The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-01-29

through the gathering night, above the
wild bowling Of the wind, above the bois-
ferrous roaring Of the waves, comes with
drod significance the dull heavy boom Of
that terrible gun.
can't make Morton out at all lately /;
he's so different from what he used to be.
You know what a swell be always was ut
running and fOotbsll, and all that sort Of
thing. Well, he has given It up altogether /;
and, although he used to have such horror
Of gambling, know there was some un-
commonly heavy play went on at his rooms
two or three times last term.''
"Yes, poor fellow; its the old story,
LydL die per Omnes-you know the rtst.
Only | don't fancy Sybaris always finds
the moose tit very comfortably now he has
got II fairly round his neck, and when il
gals him worse than usual be lets out.'
(which means, | suppose being trans.
lated, that be is engaged, and does not
always quite relishit.
Something very near 1t. 1t isn't that
he isn't fond enough Of the girl III were,
my 'Lydian quotation wouldn't apply ;
hut there's screw loose somewhere. Ile
iancies she doesn't care Oyermuch about
him, believe. You seem delciOuSly in.
noccnt on the subject. | thought every
one, or at least all Morton's intimates,
knew more or less about Il. don't pro-
Tess to be very learned on the point myself;
but rs far as can make out, Master Her.
bert, who had known Miss Tremayne q
saw you staring at her in church on Sun
day, Charley, so | needn't describe her to
YOU dswn here for years without finding
anything wonderfully attractive in her,
suddenly discovered, on meeting her in a
London ballroom, that she was the most
charming girl in existence. OF course, as
they were such old acquantances, he was
on escort duty pretty frequently after he
had once made this discovery, without
exciting much attention in the minds Of
chaProncs, and, NJ luck would have it q
fancy the luck was Of his own making,
though he chanced to meet her at good
many places Of amusement to which he
had not accompanied her. The result was,
that before she returned home they were
regularly engaged, with everybody's con-
sent, as they'll both have lots ofmoney,
~ don't see what there is in all this
to occasion Morton's reckless fits. II, as
you say, he Is fond Of Miss Tremaync-"
"Ah, there's the rub. It's because he
is so fond Of her-aitera fashion," (These
last few words were added in somewhat
cOntcmptuous tonel. "YOu sec, when he
came down here in the first vacation
after the engagement, he was a great deal
oitencr at her house, and was consequently
brought much more frequently into con-
tact with her family than he had formerly
been; and graduallY-whether rightly or
wrongly don't pretend to say-he seems
to have got hold Of the impPsson that bis
fair fascts was by no means fully reSpon.
sive to his devotion. suppose man is
more wide.awake to that sort Of thing,
when he's very far gone himself; but, at
any rate, in this case there was certain
cou'in-a fellow in some government office
in I4ondon-who was alwars coming down
here on some excuse or the other; and
Morton took It into his head that, so far
as Miss Tremayne's inclinAtions were con.
cerned, the said cousin, despite his con-
tinual state Of dire imp.cuniosity, need
only have urged his suit to have won her
consent. What her respected papa might
have had to say on the subjects altogether
another matter. However, you know
what a fellow Herbert is-how he always
sticks to thing that he has once begun;
so II won't seem extraordinary to you
/ that he should avoid all scenes, or EXPLAIN.
tions, or anything oi that sort. but say
nothing at all about his suspicious, and
simply make up his mind to go IN and win
the girls love. don't fancy, though,
that he has succeeded quite TO his own
satisfaction up to the present; 40 that its
ineligible enough that he should get II
bit disheartened sometimes, and then not
confne his actions within the limits Of her
appreciation. Its the old story, a woman
at the bottom Of every mans ruin, whether
it's moral or material. And now, rs I've
told you all know about it, I'm of for
a smoke. Come along"
And 'hc parties to the foregoing colloquy
two oung men Of the ordinary social
type % jntir class-strollcd of to the
smoking-rOom in the parsonage at llinch-
CliiF.
Both there and at the "Teat house"
thc5e were guests that ChriStmastide.
Besides that family circle which the
gentle, kindly old vicar ever loved to
gather around him at that season Of peace
and goodwill, his son, Herbert Morton,
aThird Trinity mar, Whose name was equal.
" tower Of strength in the cricket. field
and on the river, had brought down to
pass the vacation with him that couple
Of college chums whose conversation we
have Just recorded; and to ninchcliif had
come Edward Tremayne, Squire Ire
mayne'S nephew, to spend what would
probably be tue last Christmas before his
cousins marriage, with the uncle who had
been the guardian Of his orphan youth
and with the woman whom he loved. For
whatever may have been the foundation
for Mortoi's idea that his own position In
Miss Trenaynes affections was somewhat
married by n prediction on her part for
her cousin, there would bS no doubt what.
ever that the latter was passionatcly at
tached to the playmate Of his boyhood.
1t was, perhaps, natural that It should be
so, and that as tue pretty CHILD, rs he
first knew her, became transformed into
the beautiful woman, whose beauty was
the admiration Of all the countryside,
and the envy Of all those malignant dow
agrs who had daughters Of their own to
marry, and who griJgcd It's possesor the
homage which she obtained so universally
and treated so lightly, what was originally
a mere boyish passion should have kept
pace with her growth and matured with
years. But With Edward Tremayne pride
was as Potent motive as love; and pride
] Ii. 4.