The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-05
GheGttllLiasnean:
MISS BROWN.
A CHARMING LOVE STORY.
FROM Chambers journal. .+
CHAPTER xr.

CHAPTER xT
There came one hot, glaring August
day. All Winchester people who could
afford it, and were not kept In the town
by business had left Il fully six weeks ago,
and gone 10 summer lodgings or seaside
watering.places, or on foreign rambles.
Mrs. Loriiner had gone away too, though
she hadly needed to leave Elm Grove for
health or comfort; bat she found II Conve.
nient 10 20 away, particularly as she had
succeeded IN persuading her brother 10
take q holiday, and come with her. She
would not have gone herself, and LEFT him
in PrisCilla's neighborhood. Men were
very obstinate when they made up their
mindstOa thing, and having once made up
his mind to marry his cousin, Robert might
he strangely and pCrversely bent on carry.
ing out his intention. However, Mrs.
Ldrimer, to her great satisfaction, man.
aged to induce him to bear her company
il her trip to Scarborough with less diai.
Guilty than she expected. The truth was
that Mr.. Dixon himself was not sorry to
have IN excuse for keeping away for a
time from Winchester. His heart smote
him sometimes when he returned Of an
evening TO his home, and thought of poor
Priscilla sitting lonely and neglected in her
lodging; only, he could not invite her to
Elm Grove whilehis sister was so opposed
to her coming, unless he fairly showed
that he was determined on renewing his
proposal; and he had decided on waiting
Tor Major Fortescue's return before doing
50. so, in tho meantime, he was rather
glad to leave home altogether, thus avoid.
ing both the risk Of showing attention To
Priscilla, and the uncomfortable feeling
that he was neglecting her. rr .-
She knew they were gone, and she, too,
was glad It, She would not be troubled
with any visitors now. So much the bet.
ter, she said to herself. Yet she could
not help thinking Of what Mrs. Lorimer's
own plan for this very summer had been.
"You have never been abroad, Priscilla"
she had said TO her one day, during that
last visit OF hers TO Elm Grove. "This
summer we will go-you and |, and
Robert. You would like to see Switzer-
land, wouldn't yong We will 90 there.
Of course you won't think of remaining
all the summer in Winchester And Pris.
ella had caught eagerly at the idea, and
her head had been full of the projected
travels, until she had been started out Of
her pleasant anticipatiOns by the shock of
Mr.. Dixon's proposal.
"Well, might have gone TO Switzer.
land this summer" she said to herself on
this particular sultry, baking August day,
rs she looked out OF her parlOr window
on that hot, grass.growns street. The
tears came into her eyes for minute, and
Il bitter, sore feeling tosher heart. Both
her cousins seemed to have forgotten how
dull her summer here must be- Then
she checked the resentiul, regrctlul
thought. "What do l want don't
want to be with them; and Pm sure-pm
sure l don't wish l had acted differently.
How could / have acted differently!
could not have kept that money. How
thankful ought TO be that | don't want
it-that have enough to live comforta-
bly, on without it. How much Better eli
am than many Others" And she
thought OF u poor crippled invalid
woman whom she used to visit,
who had once seen better days, and was
now dragging out the remainder of her
life in lodging poorer and more cheer.
less than her own. She determined that
she would 60 and see her nowp'
She put on oneo her Oldest ahd shah.
biest dresses, with black shawl and an
old straw bonnet, for she had to pass
through Il low, crowded part of the town;
and, taking basket with some little deli
CaCies for the invalid, set forth.
She paid long visit to the sick woman,
and came awayat last, faint with the heat
and the close sitting atmosphere of the
room. As she came out into the street,
she threw back her veil TO get some fresh
air. In doing so, the basket slipped from
her arm. Before she could stOop for II, a
gentleman passing had picked It up, and
turned TO give 1t her. AS he looked at
her, he exclaimed: "Lillyl"
The air had revived her, but she was
still little giddy and confused anu ut his
exclamation she only looked at him won.
deringly, without ut once recognizing
him. lie saw she did not, and his look Of
JOY gave place TO one of Disappointment
and pain. u beg your pardon. You don't
remember mel" he said, d little stiffly
and reproachlully. 80.
Not remember himl No; she would
perhaps scarcely have remembered his
face at that moment. But how suddenly
there flashed on her the recollection Of
his voice-of that very tone, with its
culver of pain, which seemed to have
echoed IN her memory oil these years. :,
Mr.. Lawrencer 7, she gasped; and the
paleneSs fled from her face, and for mo-.
ment nearly all the beauty Of its youth
flushed back to It. ooh, Is 1t really you r
She held out her hand eagerly, readily,
with q frank gladncss very different from
her usual shy reserve, But rs she felt
how warmly he grasped 1t, she grew al.
most giddy again; and It was no wonder
that in the surprise Of meeting so strange
that she could hardly realize who it was
with whom she now stood face TO face,
she hardly knew what she was saying or
doing.
"And is il really your he said, echoing
her words. Then his eye glazed from her
face to her dress, rs II he expected to dis.
cover something from it, but in her agita.
ton she did not notice this, and even II
she had noticed it, she could not have un.
derstOod the meaning of his glance. She
did not know what an encouraging sight
TO him were her crapeless dress and her
ordinary bonnet, or that he was saying to
himself witha thrill Of satisfaction; "She
has lett off her weeds -
Then they walked on together, so as to
get out OF the dirty, noisy lane, and Miss
Brown could hardly have told where she
was and whittier she was going. And he
TOO, thought he must DO dreaming. Had
he really found her again, his lost first
love? COuldthis be her own actual selIY
He kept turning and looking at her. Yes,
it was herself | Older, of course, but how
strangely-how almost incredibly little
changed! There was the same graceful
iigure-the same pale, fair skin, the same
sweet eyes, even the same soft brown hair.
II wNs The very az ilVn whom ha had lnst