Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-11-07


unfortunate nail?
Wed, 10 was well nigh ten O'Clock before he
bad told all his s'orIes. had listened to Mrs..
arlus =. bis fSlr companion not displessed at
u g0od sense which that lady eh0Nei IS she
teUk h'r Part IN the conversation. bat for her
tsit n2t speaking so much or So often as Master
AnlG"Bv IL Eht have desired. At ten he with
oTew, Int had skilfuliy engaged the Ia lies 20 so
with him 10 the ASHES To- morrow, that be night
md Tor them - good place, where they might
see the trial OF Black Will and the Dsrtmon
bFuiSe-, tVo notorious high ssymen, who adj
even attacked Lord Fenrhyn in his carriage and
we're likely 20 hang fc- it, Anthony had learned
that Lady Penrhyn and the bishops wife we're
to be at the trial, and beth his hOstesses were
pIs2sAd indeed 10 be invited to assist at it in
SUCH good company. And to the trial they went
together.
And so on, aud so on and so on. The young
lady's visit to Plymouth las-ed a fortnight, ard
the young mans business detained him q fort
night too. Every morning he wonld keep up
the pretence of occupation, by going to the
docks and by spending an hour in listening to
the trials as they went on; but every day. once
at least, and ofteneT more than once be would
present himself at the Widow Warnings to fulfill
some appoint ment which had been made the
Gay eeIore. Not thst they went every day to
see highwsynen arrsigued. Bat there were rhe
blessed Sundays-of course Mr.. Skene must go
" church; there was an excursion TO -- castle;
there va sail in the bay; All, there is always
enough 10 90 where there IL . lovely girl, and \
lot unwilling.
NJ TINS EtOrY IL DOT 10 tell what be san to
her or she said to him, "a that fortnight sped.
THIS story, "a YOU know, Is al about pllchards.
Nor. indeed, DO the family notes in my hand
TIL what they s aid 10 each other day after dav,
att the highWaymen we're all arr Aligned. Fill
cut the blacks for yourselves, dear young
friends who have followed the story so far; for
me, al can tell or win tell is what happened
wher the last day of the fortnight came.
Arthony Silene wac wen persuaded, long be-
fore this time, that the quest Tor the lady af
the ring WAS ike the quest of the Ronpd Table
kT1UnfE-thA Elannw a Ia had c.,rr
here the queen OF that iieal home of his, iF she
would only reign there; and If not, never should
any queen sit on that vacant throne. The spirit
ana balance and cheeTiBesS of this lovely girl
were something wholly new to Anthony, GER
tathiy something which he had never seen
among the fnical girls in London, who let hin,
take them TO the play hOuse sometimes. nor
among the Hampshire girls, who came and
went with his sisters, who could only lirt, but
who mad so little To say. Poor Lucy Savage.
she was not we'll treated In truth, his new
tiame bad had an independent sort or life, and
with one and another Of these relatives in this
out-Of the-way corner Of England, had been
thrown in with books, with chances to read
them, and advisers who put her up to reading
them which books to this hour are the best
reading for hearty girl or a manly boy. Thus
she knew "COmus" by heart, and half the rest
of Milton She would sing you Shakspeare's
songs, and Rem JOnsOn's and Herrick's, in 8
simple wav that made the tears run down your
cheeks. She believed in Sir Roger de Coverley
more than she did in the Rev. air. Gribe, the
parson; end she had straightforward way of
telling you what she believed, and what she did
DOT believe, SUCH as none OF AnthOny's other
names ever had. And Anthony was man
enough to see and know and feel and under
stand that here was such woman as be had
never seen before, nor would he likely to see
again. Whether she had fer him auy share
even the slightest, Of the over mastering passion
which he had for her, ne dill rot know; but he
knew he could md out, and, like brave man
as he was, he knew no time as like this time.
How he could get at her, or II be could get at
Der, In this home TO which she was returning,
q u NarV1A 20 -
SO Sunday afternoon, 1her last day in Ply
mouth, as they walked home from church to-
gether, decorOuSy following Mrs. Waring. as
she walked before with her nsighbOr, Mr.. will
lard, the calender, Anthony Skens, told his
pretty companion that he loved her better than
be loved himself, and asked her to be his wife.
The girl did not start, but she did not speak.
She tried TO speak once; she tried 10 speak
again; and 1t was only when be urged hsr to
say something that she found life aud nerve to
say:
"MT. Skene, you DO not know what you are
saying. TO begin with, you do not know whom
you are talking TO-"
Il know am talking 70 the lovellest girl in
England, the only woman ever loved, or ever
shall love; and that it is she beg to maEry
"You are talking TO a ishermsn's daughter
you who are gentleman's son."
" II we're talking to Simon Peters d3ugh-
ter" said Anthony ingeniOusly, " could only
LAY what have sald-that my life is yours to
make it what you will; nay home is your home,
though for years IL must be poor one; nv
heart is your heart, and [ know that il is an
honest one. Dear Mistress Margaret, do not
throw il away"
Mr.. SkeIe," now ssid the girl. pale with
emotion, but still keeping boldly on the way,
without faltering in her step, "you do not l. now
that This bshCrman's daughter works herself for
her daily bread. This hand You ask for will he
on Thursday morning sorting ont the large fish
from tDe smaller ones, ana laying them in boxes
for the market"
The inspiration of love or the inspiration of
genius lighted on Anthony are they not both
she he'd Up to him, and slipped On it the garnet
ring, and said, "And that il the ring which |
would place on it, If you will let me-"
Lucky tor Meg Trevor that they were in the
Curl ALLEY, which crosses from the High street
into Queens street, and that 10 one could see
her. she started this time, and tremb ed so th at
she really needed Skene's arm that she might
stand. She looked on the ring and on HIM with
wonder and through tesrs.
at is my mothers ring; lost it this day
twelvem0nth."
oft is your ring" he said reverently. 81
found it this day sixmontn." And he told her
where be found it, how he found it, and how far
on his journey to Cornwall the vow had brought
him.
"And then-and then you abandoned your
hearts love, you abandoned the lady Of the
ring, because you met little girl in a cart one
day! . Anthony Skene, am ashamed OF You"
For the girl was in the reaction now, and could
laugh; he was graver than ever.
No, dearest; but because IL is written in the
heaven above that should love you, and you
strength
And the laugh was over on her lips and she
was very pale. And her hand fell back in his
hand: and her eye struggled up and met his
eye, and the whole was told and hIs lip met her
lip, and the garnet ring never left her finger
again.
They turned back into High street, and they
walked back past the church again, aud out
into the fields. Yes, the sun was setting when
they came into the Widow Warnings house and
Anthony Skene asked her blessing, which bless
ing she gave.
Margaret Waring Trevor started for Saint
Michsel's bay on the Monday, as she said she
would; and on Thursday, just as she had done
for many yesrs, with her own hands she sorted
out the number one pilchards of "Peg's catch'
from the number twos, and with her own hands
arranged them in the neat boxes which her own
wit bad contrIyed, and her own f0rethought
ordeTed-boxes which already had the name OF
containing the very best cured pilchard5 of the
very beet catch OF the season. On the Friday
young London lawyer appeared at st. Michsel's
tay, inquiring about the catch, and where a
man could buy pilchards best; aud on the Fri
day afternoon he was making a visit to Peg
Treyors pretty little cottage, to the smazement
of old Goody Tremaine, who took care of it and
Peg together. But that was the last year that
Peg ever packed piichards with her own baud.
This IL the story Of the garnet ring, so far as
it has TO do with pilchards.