The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-12-26
M A u D.

CcSSeu WINDOWS. Nduu CuTlcu ueT llBB u
them all and came down presently in walk
| lous little boots, and garden hat A jaun
ty little figure enough Seeing her thu:
equipped, Iaul, who had been loung
| ing on the steps, volunteered to 60 Will
her.
Paul was thirty, Maud eighteen, and il
his society apt to entertain an unpleasan
sensation of being quizzed. Now, however
Mark Farquhar was looking on from the
piazza, where for the last hour ne had beer
| flirting with Esther Narian 80 she wa.
not altogether vexed. Mark had Just tiec
Esthers little blue silk cravat in a sailor,
knot and fastened it with his own scar
pin. His fingers had touched her white
throat, his black curls brushed her own
clear brown cheeks.
Maud tied her own cravat, and kept hel
| cheeks from such saucy neighborhood
therefore she looked with becoming indig
ration at Esther Narian, and went with
Paul, talking very fast till they were vel
ont OF hearing of the house, when sudden
ly she fell from the height of volubility
Hat to a languid monosyllabic mood. Pau
smiled to himself, and was quiet also. |,
was part of his creed 10 give his fish
plenty of line.
So they walked in silence over the sun
ny road. The breeze came fitfully from
the river, showing almost painfully bright
between tree and house tops vineyards on
either side looked sultry and Southern in
that glowing aIr-made one thing of the
painting hours and the fierce suns tha,
must bring them TO their autumn purple
and the mountain, a solemn wooded form
stretching up before them like the hug
p, rtraiis OF some mystic land Of delight
seemed TO recede as they advanced, a.
lands of delight always do.
Maud tagged and grew weary, and Paul.
!ookia. about FOR seat, discovered a stone
wall topped by some log. and seated her
She was little creature, sIeud, ana
1.-the in her movements, and just now pale
with fatigue, aad perhaps q little so.rowful
as she took OF her hat and leaned against
the tree trunk, looked less a woman than
some sweet child whom Paul could take in
his arms without blame and hush into
quiet. All about her WAS dainty, pure and
neat; the edge of II snowy skirt shOwingas
she sat perched upon the logs, the little
rutfie ather throat the handkerchief peep
ing from the braided pocket Of her dres.
even as became such 4 little lily sprite
She was def, too, III her ways; what she
touched fell naturally into its place a
though her little fingers were decalogue
of or3~r-a vcli!tbie home fairy, that
would sit naturally 10y a man hearth and
nestle lovingly in his arms aud heart
thought Paul; and, 20 thinking. he look
d at her with \ light in his dark eyes
that brought the L,ood readily TO her
checks
Why arc you 50 silent? Tell me wha.
you we're thinking about, she said hast
~
I? did you might lie IN the plight
OF Aladdin, who rubbed an old lamp and
summoned a genie
What 90 you mean
Or Ike The people who, digging for
vel stuck on the gate cf Herculane
Ia
Her eyes were sparkling, her color be-
eng ic'it 'rI> lS{;.-!,t5no3, ih6wgS3r,p ohly n
. swift slean from his eyes.
or, perhaps, he i.awled, you would
thiaE. If you knew of what was thinking,
ton uchi'g the prophets loues, the more
What aIe yen saying?
Maud 'Len gave herself & Little peevish
shake
! will not be 80 teascd What are you
1t unfortunate that n prophets b mes
are not TO be found in every grave, pur-
sued Paul his eyes dancing. Farcy tle
Sisters receiving their father back to life
in that style
Maud burst into laugh then came
back to the subject, for she was persist
ent little thing
Mr. Drydehr
Miss Maud
| am not to be evaded shall pro-
ceed to extrenities, holding up her little
hand
Il defy YOU
The hand descended on his ear as if so
much thistle down had lighted there but
Paul caught the fingers. and when she
tried 10 withdraw them, held the2n fast
looking straight INTO her eve in a way that
brouch: the long lashes swiftly down on
her flushing checks, and made her silent
for q moment Hitherto she had seen him
with hereye and heard hin with her ears
but never had taken him in mentally.
Nowsh recognized his individuality with a
subtitle thrill and trembe incomprehensi>
ble to herself Paul still held the passive
hand still watched the downcast eyes and
changing face
4 was thinking Of YOU he said soft
ly
What of me
i will not tell you now
why, then, did You make ME curious?'
Are you curious?
VERY
You shall know it, then, in just two
weeks
That Is a long time returned Maud in
some surprise. T. A short time, thought
Paul, for what have to do
You will not forget?
never forget
Hiau' s'.', "a '-S0"ta narasol. a white plume,
a trinity beited morning dress. Mass OF
yellow hair, face dazzling white-Esther
Varian, in short, and with her Mark Far
quhar Esther nodded toward them with
a little air of triumph. Mark put up his
glass. Maud colored with anger 1t was
not enough to pain aud would her 1t
must be done openly, that the world night
know that she suffered He was piivleg
ed 10 say with look and action, what, as a
Gentleman his tongue might not utter /
what as a woman she must endure in
silence.
She had quite forgotten Paul, bat now
he made her look at him, though whyshe
could not tell, as he had releasedher hand,
and certainly had not spoken. Thea his
face, nothing could well be more quift,
than his eyes nothing steadier; but in that
very quietnes she found in some way
strength and reinsurance, ,andin that deep,
calm something of command to which
she Yielded Her color died away 10
paleness, thes,spsrkle to look 0! weari
ness.
sPlease take me home, she said put
ting out little hand, to be helped
down.
They went back in silence. Maud was
questioning herself. That morning Paul
had loun:ed by her side, and she thought
of him very much as Of the bird skiinming
before them, or of the vIew-something en-
tirely external toherself. She had known
Paul year. What had he said or done