The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-09-02
was certainly having a very dangerous

neglected and altogether miserable /;
4 and Barbie's kind heart was panied to
| see her friends trouble. Once she ven-
tured family to demonstrate with Helen
r Derry, to which that lady only elevat-
ed her brows in well-bred surprise, and
without comment changed the conver-
J sation. t "aa -'H -
To Kenelon, Miss Derry's indiffer-
ence was of the kind calculated to an
noy him. So witty, polished, charrn-
ing, but inyincible, and all apparently
without design.
"Alex.," said Barbie, stopping her
brother one morning as he came whis-
tling gayly through the hall on his way
to see the horses saddled for ride with
Helen, "you must ride with Emma
to-day.n sl.,' .'...,, 80 .5..t -,
"Bdt it's understood between us that
/ go with Helen"
! You have ridden with Helen near
ly every day for the last two weeks"
I "Oh, well, if you insist" with evil
dent vexation, answered Alex"
i "If 1 insist oh, Alex ~ said Bar
bic, reproachfully; " must then teach
my brother, whom thought as chiv-
alrous and true as any olden knight,
the duty he owes tohis affianced bride?'
Emma Harris came out from the
breakfast-rOom, where she Lad been
sitting near the indow, looking quite
pale.
I "Alex. shall not go with me-" said
she. "You do very wrong to urge him,
Barbie." Turning to him she said,
Consider yourself excused, sir.' ! 7
Alexis. fair faced flushed hotly as he
turned away, but half an hour after
ward he pranced merrily away with
Miss Derry. .-, .-g ..r.
! "This has gone just far enough"
thought Barbie to herself, looking after
them; and when, after three hours
absence, they returned, she went reso-
| lutely up to Helen's room, and being
admitted, said quietly to that lady, and
without circumlocution Z" Helen, i
must ask you to do me the favor of ex-
erting your influence over Alex. no
longer; it can only result in harm, this
leading him to suppose that you care
for him, when you know perfectly well
that you do nothing of the kind"
al beg your pardon; l care "a very
great deal for my handsome cOusin."
Enough to marry him with the
prospect he hasm
Really, my dear Barbie," answered
Miss Derry, twirling curl, indOlently,
"you put such extreme cases-an old
fault of fyours. Alex. has not yet asked
me to honor him in that way, nor is it
at all probably that he will; and, of
course, under these circumstances it Is
quite impossible for me to say what L
would do" ygI ENT4rft :
Barbie was getting provoked.
II don't want to getangry with you,
Helen, but insist that you stop trif-
ling with Alex. and let my brother
alone, at least.n rFgEF TyUXFEj
And whom shall I let alone at
most ?'' inquired she coolly.
Barbie colored and continued -" Be-
sides, think it only fair so tell you
that Aunt Hannah likes Emma Har-
ris and has set her heart upon having
her for q niece; and if the match Isl
broken off through you she will not
forgive you for it soon."
This latter argument seemed to make
some impression, for aunt Hannah was
wealthy maiden relative whom Hell
en- Derry had no particular desire to Of
fend. r..
Accordingly, when she went down |
to the sitting-rOom, where Alex. was,
she suggested to him laughingly al
hear this Miss Harris is a great favor
ite of auntie. Don't you think it |
would be advisable for you to pay her !
little more attention."
"Bother aunt Hannah ~ |
"Can you afford to bother? She has
"a very tenacious memory" smiled
Helen. ... -.-r.5. .z.a -
"Do you ask me to be mercenary ?r
asked Alex. quickly, looking with his
frank eyes directly into hers.
II advise nothing, you rash Hot
spur" she said, sinking into a seat by
the window. 81 do not throw away |
valuable advice upon ears so needless
as yours"
Alex brought an ottoman and sat at
her feet. A broad bar of sunlight
slanted through the half-drawn cur
tains, and rested upon her shining hair
like a crown of gold; her soft, fair
cheeks were touched with just a thought
of pink; her scarlet lips were half
apart, and light breeze stirred the
ribbons at her throat and the fiOssy
curls that hung upon her shoulders.
She made most lovely picture, and
no one knew it better than herself. q
"Helen ~ exclaimed Alex, looking
ND into her face, You are as beauti-
fuI as an angelu'
She smiled softly, and laid her hand
upon her hair. "A step upon the grav-
ell outside attracted her attention; and
words, that deepened the pink upon
her cheeks.
"Get up, Alex" she said, gently;
"sOme one is coming"
Alex arose and threw the ottoman
in, 9, .n.,,or tpolx n boo1- from, tho to bln
and retired to a lounge. A moment
later, Guy Kenelon Sauntered in.
can unexpected pleasure smiled
Guy. "I thought you were riding"
"But you didn't think we We're 60
ing to ride on forever, like the ghost of
Herne the Hunter, did you," inquired
Alex. . @ 7
You might have had sufficient eX-
cuse for doing SO" replied Kenelon with
n glance toward the picture at the win
dow; "but i'm my judgment Miss Der
ry would not have been justified i'm
such a course by the attractions of her
cavalier" -. '''-.
Complimentary to me, upon my
word" ..r.. .-...
"Where is Alex ?' called Barbie,
from the hall. "a
"Here, may it please your grace"
answered Alex, going out to her, and
leaving Helen and Kenelon alone to-
gether. ..-.... -,st...r.. ~. n
Kenelon glanced at the piano. "Will /
you sing for me?" 1t '..' '.
If Guy had imagined it would be a
love ditty, he was mistaken. She ran
her fingers over the keys, and COM
menced that sad little ballad of Kings
ley's: .....-..r ..... .-..t.
go, Mary, go and call the cattle home,
And call the cattle home sr..s
Across the sands of Dee. .srr I
To Guy it seemed that he had never
heard a voice so mournful, or song so
plaintive. When the last note died
away, said Guy: -s-
lot as my lady sang for me ~
The song of the lost one who sleeps by the ,
sea-"
If you intend jest, it would tire me
if a complaint, Barbie would appreci-
ate it better"
Guy looked annoyed, as her light
dress fiOated through the door, and left
him to his reflections.
az shall return home at the last of
this week, believe" said Miss Derry
at the teatable, a few weeks later.
Neither of the girls looked particu-
larly despOndent at the announcement;
but Alexis. fair brow clOuded, and Ken
elon, the inscrutable, looked grave.
An hour or so After, when he sought
and found her on the lawn alone, he
-. oo,,l.l ;,1,an;,,o litflo S.,dlx- |