The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-08-31
face, flushed with little blush and O
good deal Of stove-heat.
HYou' oro o1,Uo1-S Of ,rorl- TIr

| Harry, Salu OrSulaj IN mlluly fc
proving accents.
II dare say; but-what lot ot
blackberries you have here, to be sure
| Ursula?"
"Forty quarts" said Ursula, dc,
murcly. "Aunt Darling always cn-
| joys them so much in the winter"
Harry put honey sweet globule Of
fruit into his mouth.
"Blackberrics arc q beautiful fruit,
Ursula"
"ycry;" and Miss Percy skinned
diligently away at tic bubbling cal
dron. ESPECIALLY whom you arc do
ing them up" added the young NJ. d.,
with rather clumsy effort at com'
pliment.
Ursula did not answer. Harry
walked up to the range and took both
her hands in his
"Harry, dontl The berries will
burn
'Let 'cm burn, then; who cares?"
"But what do you want2" she ask
cd, struggling impotently to escape,
and laughing in spite of tho grave
look ehe tain would have assumed.
"To sec your eyes, Ursula" V"
Sho lifted the soft hazel orbs to her
facs; then withdrew thom with sud-
den shyness.
"Do you know what answer read
in those eyes, dearest ?" he whispered
aftera moment or two of silence, bro
ken only by the Kissing and simmer
ing of the boiling blackbcrries.
"No."
~ read yes!'
"Oh, Harry, I dare not. Uncle and
aunt are so determined you shall
marry Miss Bra dbury."
"And am so determined not to
marry her. Is man to be given
away as if no were q house and lot,
or . bundlo of old clothes, l should
like to know? Ursula"
"Harry, they are burningl I am
sure of it. l can smell them. Oh, do
let go my hands!"
Harry Clifford deity seized up the
big iron spoon, and stirred Tho boiling
depths vigorously.
ats all your Imagination, Ur-
sula!"
"No, it's not; and if they arc tho
least bit scorched' they will be spoiled
for Aunt Darling"
"But, Ursula"
The creaking sound of an opening
door beyond suddenly dissolved the
tete-n-tete. Ursula almost pushed llar-
ry Clifford out of the kitchen.
"You'll be on the piazza tonight
when they have all gone to the con-
cert" he persisted in asking through
the crack in the door.
"Ycs, yes, any thing-cvery thing;
only go!"
And Harry went, beginning to re-
alize that love-making and preserving
do not assimilate.
"Your pearl brooch, my dear?
Oh, remember now. l gavc it TO
Harry more than . week ago to have
mended. l dare say it's done by this
time ?" and DR.. Darling turned OK
pectantly to our hero.
I-rm very sorry" began Harry
"but tho brooch disappeared in the
most unaccountablo manner from my
vest pocket. I know I put it
therc-"
"Yes," dryly interrupted the elder
gentleman, Il remember seeing you
put it there, and you assured me at
the time that you never lost any
thing. So the brooch Is gone'
eh ?"
-"Ycs, Sir, it is gone But Mrs.
Darling may rest assured" Harry
added, with a glance toward that lady
"that I will replace it at the very
earliest opportunity"
"Oh, it is of no consequence at all!'
said Mrs. Darling, with countc-
nance that said plainly. 1t is of the
very greatest consequence! ."Per-
haps we shall find it somewhere about
the house."
But tho days slipped by one by one,
a-d the doom Of the pearl brooch re-
mained involved in the deepest mys-
tery. Harry Clifford bought another
one and presented it to Mrs. Darling
who laughed, and pinned it into the
folds OF the thread lace barb she wore
at her. throat.
"But it's SO strange what can have
become of the other |" said Mrs. Dar
ling.
It was in the golden month Of
September that tho old doctor and
Mrs. Darling made up their minds tc
invite Miss Bradbury to tea,
"Well have pound-cake and pre-
served blackberrics," said Mrs. Oar
Hing, who always looked at tho ma
terial side of things.
"And if Harry don't como to term
now. he never will" added her hus
band, who didn't. ...-...
"Get out the best china and thf
chased silver tea-service, Ursula" sait
Mrs. Darling.
"And wear your pink French Gallo.
child; it's the most becoming dres
YOU have" said her uncle, with low
| ing glance at tho bright little bru
nette.
| And Ursula Percy obeycd both Q
ftba;r mandates.
Miss Bradbury camc-a handsome
snowy young lady, with a smootI
society" manner that mado Orsui
feel herself worry countri6od and con
i .,>Iool