Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-11-19
16LUABUs, OHIO, THURSDAY II MORNING

question had passed.
f"I-I met her last night" 7'ii ~
"She is an exceedingly nice girl, y
continued his friend. t'and / must say
think Hughes-you know, Hughes; he
was with us at Oxford, and has since
come into an immense mine property
far luckier fellow than he deserves to
be. But perhaps you were not told by
whoever introduced you that she was
engaged" ..fi-5 saaira,, .-..t3 4a 4ejls7
mo-" Henley said, with a blank
stare Of astonishment, he had not been
told. But was Beauchamp quite sure
sob, yes,l my dear fellow. I know
all about it. 10 l only saw Hughes last
week. He was one Of the party at the
Oaks, and he asked me to come to the
Wedding = - - '
aieOf course this information could really
be nothing to Henley. The only re-
markable thing was that, as he heard it,
his face grew, several degrees paler than
it's usual color. and his hand trembled
perceptibly on his friends arm.
When Beauchample left him his thoughts
turned to Miss Deyonport and the events
of the previous evening. There had
been nothing very remarkable about
them, but he could not help expressing
to himself an opinion that Miss Devon
ports manner had scarcely suggested to
him the idea of a lady engaged to be
married. With these thoughts in his
mind he determined to- 60 and have a
last look at the horses in their stalls, to
see that all requisite care was being
taken of them to enable them to win
both for themselves and their owner
honor and glory on tomorrow s rum
AS he was going out of the hotel
door, there confronted him., face to face,
once again, Miss Devonport, and her
manner was the manner of the evening
before and not of the morning. There
was, Henley fancied,a kind of blush
upon her faces as she met her partner OF
last night, but he was quite sure there
was uI on it very sweet smile, and as he
looked upon her he fert more disposed to
envy than to congratulate the lucky
Hughes. 1t was plain enough now
when Miss 'Devonport met him in the
morning she must have failed to rec6g-
nize him.. Henley felt half disposed to
speak then and there to Hughes ,fance,
and to make some inquiries after the for
tunate lover. But his acquaintance, he
thought, would not justify the liberty,
and he had come to kind of unacknow1-
edged decision with himself that, for the
future, it would be wiser for him not to
seek to renew his acquaintance with
Miss Devonport. =
+ The meeting had to be close to Rattle
borough, and on such occasions there were
always numbers of persons who came to
see the throw off. As Henley rode up
he reflected with pride on his appear
ance. He knew that he was well mount
ed-as man need wish to be, and there
are probably few pleasures more exquist
ite than that which is experienced by a
sportsman who is conscious that he be-
strides quadruped equal to any emer;
gencies of the hunting field. 1t was,
therefore, with no small satisfaction that
he witnessed the eyes of the spectators
turned towards him as he made his ap-
pearance; and the satisfaction was in.
creased when he thought that in the dis
tance he could desery the figure of Miss
Devonport mounted on the neatest Of
lady hacks As he approached near
er. Miss Devonport, for she it was,
turned her horse round, and as he came
quite close and recognized her. he ven-
tured to salute o. her with bow aud a
"good morning" But Miss Devonport
Remained, 81 aas hes fancied, ,,i quite
passive, oronly inclined her head a very
little forward in a manner emblematic Of
frigidity. What could he, have done to
offend her Z He almost wished to ask
for an explanation on the spot He was
puzzled, he was angry, he was hurt. II
was a line of conduct that he could moi
understand. Here twas a young lady
whom he had met at a ball, with hom he
had danced three or four times, who had
talked to him without the least reserve,
and who subsequently, took it Into heI
head at one moment to omeet him as a
friend, and at another as almost an EN-
tire stranger, just as the humor prompted
her. The whole thing was unintelligi
ble While he was thinking over all
this he was suddenly reused by the fa-
miliar signs that the hounds had scent
of fox. He prepared to join the main
body of the .horsemen, and as he was
cantering UP to the copse in which they
were, voice he knew said,"A pleasant
run to you, Mr.. Henley.'' He looked
round. and saw once again Miss Deven-
port, with the sweet look upon her face
that had attracted him so much two
evenings ago. s it. -s}i.f. li-- -
TO BE CONTINUED.