Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-03-19
A GOOD Halter.
By EDAAR FAwCETT.

By EDaAR FAwCETr.
NEAR the close of superb midsum-
mer day Marion Farrowe leaves her father
seated with q novel ON the piazza, and
strolls down through the sycamores and
beeches whose lordly green branches grid
the house with sort of austere privacy.
Having strolled down, under the lawns
cloistral shadows, to the deep hedge that
separates 1t from the outer road and the
rivers cool, broad band of silver, Marion
stands for q moment with one hand
clasped about grim, black spike-head OF
the small iron gate, looking straight be-
yond into the shadowy, violet hollows OF
the distant hills and overlooking the light
row-boat that now pauses just In front OF
her.
"Marion!. voice has to appeal before
presence. "You have on your cad look
again. What is the matters"
And then Marion gives a slight, glad
cry, and unfastens the gate, speeding
toward the river, while at the same time
Mr.. Malcolm Hurst ships his oars and
springs out on the bank to meet her.
"Why don't you tell me that my mother
called upon you to-dayf" Malcolm ques-
tons.
"Simply," Marion answers, because l
WAS waiting for you to begin the subject
first; and, since you've done it, come,
please, no absurd hesitation about telling
nae Just what she thought of me-"
"She thinks you charming"
eyes? Go more into particulars,
please"
"And she thought it nothing except
marvellous, !" he goes on, "that you should
have this great distaste for seeing people"
"Pray do not let us pay any more heed
to that subject" Marion plaintively ap-
peals. at seems to me that everything
you and ! mention nowadays, Malcolm,
is sure of leading up to It,"
"And no wonder" he answers, with
not a little plain sullenness. When we
rented the Brookes' house, in early June,
and I met you, that evening, walking
with your own brother and my old school.
mate, Scott Farrowe, even before he had
presented me, 1t flashed though my mind,
while looking at you, that you were the
sort of woman to shine in bathrooms and
be courted by thousands"
"Oh, hush, Malcolm! l should hate
such life"
"And noso / should hate to have you
lead it," he tells her, with tender tone
in his lowered voice. There is wide
distinction, Marion, between the ball
room belle and the-the-domestic nun.
don't want you to be flower, my love,
that grows perpetually in the shade"
Marion shakes her head with kind OF
slow Impotence.
"But it is my wish, Malcolm; why
should you not respect it-at least for
year or two to come? 1t Is not so uery
hor al L.
and then, father, you know, is quite too
old for company, and"
But Malcolm INDUCES an roar OF
laughter at this point.
"Your father too old for company, in
deed! Why, he is Just at the right age for
it. By-the-by. mother called him a prince.
The only trouble is he makes you the alb.
solute empress of his actions"
"He loves me, you know. However,
Malcolm, Jet US talk of other things
When are you going to Boston again :"
:" can't say. Father has attended To
most of our monetary matters of late
He Is there now, and proposes staying
some little time. 1t Is really wonderful
that we should have come back from
Europe, after an absence of nearly
twenty years, and found that that man
Gawtrie should have managed our money
as though he had no other business in
all Boston,"
"Gawtrie!"
Marion merely murmurs the word, bu,
Malcolm goes on:
"There Is a father and son; the sons
name is Edred Gawtrie. He has lived in
New York a great deal. Perhaps you
have met him there, Marion, for there
pas time, think you told me, when
you used occasionally to honor assem-
blages."
Eyes, there was time" Marion an
swers, with little laugh. But New
York is such huge place, even socially
you know"
~ met Edred Gawtrie the last time
was in Boston. Father insists upon my
having him up here, so father must bt
obeyed. Ii he clings too closely, may
bring him over?"
"Nop
Good heavens, Marion, if you haven''
known the gentleman in New YORK, pray
have you met him In aprevious world Y
Marion makes no reply; there are some
moments of silence, and then the CONVEX
sation takes tranquiler and more lover
like turn. IL is about ten O'Clock when
Marion says goodnight at the garden
gate.
She insists upon his leaving her there
He does not dream of guessing her reason
for walking to the house alone. 1t Is this
she wants the darkness and the utter sense
Of peace for just little while.
After little she reached the piazza
Gliding up It's steps she enters the sitting
room. There, ON most conmodious