The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-04-09

Has grown familiar VIII, your song; -
listen And it cheers me long s,ue a..'lss =.
- -. - ..'!
MAUD CARRINGTON'S MIS-
was engaged to George Needham
on my seventeenth birthday. We
had known each other from child
hood; he had alternately petted and
patrOnized me in our younger days,
but now it was my turn to tyranniZe
over him, which never failed to do,
though he was my senior by five
years. l felt natural superiority
over him ; he was SO awkward, and
"big," and good-natured, and not the
least like any al my fayorite heroes,
and i'm my secret heart / sometimes
thought was too good for him, and
ought to be united TO a more. jim
telleetual being; however, on the
whole we got Oh very well together.
Mamma was very fond OF him; she
had planned our engagement in her
own mind ever since we were
children, and it's accomplishment was
n great happiness to her.. My fathers
death, which had occurred some
years previously, had left us in rather
straitened circumstances. Though
rector, Of the parish OF DinelN the
living was a small one, and he had
been able to make but slender pro-
vision for his widow and child. We
therefore occupied a small and pretty
cottage, which iadjoined the "Great
House," as Georges place was called.
He was our young Squire, our land
lord, our benefactOr, mamma often
said.
Our wedding.day was fixed; an
early day in February WAS agreed up
on, and / was rather elated with my
position of BRIDE elect, and slightly
presumed upon it am afraid Cat least
I think so nOw, In my manner and
bearing to the county ut large, or to
the few visitors we had.
Mrs. Chichester, Georges favOrite
married sister, wrote Il very kind
note asking us to spend Christmas at
s'The Abbey" a beautiful old place
i'm Yorkshire. 1t required no small
amount of persuasion to induce my
mother to accept the invitation. At
first she insisted on declining it, until
Overruled by me. 1 was all eagerness
for the visit, and / expected to.be
made much of, as George told me l
was sure to be. "The Abbey" he
said, "would be full of guests, plenty
of dancing and that sort of thing"
and he would not go without us.
So an affirmative answer was sent
to Mrs.s Chichester, and the interval
was passed by me in state of pleas
urable excitement, preparing for my
debut as / called II. Hitherto my
life, had been a very secluded one,
and l had seen little nothing of
The Christmas 4 weekH y came at
length, and, with George to take care
of us, we started for BOscawen Abbey,
which we reached after a wearisome
railway journey of over five hours.
| remember how tired and cold we
were, when .ushered into the library
in the dusk Of the evening !; a large
and merry party, as it seemed to me,
were all talking and laughing at
once then q sudden silence followed
our entrance, broken by Georges
hearty greeting of his sister. Then
turning to me he exclaimed in ex-
uberant spirits ,s0 rfa s".'- o. n"o.e-,
"I have brought, you my Maud,
yousee, Emma; she is half-frozen |;
/ couldn't keep her warm anyhow"
The gentleman made way for me to
approach near the blazing fire, smiling
us they. did so at Georges concluding
remark. Mrs. Chichester kissed me
affcctionately, expressed her great
pleasure ut seeing us, and was soon
chatting cOnfidentially with mamma.
AS I felt rather shy and undecided
what to do with myself among so
many strangers, not liking to remain
by George, and yet not knowing how
to get away from him, / was relieved
from my embarrassment by some one
saying in a low, persuasive. tone at
my elbow ~ =
'May + offer you some tea, Miss
Darlington; won't you sit down
here ?' ~.
Unconsciously complied, and TAX
ing the seat offered me, ventured to
look at my interlOcutor, who was
standing by me. He was a slight, del
icately-built man, rather below the
middle height, with handsome high
bred face, and particularly dark,
piercing eyes, that were at this mo-
Inent fixed inquiringly on my face,
as IL anxious to set me at ease, while
caressing his mOustache with the
whitest hand / had ever seen, and
small enough for a woman's; mine
felt quite red and large beside his--as
received my teacup from him; and
/ wondered Ii he thought so too. AS
n a fns ~ osI T. II
sinking into, h,s chair & he beside De- psza g.
travelling ~ so bqripg, = ! Isuppose yon
know every one here" sA 60
He spoke In the lowest and slowest
of tones; he seemed to belong to q
different sphere to the one was. ne
customed to move in. What refine
ment Of voice and manner; Inn
pressed me immensely. iSsls,sI
was Obliged to confess reluctantly
that 4 know no one except Mr.. Need
"Ah! Mr.. NeeIham," ne said
"he Is. a nice, good-natured young
man, j am told. He looks rothef
overpowcring though; Is he?v he
added raising his eyebrows ever 50
slightly. = 80, -, -,
I shrank involuntafily from his
questioning glance, IN George's loud.
merry laugh rang out from The other
end of the room, where he was sur
rounded by a little group of young
men.
The dress-going sounded oppor-
tunefy just. then, putting an end To
my tete-o.fetc with my new friend,
Captain st. John Crfr.