The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-03-07

! AA'u~'eo ooiolo uluuer. IauI gives uE
the idea Of making out the Webster
family in detail till dinner; then LIE.
more will explain them to him sufic;
emily to prevent his desoanting OF
the ugliness Of wife to a husband, O,
making disparaging remarks about
child to a parent. As he stands nea,
the fire, furnish ing the room, in com
pany with half dozen other men
whom he regards with the innate dis.
trust and thin1y:veiled suspicion with
which every Eng'ishmi,alu regards 'ga every
other Englishman who has the misfor.
tune to be unkown to bfm-his sp,iri,
soothes itself: Tho drive was al tie wors, sl
part, and that is over not allowed to
decline into comfortable 3 silence and
semi.sleep BY Sylvis, next to whom he
sat, and obliged by the noise the ON.
nibus made to say sfWhat ?'' and II beg
your pardon, I did not catch what z'; You
said," in answer to all her. low Vi -murmur: il1i
ed prettinesses. ! = .
He will be very kind 10 Le6oario to:
night. Hitherto he has made he,
Christmas.Day rather fearful, poo,
child ! Well, she shall have thorough.
ly happy evening, if he can compass it;
after all, perhaps, he " i'll have better
chances 0: private co1munc7 With her,
of sweet, grave talk, and swsecter looks
into her lovely, loving eyes, than he
would have had in the small homo.
party, with Jemima and Sylvia staring
at him.
These thoughts are Interrupted by
tho approach Of an old lady in a yellow
gown (to whom he has a dim idea Of
having been introduced as hostess), who
leads him up to plain girl in blue,
presents him, and leaves him beside
her with whispered request that he
will take her in to diuner.
In moment afterward that festival
is announced. Paul sees men and wom-
en-, all equally unknown to him, paired
together, marching solemnly off: Pres
emily couple, OF whom neither man
nor woman is unknown to him, sweep
by-Lenore aud Scrope.
"This is part of the pleasant little
mysti6cation, I suppose" 10 thinks,
setting his teeth. ''Who knows if Le-
more we're rot party to it?" But the
ungenerous thought is no sooner FORM
ed, than he is disabused Of it by the ex-
preston Of the beautiful face, that un-
happily for itself, can never keep its
own secrets. She looks at him ovor
her shoulder with a look of unaffected
angry disappointment, shrugs her
shoulders almost imperceptibly, while
her lips frame words w9ich he rather
feels than hears to be, "Too bad p
On the very smallest encouragement,
she would outrage propriety by drop
ping Scrope's arm and running to him.
Perhaps, after all, he may be able to sit
on the other side of her. He cate tes
up his ugly blue fate in hurry, and
hastens off with her in pursuit; but it
is too late-another couple have struck
in and occupied the coveted place; he
has to content himself with being near.
ly opposite.
There is great deal Of holly and
mistletoe about the room. Most Of the
women have holly in their hair ; it does
not look particularly :. pretty, and
scratches their heads and necks. Alto
gether, there is a great afect.tion Of
Christmas cheer and .jollity. But the
entries are cold, the champagne is all
froth and sweetness, and the sherry is
not to be named in the same sbreath
with Mrs. Prodgers's..s< 4 "a 4 II
Scrope has no idds ,ioG anowibgs his
nelghbor to lapse into sentimental 81
lence, and wistful: sga1es across, the
table. He has got hersnowato himself
for D full hour and haifs sexcept un-
der pretext ofa bleeding nose, sor i'm
probably sudden lndisposition, she can
not got away from him: T.. ,sa:::.::.: =, .
"Miss Lenore, the repression sot your
face reminds me of scene in 'The
Tanning Of the Shrew : ENTER Aoratio,
with his head broken"
Lenore declines to smile.
"It is not my fault that Mrs. Web
ster has not entered with her head
broken," she answers, with perfect
gravity.
"Why so for giving US such .
drink as this? Well, It il filthy
stuff - .'' Il - 1'>'
"For making such a stupid mis-
take as to send mo out to dinner with
you." ~
lie bows his blond, curled head
tremendously. "Thanks." 30 A'':' sS>
"Engaged people al.oays go in to
dinner together" says Lenore,; tran:
chantly.
"On what principle, I never could
| divine. With a whole lifetime to get