Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-09-13

ply detestable."
Then Mrs. Churchill had nothing more
to say, for she knew that she would
only injure the Young mans cause by
adding "a word in his favor. She was SO
meek that Lydney's conscience troubled
her, and she began to be very sweet at
once; but the conversation did not stray
back to its first channel.
The next day they met him at some
picture exhibition, and his manner had
so completely changed that Lydney was
quite puzzled; and when any man SO
conducts himself that 4 woman is forced
TO confess he puzzles her, he has made a
long step toward making her think about
him.
He was quiet, almost grave; no more
badinage, no yeXatiOus compliments. He
talked more to her aunt than to herself
and he talked well, even about the
paintings; aud as that was subject up
on which Lydney was accustomed to
hear sensible people talk the most out
rageous trash, she was naturally sur
pFised.
He was very handsome, tO0-there was
no denying that; and he had tired,
worn look, like a man who haG felt aud
thought, and Il slow, melancholy smile,
which was worth watching Tor and try
ing to call up.
+ But she did not mean to revoke her
first IMPRESSION. She said to herself
that it had always been her creed that
no man was pardonahle who ever did an
awkward thing; besides, he thought too
much of himself. She was sure he put
on airs, and she would snlib him unmer-
cifully to the end OF the chapter.
The evening after he called at the
house, but there were some people there
mi Ehnrntnn nd a
seemed to know her very we'll, and it
was apparent that she was quite ready
to be civil to him. Mrs. Churchill made
him stay, and he devoted himself TO the
young woman; and Iydney had three
stupid men, whose brains lay i'll their
heels, and were nothing, since they
could not dance, to her share; and she
thought she never had been so bored in
her whole life. Looking at her friend
Annie occasionally, 1t struck her for the
first time that she was affected; abso-
lutely, too, she was laying herself out
to please Mr.. Lister-and pray, who was
he that anybody should do that!
Caprieious Lyduey sang, and sang
her very best; and that abominable man
was the only one who did not over
cared, but it was like his impudence.
Oh! if he would only give her another
chance to snub him. s 7..-;st.f- - ..
Presently he took his leave of her
aunt, and came mp to the piano, where
she was still sitting.
Goodnight, Miss Churchill he
said, with his slow, reluctant smile, that
she liked in spite of herself; it was 50
different from the incessant grins of the
dancing-men. "Your aunt has told me
that | may come soon again" 80
| Naturally. my aunt has that privi-
lege with any one whom she wishes for
a yisitor,s Lydney replied, carelessly.
s'That means, am TO consider myself
her guest?" 4s.
| She laughed wickedly, and said,
| met having had the good fortune tC
be an old friend of your mOther's--'
| Exactly! And l shall like coming
to see your aunt, because she was.''
Iydnev looked utter Indifference tG
his likes upon that and all other sub
jects.
81 understood that, too, without youl
| looking it, said he. with an amiabllit,
/ that veXed her beyond measure.
Then he bowed himself away, having
had rather the best of it; and LydneI
felt Il peculiar tingling in the ends ol
her fingers, which warned her, no mat
ter how unlady-like the impulses migh
|
] just then, was diabelieal desire to box
that mans ears till he saw more stars
than were ever visible i'll the actual hem
isphere.
| SO their third encounter ended.
Now you know l never have time o.
patience to tell things in detail if had
you would not bore yourself readin&
them; so let us go on as rapidly as W.
do in real life i'll this delightful crazy
age and generation.
| 1t was almost two months since the
evening OH which Lister had stepped OIL
Lydney Churchill's train. put it tha
way, because that very awkward intro
duction had, from the first, placed then
on very different footing tno pun in
tendedD from that where they woull
have stood in the ordinary fashion o
making acquaintance.
He had been great deal at the house
for Mrs. Churchill insisted on pettin:
him immensely, and would never Civ
either dinner or supper-she was famou
for both, angelic old woman !-withou
writing his name down as one of tn
guests. He hadbecome one of the heat
men, in Lydney's pai ticular set, an,
whichever way she turned, she wa
doomed to meet Mr.. Lister.
say doomed, because thai was tn
word she insisted upon using, clingin;
to it with true feminine obstinacy lon
. after the time when something told he
4 ir was a downright .faisehood; perhap
using it the more persistently for tina
very reason. SIS
They quarreled abominably-that is
she quarreled with him, which SCENE,
to be precisely what he wished. She ha
got far beyond the idea of snubbing hin
there was no good in trying that; an,
gradually, yes, uneonsciously, her feel
: ings changed, until there was II certai
pleasure in having more of his attentio
than he gave other women. When sll
discovered the fact, she told herself
was because Annie Thornton, and al
the other girls made such geese OF them
5 selves about him, that she wanted T.
show them what a sensible woma
could do with their paragon, if she fel
disposed.
Lo, and behold! Just after she ha
made that modest declaration to her ia
miliar spirit, 1--WE all have them, tholg
a good many of as try to think we don
believe in the DEVIL she discovered tina
nobody, not even She, the Irresistible G
i two seasons, could do anything wit
Howard Lister, except what he chose {
have done.
There were days aud seasons when II
: was. SO frank and devoted, that if he ha
been any other man, she would hav
known that he was in love with her
but she could not console herself b.
: thinking that was the case with him.
1t was only when she laid by her air
and graces, and permitted herself to b
perfectly natural-when she talked free
ly and openly to him. The instant sh
attempted either raillery or Indifference
lie beat her invariably at her own game
just now there had been truce, whic
had lasted for several days-and the
had been delightful ones. The last even
ing of its little course, Lister came t
Mrs. Churchill's opera-boX, and sh
asked him where lie had been all til
morning: he had promised to bring he
IL letter from his mother. lie made som
apology--one of those lies that SCUM
we'll and mean nothing, and turned t
: Lydney.
You know what have been doing,
he said, not in hsper-heaven b
! praised, ne was never rude enough fo
! that-but in one of those careful mono
tones that do not go beyond the perso
for whom they are meant.
''Indeed, l do not,'' she answered
II don't think you told me what yo
Nyara oOinr fo do. hut I Ennu- ,-o,, WOW