The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-11-28

| 81 fear the Gays of chlvalry are over.
answered Margaret ; but as she did no
attempt to repossess herself of tn
flower, I think she was quite willin,
he should prove it's talismatic powers
"Not at all, fair lady; and when
bring the trophy of victory to lay a
your feet, I shall expect the reward o
my prowess. y"
Margaret looked up, not quite know
| ing how to take this speech, but, if sh
read any serious meaning in MS eyes
the light laugh and low bow which &C
companied the words seemed meant t.
pass them off as Jest. aT on
| Leicester" broke in Charlie again
"did you say you knew Cecil Collins 2
"We were at Oxford together for
sholt time, answered Ralph "he came
up there about six months before I lef
in time to do me a service hope
| shall never forget. He. saved my life, ,
he added, in answer to Margaret
quick look of inquiry. 81 was attacked
by mad dog one day, a huge creature
when had nothing but a slight cane il
my hand ard it would have been all
| up with me, then and there, had not
Collins, mere youth freshly arrived al
college, been passing at that moment.
He rushed forward just as the brute's
teeth were about to grab my arm, and,
seizing its collar dragged it of, holding
it back by main force till somebody
from behind came up and gave it the
coup de grace. He is brave fellow,
whatever are his faults, and has made
me his debtor to no small amount.
"Poor Cecil !'' sighed Margaret to
ho1~anlf h11H Ro1,oI, aoTorbf tho words
and pang of jealousy came over him
as he thought that thereby hung tale.
Perhaps it was as we'll he could not
see the vision which rose before his
companions eyes just then i; the vision
of a quaint old parsonage garden, with
boy and girl standing there among
the roses and saying good-by-to more,
alb, how much more, than they them
selves knew he to go forth into the
world and, fall from his high re-
solves and noble ambitions into the
downward path, too fearfully easy to
travel along and she to remain in her
quiet home and dream of an impossi-
BILE future. None knew what to her
had been the awakening from those
dreams when the first faint rumor,
which she strove to disbelieve, reached
her, and then when later she knew be-
yond a doubt that the idol she wor-
SHIPPED was of clay, all unfit for the
shrine she had found it.
Hers was a self-contained nature !;
the wound had bled sorely, but no one
guessed it's presence-only her family
were wont to remark, Chow quiet Mar
garet has become !'' 1t was now COM
pletely healed, how completely she has
not realized till these last few days.
though the scar was still left, and would
not bear handling too roughly.
Perhaps all of this will account for
the fact of Margaret Dene being yet
unmarried at the advanced age of FIVE
and-twenty fact which her friends
were never tired of wondering at.
Before many minutes my heroine's
thoughts were recalled to the present
by the general breaking-up of the par
ty, and somehow the Gu reUOir whis-
pered in her ear by earnest tones made
her quite forget to revert again to such
sad retrospections.
"Whos won?' shouted a chorus of
voices as, two days later, Charlie saun-
tered into his mothers drawing-room.
60 Please Charlie, do tell us quickly who
won?"
"Who won what? Do be a little
quiet. girls; it's far too hot to exert
one's-self this weather. How dye do,
Margaret? I never saw you anything
but cool in all my life; wish I could
say ditto for myself ;" and catching up
a fan, the young man threw himself in
to an easy chair with great affectation
of feeling overcome.
"Come, Chrales, don't be such
tease Who got the queens prize We
are all dying to know
"Much good may the knowing do you
then," said Charlie. Cecil Collins
has got it"
''Cecil Collins p and Margaret's voice
this time joined the others. "Why,
you said Mr.. Leicester was sure of it. ;"
"I never said anything of the kind
aud besides, if I did, don't pretend to
the pope's infallibility." After which
Charlie tried the effects of the veranda
and cigar ON his ruffled feelings.
So the rose did not answer after all,
thought Margaret, as she walked to the
window to ask what score Mr.. Leicester
had made.
Leicester never shot at ALL" was
Charles gruff response.
"Never shot at all Why not ?"
"That's just what nobody knows. |
The fellows are saying it looks awfully
ishy; and Travers, who can always |
Kick man when he's down, hints that |
le's got into some trouble or other, as
hose wonderfully clever men are sure |
% do; but that's mere jealousy ecause
Travers is such fool hing =. Ha
here's Phillips and dinner / always
ook upon the two as synonymous.
Come along, Meg, let's try to forget
bout shooting for while, or it will de-
,idedly affect my brain after all have
leard of it, to-day"
If Charles brain were not affected,
else appetite was the song
he had been practicing, that afternoon,
would keep recurring to Margaret's
memory, with its refrain of Shakspeare's
erse
Men were deceivers ever;
me foot on sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never"
X
"Have you a dance to spare me, Miss
)ene %
81 fear not, Mr.. Leicester - and,
7ithout glancing at her programme,
Iargaret turned toward her companion
D continue the conversation Ralph had
roken in upon, nor did she look round
gain till she knew he had left her side.
It was their first meeting since that
luncheon party at Wimbledon, now
lore than month ago, when Ralph
leicester had been foolish enough to
ak great deal of nonsense, which sch
ad been still more foolish in believing, I
D Margaret said to herself. She did
OF in the least credit all the disagreea-
le things people were saying about
i'm; but he had shown pretty plainly, '
Y his silence all this ti=le, his perfect s
difference to her good opinion, and ]
ne determined on that point to meet !
i'm more than half way.
She had Just arrived at this conclu- J
on when Cecil Collins came forward to
aim her for the waltz then commenc- ]
10 and as she walked down the room
q his arm, not few turned to gaze at
le handsome couple and wonder who 7
ley. were wonder easily satisfied,
II Cecil, at least, was becoming we'll }
nown. Not only had he won the )
ueen's prize, which in itself made him :
sufficiently marked man, but with that = =
-ize he had come into the heirship of = :
large fortune. =
His T1ucle. a rich and eccentric old