Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-10-21


something dark-purple | think
entered and looked around, as i
seeking familiar faces. Fora minut,
no one noticed her, and then, by lht
sudden rush toward her of ali the
girls and the rapturous, oh, Madgie
darling duckP sweet pet &C., anC
the amount of kissing that ensued,
knew this must be Miss Madgie TIL,
dor. A few minutes after l was in,
troduced to her, and my first feeling
was one Of disappointment. had
expected some marvellous beauty
and at first sight thought Miss Tudor
rather insignificant looking; but
Bertic, old fellow, | soon changed
my mind. Before she had been in
the house three days | got to know
that there could be nothing on earth
half so sweet as her heavenly, dark
gray eyes, SO calm, so tender; and
yet they could laugh like no others
ever saw. And then her lovely
head and masses Of brown
halr, and her sweet little deft ways
She was full of fun, too, and kept the
whole house alive-she's just the
dearest girl!
But must be boring you awful
ly, Old boy" continued Lancelot; "oi
course, you don't care to hear all this.
Anyhow, before | had known her a
week was agonc coon, and knew it.
won't bore you with circumstantial
account of my feelings during that
fortnight, but at last made up my
mind that | would ask her to be my
wife.
"Thcre was a dance on the last
night before we all dispersed, and
during the evening Miss Tudor and
l found ourselves alone in the con-
servatory. We had been talking and
laughing, but suddenly she seemed
to get nervous suppose because |
got confused and stopped talking
and began twisting her fingers III
and out of the chain which suspend
ed loCket round her white neck
trick she had. | felt very queer,
and my heart was humping up
against my waistcoat violently, for
felt the longed-for moment had come.
| tried to put my thoughts into words,
but could find none, and all the
time | was mechanically gazing at
her lOCket, and found myself re-
peating in an idiotic way, Seven
turquoises, eight pearls; seven tur-
quoisses, eight pearls At last !
summoned up all my courage, and,
mentally calling myself a great fool,
| began to speak.
81 don't know now what / said, or
how l said it: | only know that Miss
Tudor stood quito silent with a tiny
bit ofa smile trembling on her lips,
and then she raised her hand, and
put it, with the rose it held, into
mine. For one brief instant the
golden head rested on my shoulder
and the sweet lips were mine, and
then she was gone like a spritc, and
| was alone, dreaming over the rose
she had given Inc.
"Latc that night | received q tclc-
gram, recalling me instantly to Lon
don, and leaving a hurried note for
my darling, | left by the first train.
When | arrived | was met by my
servant, who told me that my bro
ther-thats Charley, you mow-was
lying dangerously i'll at my rooms.
The foolish boy had got himself into
some scrapo at Nice, ana had chal-
lengcd a Frcnchm2n--or q French
man had challenged him--I rather
think the latter; they met Charley
wounded his man severely, and him
selfreceiyed wound, which though
slight initself, became aggravated by
his travelling DAY aud night to escape
French justice. what with this, and
the dread Of having killed his advcr-
sary, (who | believed recovered the
poor fellow was just able to reach
London, when he was struck down
with brain fever.
"You know how dear my brother
is to me-you can understand what |
felt. For the moment even Madgie
was forgotten; but only for mo-
mcnt. AS soon as | could think
calmly at all | wrote to her. Her
sweet letters frightened the gloom
of the sick room, to which | was for
several weeks almost constantly con-
fined, for Charley'5 state was too
critical to allow Of my leaving him,
and at times | have almost heard her
voice, when reading the tender
words she wrote to me, as my be-
trothed wife.
"At last Charlcy's illness took a
favorable turn, aud | was able TO
leave him for an hour or two daily.
| used to take long walks-thcy
never seemed long, though, for Mad
gie's face was always before me, and
her image ever present. wherever
went,
zone day towards the end Of No
vember, | was taking my usual con-
stitutionsl in rather q depressed
frame ofmind, fora week had elaps-
cd without my receiving a letter
from Madgie, and was beginning
to get anxious, when | ran against
LitIleby Lupus, close to his own
door. He pomced upon me at once,
and dragged me up to his rooms,
where | had to submit to having my
hand nearly shaken of, with sundry
other manifestations Of his delight
at seeing me again. lie was smarter
and more of q snob than ever, ]
| Thought; and l inwardly consign.
ed him to very warm quarters fol
breaking in upon my meditations
about my darling.
GAS usual, before long out came
| his Jewel case, and he displayed
with pride several new acquisitions
| All Of sudden the scene in the con
scrvatory at Tynywtra rushed upon
my recollection with vividncss thai
startled me, and | found myself re-
poating Seven turQeisos, cigh
pearls was staring hard at a lock
ct, lying in a corner by itself. Itwa'
no, it could not bet must be al
accidental resembllnce--no--thorC
was dark spot on the third turqoist
and the Clipped pearl where the two
horse-shoes formed the pattern inter
laced. could not believe my eyes
How camo Madgic Tudor's lockct il
the possession of Littleby Lupus?
"Lupus had been chattering ON nj