself at her side cooling his tea with his heart aflame, not a vestige of her appearanca was observable. Then he gave up the last hope, and in a paroxysm of agouy he went so far as to order up the right bower. A sensation of tightness filled his head, and a sinking attacked the pit of his Btomach. And she in the closet crouching close io the door, also heard the tea hour strike, and softly sobbed in the wretchedness of her feelings. Half-past five approached, and then the lover threw down the cards and declared he most go. He tried to conceal the bitterness in his soul, but it was a forced effort, and made him appear very unnatnraL The brother had done his beßt to put a chderf ul face on the matter, but even he began to look troubled, and this heightened the lover's choler. He went much ceremony. He had been earned by a woman on whom he had staked all, and the humiliation caused him to so far disregard personal appearance as to, put his hat on wrong and draw it down over bis eyes. ' Poor girl ! No sooner had they left the room than she rushed from her uncomfortable hiding place direct to her own room. There she flung herself on the bed and cried till she became hysterical. Then she dressed herself, dried her eyes, and went down stairs. The sight of the cake, the sponge for the biscuit, and the cut-up oranges, overcame her, and she sank on the floor of the kitchen and cried again — cried with a bitterness that was pitiful in one so yonng. She now uses liniment for her rheumatism. — Danoury News.