The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1870-07-28

Agatha; while she turned her bright
eyes on him, and drew him on to talk.
She was always fond of drawing out
VIII; proud of it, too, little, knowing
how shy and reserved be was to every
one but his sister. Noel overheard q
little Of the conversation, but had moi
stopped in his slow, thoughtful walk
when Josephine came in again, with
heavy shadows in her dark eyes.
II don't call that a fault at all
WILL" said Agatha, cheerily, her quick
eyes noticing Why Noel stopped at last
"As tor me, I look upon ambition as
Que Of the cardinal virtues"
Donald and Will both laughed, and
as they did so, Agatha, smiling too, lis,
tened if the other voices in the room
were speaking. No; not a word, and
as the talk went merrily on, Josie came
forward quietly, in her soft, black
dress and took the seat Donald gave
her: Then Noel leaned against the
window opposite Donald, and, looking
down upon the girls, stood thus silent
", save for few words now and then
when he was particularly addressed.
AT last, almost imperceptibly, Agatha
who had led the conversation and
been the chief talker-drew back grad.
ually into silence, too, as she watched
and listened.
SO the shadows heightened, and the
twilight deepened round them, as they
sat in the window looking less at each
other than ont. upon the quietness Of
the summer evening, until Donald no
ticed Agatha's dreamy attitude and
something on her face which he had
never seen before.
"Miss Deuison is not used to 60
mauy boys about her as you are Joe,'
he said. "We tire her, I fear"
"Does your head ache, Miss Deni-
son 7" asked Will, anxiously.
my head ache? No; Why should
my head ache?'
"You are so silent"
Suddenly her face assumed a woe-be.
gone expression.
81 have such horrible toothache
sometimes" she said, 81 don't know
what t. do with myeelf when it comes
on"
Full of regret for having been unob-
served and needless, Josie's sympa-
thetlc little face bent over her.
"Oh, it's gone now," said Agatha,
unable to keep up the expression neces-
sary to continuation Of a malady,
"quite gone, thank >ou." And easily
and gracefally-as she did everything
she rose and bade them all good
night.
"Do not let us call it goodbye" she
said, eve shall meet in church to.mor,
row, at any rate : or stay let me say
good bye, because to undergo an opera
ton oneself is not bad but forbid
Noel to say it, one cannot bear to look
at the same operation performed on
Others"
"1n this mood you will have your
tlresome tooth out, Miss Denison," i"
laughed Don.
"] think I shall,' she said, with a
funny little smile in the corners of her
mouth. II have made up nv
mind to it. Noel, no good.byes for
you"
NoePs eyes said-against his will
that this was rather a selfish speech,
but ne was not sorry to abide by it,
and after Agatha's warm good-byes his
leave-takiug sounded quiet and indiffer-
ent. The soft still peacefulness of the
May twilight crept into their hearts as
Noel and Agatha walked home arm.iu-
arm along the quiet oil familiar road
and it did not seem strange to either
that they should walk so in silence.
Nor did it seem strange that, when at
last Agatha broke the silence, it should
be in subdued and softcned voice that
took its tone more from the one quie,
thought in her heart than from the
universal quiet around them.
"Noel," she said, IS they turned intt
the garden at Hill6eld, "come dowr
the rlver-walk, please. l want to speal
to you alone there"
They passed the house and walked
on till they came to the rustic terrac.
over the river, which Noel had covered
With ferns and rock.plants. Drawing
her hand from his arm, Agatha foldet
hers upon the woodwork, and looked
down the dim surface Of the river.
ut is very pretty here, Noel" sh'
said, at last.
"This is = fsvorite spot Of mine
DEAR" he said, trying rot to show an,
surprise at her bringing him here. I"
had the myosotis beautiful here las
year."
Glad you 2"
He too, was leaning on the ivy now
looking over and down to where, in a,
artificial cave, he kept two horned owls
He watched and waited for some move
ment from them, wondering Why h
did 50 all through the silence that fol
lowed her short answer.
he began to think he heard them
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