Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-02-26
Queen Victoria had been kept; and in
my time it had always been Lady Marga-
ret'swed dding-day. = &

| during all that time the wondering as tC
| the possible .fete days of the future was
every day renewed. During all this time
Lady Margaret had been the angel of ou1
house. She had won my mother out oi
her desponding grief for my fathers early
dedth, and she made me love her as could
otahope by any description to make any
body understand. Iquite worsbiped Lady
Margaret Themost perfeo lady could
echo the village Judgment now from my
| own heart, and because Of my own expe
rience; and generally Lady Margaret was
even more delighted in as a widow than
she had beensas wife-our perfect lady
Lady Margaret used often to have me stay
with her at Kempton Court; and rather
more than six years after her husbands
death, when I was her guest.it being Feb
ruary, and in fact, st. Valentines eve, she
said. - ~ e. sAR
"Mary the people have been six years
without their public days in the park.
am thinking this year of beginning them
again. wonder if it would be liked?"
| spoke positively of the pleasure il
would give; and when looked at her
beautiful young face-she could not have
been more than twenty-seven, l think
| felt glad that she would no longer deprive
our little world of SO much loveliness oi
person and mind. = ~
And you will go tagain-see friends,
| I mean"
Yes" said she; but shall not go to
London this year, think"
Then knew that by degrees the old
ways were to be returned to, and I was
glad. Yet with my gladness there min
| gled girlish regret, because / felt that
| Lady Margaret might become something
| else-something not known to me-that l,
who had only known her so very well
since her widowhood, might lose a some
thing, and that what lost others would
gain. had begun to be jealous of the
world already.
She talked very merrily that evening
she spoke of her maiden life, of London,
of my looming out t"-for was seventeen
of people who had been beauties and
| heiresses; of some who had married well
and others who had married ill of love ia
a cottage and of those who had agreed
that, considering the chances of this
| mortal life, "tis best repenting in a coach
and six" was amused and interested
| beyond measure. She spoke with a bril-
liant familiarity of the life of her youth.
1t came back to her in memory with evi-
dent pleasure, and we stayed up gossiping
much beyond our usual bedtime.
AS we stood at last On the landing of the
stairs, saying goodnight, she said:
"Shall we walk to the Beeches to-mor-
row."
20, yes. I exclaimed; for the Beeches
was wooded hillside, dotted about with
huge masses of granite, at the foot of
which rapid river ran, with most pic
turesque windings, and tn ere Lady Marga-
ret had already given me two lessons in
sketching,. the spot to which we went
being both sheltered and sunny, and SO
very agreeable for the time Of year.
To tell the truth, l dreamt Of the things
we had talked about, and when Lady
Margaret met me in the hall, after break
fast, in her short black serge, and said,
"Come, Mary, or the morning sun will be
gone. And do you know it is Valentines
day." | colored up to my eyes, because
I had said to myself over and over again,
Il hope she will not marry again-Oh, I
hope, hope!" ..@,r-
Away we went 1.-THE day was the bright
est that ever dawned on any Valentine, I
am sure; the sun was like summer, the
birds were singing, the. primroses were
showing in the sheltered places, and when
we got tolthe Beeches, there was the dry
rustic of the beech mast beneath our feet,
and gay green patches where the leaves
of the blue hyacinths had pushed their
way. F A
90, this is exquisite p cried Lady Mar
garet. See the light on those glittering
rocks-look how the shadow of those
great boughs gets painted on them. But
the bank and see. how it looks from above
I declare, it isShot."
Lady Margaret was quite right. We
had walked, fast, we We're in a place at
once sunny and sheltered, and it was a
moment Of as much enjoyment and prom
Use as any lady-sketcher could desire.
She had got beyond me now, by a rough
path up the steep bank, and she stood
waiting.
go, Mary, it is delicious! So,peaceful,
so pretty Z 1t seems odd to think of so
much beauty going on, whether or not
prodigal. Here we are quite alone, not
tine" e0Si HG7 Z W.1M ! V
And then she laughed like girl. She
took one or two steps more, $50, as to COM
mand the other side ola granite rock, and
then she came back quietly to, me. r.
60, hope he did not hear. There is a
man there, sitting down, drawing in water
<celors; what shall we dol?"R atGO ~ .-id
eco home," said.
az don't know. The place is my own.
/ shall speak to him."
She-Went up the bank once more, keep
ing ME by her side. But as we neared the
highest point of the intervening wall of
stone, the man appeared on the top. He
took off cloth Scotch cap that he wore,
and bowed to us. We were both struck
by the extreme picturesqueness of his po.
sition, attitude and general appearance !;
and it was with peculiarly sweet voice
that he said I ! 4 IN 'TEs
"I know T am on Lady Margaret Ca.
ryll's grounds But L hope / have not
trespassed too far-too near the house, I
mean"
"You are nearly mile from my house"
said Lady Margaret. The stranger again
gave 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" fsr.
Thank your he said. And once
more touching his hat, he turned away,
as if to, go, back to, where Lady Margaret
had seen him. We, too. turned away,
and thought Lady Margaret looked dis
| turbed.
|, > 8 We will come some other time"-then
! she. added, after a pause, with an odd
short laugh, as if vexed at being disap-
pointed of our sketching hour" when
there are no Valentines about !" and I, a
4 little chafed, perhaps, by her manner-foI
1 the first time in my life it YeXed me-said