The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-10-19

all points, and yet loved by her own
SEX
"You may imagine was rather
impatient to behold this wonderful
being. 1t was o wet day, and most
of us were lounging disconsolately
in the morning room, lamcnting oven
the damper put upon our out-of-dool
plans by the weather, when the door
opened, and quiet figure dressed in
something dark-purple l think
entered and looked around, as il
seeking familiar faces. Fora minute
no one noticed her, and then, by the
sudden rush toward her Of all the
girls and the rapturous, 'Oh, Madgic J!
darling duck Y sweet pet &c, and
the amount of kissing that ensued,
knew this must be Miss Madgic Tu.
dor. A few minutes after l was in
troduced to her, and my first feeling
was one of disappointment. l had
expected some marvellous beauty,
and at first sight thought Miss Tudor
rather insignificant looking; but
, BERTHE, old fellow, l soon changed
my mind. Before she had been in
the house three days l got to know
that there could be nothing on earth
half so sweet as her heavenly, dark
gray eyes, so calm, 80 tender; and
yet they could laugh like no Others |
ever saw. And then her lovely
head and masses of golden-brown
hair, and her sweet little deft way
She was full of fun, too, and kept the
whole house alivc,-she's just the
dearest girl!
"But | must be boring you awful
", old boy" continued Lancelot; "oi
course, You don't care to hear all this.
Anyhow, before had known her a
week was gone. 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 dance OH the last
night before we all dispersed, and
during the evening Miss Tudor and
| found ourselves alone in the con-
scrvatory. We had been talking and
laughing, but suddenly she seemed
to get nervous-I suppose because |
got confused and stopped talking
and began twisting her fingers III
and out of the chain which suspend
cd lockct 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-
pcating in an idiotic way, Seven
turquoises, eight pearls; seven tur-
quoisses, eight pearls At last l
summoned up all my courage, and,
mentally calling myselfa great fool,
| began to speak.
81 don't know now what | said, or
how said it: 1 only know that Miss
Tudor stood quite silent with 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 spritc, and
| was alone, dreaming over the rose
she had given me.
"Late that night l received tcle-
gram, recalling me instantly to Lon
don, and leaving hurried note for
my darling, | left by the first train.
When | arrived was met by my
servant, who told me that my bro
ther-that's Charley, you knOw-was
lying dangerously i'll at my rooms.
The foolish boy had got himself into
some scrape at Nice, and had chal-
lcngcd a Frenchman--Or French
man had challenged him-I rather
think the latter; they met, Charley
wounded his man severely, and him
self received a wound, which though
slight in itself, became aggravated by
his travelling day and night to escape
French justice. what with this, and
the dread of having killed his adver-
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-
ment. AS soon as l 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's state was too
critical to allow of my leaving him,
and at times l 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 u
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 iacc was always before me, and
her image ever present, wherever l
went.
"One day towards the end of No
vcmber, | was taking my usual con-
stitutional in rather a depressed
frame ofmind, for a week had elaps-
ed without my receiving letter
from Madgie, and | was beginning
to get anxious, when ran against
Littleby Lupus, close to his own
door. lie pounced upon me at once,
and dragged me up to his rooms,
where had to submit to having my
hand nearly shaken off, with sundry
other manifestations of his delight
at seeing me again. lie was smarter
and more of a snob than ever, /
thought; and inward'y consign-
cd him to very warm quarters for
breaking in upon my meditations
about my darling.
GAS usual, before long out came
his jewel case, and he displayed