The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-02-25

As we stood at last Oh inc Adnuiue
of the stairs, saying good night, she
said:
morrow" -
Beeches was a wooded hillside, dot
ted with huge masses of granite. al
the foot of which a rapid river ran
with most picturesque windings; and
there Lady Margaret had already
given me two lessons in sketchiHg
the spot to which we went being both
sheltered and sunny, so very agreeable
for the time of year.
To tell the truth, [ dreamt of the
things we had talked about, and when
Lady Margaret had met me In the
hall, after breakfast, in her short
black serge, aud said, Come, Mary,
or the morning sun will be gone. And
do you know it is Valentines dayr'
colored up to my eyes, because L
had said TO myself over and over
again, hope she will not marry again
oh, | hope, [ hOpeF
Away We went; the day was the
brightest that ever dawned on any
Valentine, l am sure: the sun was
like Summer, the birds were singing,
the primrOses were showing In the
sheltered places, and when we got to
the Beech, there was the dry rustic
of the beech mast beneath our feet,
and gay green patches where the
leaves of the blue hyacinths had
push their way.
20, this is exquisitel' cried Lady
Margaret. See the light on those
! glittering rOcks-look how the shadow
of those great boughs gets painted on
! them. But we have the river yet;
let us get up the bank and see how it
looks from above,-I declare, it is
| hot"
Lady Margaret was quite right. We
had walked fast, we were In a place
at once sunny and sheltered, and it
was moment Of as much enjoyment
and promise as any lady sketcher
could desire. She had got beyond me
now, by a rough path up the steep
bank, and she stood waiting.
y, Mary, it is deliciousl So peace
full, so prettyl 1t seems odd to think
of 50 much beauty going on, whether
or not there be any too look at it.
Nature is a prodigal. Here we are
quite alone; not a creature have we
seen-nOt a Valentinel'
And then she laughed like a girl.
She took one or two steps more, so as
to command the other side of a gran
lite rock, and then she came back
quickly to me.
80, hope he did not hear. There
is a man there, sitting down and
drawing water colors; what shall we
do?"
Go home" I said.
| don't know. The place is my
own. L shall speak to him."
She went up the bank once more,
keeping me by her side. But as we
neared the highest point of the inter
vening wall Of stone, the man APP
peared on the top. He took off a
cloth Scotch cap that he wore and
bowed to US. We were both struck
by the extreme picturesqueness of his
position, attitude and general appear
ance; and 1t was with a peculiarly
sweet voice that he said:
L know | am on Lady Margaret
Caryll's grounds; but hope have
not trespassed too far-too near the
house. | mean"
You are nearly a mile from my
house" said Lady Margaret: The
stranger gave a little bow. Do not
leave your sketch unfinished. The
scenery here is very fine, and you will
not often get so good day at this
time of the year" htza
" Thank you'll" he said. And once
more touching his hat, he turned
away, as if to go back where lady
Margaret had seen him. We, too,
turned away, and / thought Lady
Margaret looked disturbed.
We will come some other time -
then she added, after pause, with an
odd, short laugh, as it vexed at being
disappointed of our sketching hour
when there are no Valentines
about; and |. little chafed, per-
haps, by her Tanner-for the first
time IN my life it vexed me--said
quickly -..E.z-r
Nay, it was yonr Valentine-yOu
saw him, not |
"ChildP
[ started; stood still; took her
hand, and kissed it.
= [ wish | had never uttered the
word, cried.
80 do [, {" she said, "and 1 said
it, as well as saio it first; so the whole
fault is mine-kiss me, Mary. Therel
Now no mOre!'
And so we did not speak of it lust
then any more. But before the day
was ended we had both laughed
heartily over the Valentine, the vexa-
ton and the adventure. We called
the sketcher the Valentine;" we
wondered about him little, and fn-
ished the day by coloring up our morn
ing walk till it glowed as a good story
when we told 1t at little tea" to my
mother. There it seemed to end.
Yet, again and again, as weeks passed
by, L felt an unaccountable Vexation
rise IN my breast because Lady Mar
garet had seen the Valentine" At
last, when June was come, there was
something else to think about. The |
return to the old public days was an
nounced. The people were to have |
their fill of pleasure, and once more |
they might go home tired, loyal, and |
satisfied, if they would. The day FIX
ed upon was the 10th of June, and |
everybody said that they should |
make it point to co."
Then everybody wondered if Lady |
Margaret would leave off her MOURN
ing on that day-if she would really |
wear colOrs. | was a very slave in |
my love for Lady Margaret. / did |
not wish her to be gay after that |
fashion, l hoped, feared, wondered. |
!" hen the day came she kissed me |
lovingly, and was. dressed in rich
flowing, soft-shining gray, with a
white bonnet, and delicate marabout |
feathers in it; and the blessedness of |
her presence seemed to wrap me round
like garment.
Such day it wasl such lights and
shadows, such warmth and gladnessl
such a confusion of happy soundsl |