The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1864-01-14

dozen more, were gathered in the Low
old-f fashioned parlor ready to 90 int,
supper. Mary Everett, who had nev
er before met Miss Ash, looked at heI
: critically rs she stood beside Alice De
yon; the two having just been intro
duced by Thorne, who, whatever BIZ
might have betrayed when taken b,
surprise, was perfectly selfpossessed
now. e
There was no disputing that the
newcomer was the handsomest wo
man at "The Shoals" 1t was a grand
regal style which swayed a power Of
its own. The tall, full figure the
matchless complexion, with its color
clear and bright as dawn the great
magnetic eyes; the tawny gold hair
filling the silken net not full the
mouth SO ripe and tempting-all these,
with the misunderstanding, the aplome
OF twenty-five years. In that stately
presence little Alice Devon, with her
seventeen years and her primrose face,
looked Uniformed and childish. But
there was something about her most
sweet and tender and touching, which
made Mary Everett think of rose
bud with the morning dew still
on; and glancing back to the other
she hummed, half under her breath,
snatch of an old nursery song
"The sunhower with her brilliant crown
Looked lovely and tempting to the bee;
Yet not one drop of honey he found
In her wonder cup of gold and brown
She was false at heart, though fair to see."
Aggie French had not arrived at the
whole truth about the separation be-
tween Miss Ash and Howard Thorne.
She had not Tilted him. They had
given each other up mutually. 1t was
the fortieth lovers quarrel perhaps !;
for Miss Ash was of tempestuous tenn
permanent, and Thorne not over pa
tient. 1t was one too many, at any
rate for they had never made it up,
and five years had passed without their
seeing each other. In the meantime
some of Thorne's relations had died
and left him fortune, making him bet
ter worth winning. Miss Aggie was
mistaken, too, in thinking that her
friend came to "The Shoals" without
knowing that her old lover was there.
No allusion to the knowledge had es-
capped her in the letter but the cer-
tainty of meeting him had been her
sole motive. To do her justice she did
know of his engagement. She learned
that for the first time in her two hours
with Miss French before tea. 1t dis
mayed her not little. 1t was an OBJ
staele that she had not foreseen, and
she did not feel entire faith now in the
success which had seemed so certain
before.
When they were introduced she
looked at Alice anxiously. She was
not blind to the youth and freshness
against which she must contend. She
acknowledged to herself that the girl
ish face, with the bunch of blue fow-
ers (the treasure. .trove) in the soft hair,
had sweet charm of its own. She
almost despaired-not quite.
For some days she held herself aloof
from Howard Thorne and his little be-
trothed. When anything brought her
in contact with them, she was playful.
sometimes a little reserved
and sad, though kind always. There
was SO much variety in her moods that
Thorne grew interested before he knew
it in watching them. he began to re-
alize, now he observed her more close
ly, how royalty beautiful she was. She
had: been far less so in the old days
when he had thought the whole uni
verse bounded by her smile. Her
had changed too. She had
been imperious then-she was SO still
at times; but oftener there was ten
der, half-pathetic softness in words
and ways which made him think she
had grown sadder with the sad years.
Had her life missed him? There was
a subtle fattery in the thought against
which his vanity was not proof
He was not untrue towards his little
love in all these speculations, at least
not unconsciously, but they were dan
gerous. Very dangerous when, one
day, he suffered himself, sitting idly
and alone on the piazza, to wonder
what would have been the result of his
meeting again with Miss Ash if he had
never seen Alice.
Just then she came up the walk in
I l.. IT,. l.