Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-12-26

eyes and the mouth covered with bI0Od-stfeaked
am within yard of me. tuDsteIy tor IN
brother officer came M and rolled him over
before he could do mach damage, or 1 should
not be here to tell you Of as game death as 1
ever saw
How strange it seemed to Audrey, the change
n herself!
Here she was walking beside a man who ap-
Feared neither to give hcr any admiration, nor
to seek her society: who seemed while he talked
to her TO have forgotten her very presence. Yes,
this was the best part OF the girls day-the
time she walked beside him in the bare wiutrY-
garden. The bright clear air had deepsned TIE
itch bloom on her cheek, and the excitement
and enthusiasm with which her companion had
told her of his adventure with the boar had cal
led forth CORES bonding animation an fire into
her ewes; yet an old friend would nave tancisd
that there wss something softer and more win
hing IN Au3rey's manner than rhera usually
was. 1t WAS strange that any man c0nld walk
and fascinating she boxed. Yet her c0-ppl1iO
never seemed even 10 notice iU-never even
really locked at her.
els India such very drea iful country, Col.
NTightcH." she as.rJ.
II think prefer Jn3ia 70 England, and yet
have met many people who Will have to spend
the greater part OF their lives there, and WI
never seem 30 try aGd Ike y. It's he creates
T'istake. When man gets discontinued wiz
LIS 10 climate work, ana l. always COM planning
OF the country in TnICa his To- IS cast, in,teat
ut trying to make tLe best OF 1t, there is litJe
lCPG ter him. All, there Is Edward Clayton, DO
s better company for you, Miss Ashton, "a an
am Good morning"
Audrey could have cried, and wished Ed
ward Clayton anywhere rather than Coni1gtJ
meet her Win that glad, admiTiDg face Of his.
II have been searching tor you ia the billiard
room and library, and all over thu place, never
Dire ming Of looking for Won here on day like
this. wonder WrigbtOn allowed you u sssY.
Why, can almost see il freezing" ne SAID,
rubbing his hands and turning to walk with her
IS his cousin had been doing
Audrey stamped with Impotence. "Y0u
gentlemen treat Us all as if We were made o.
glass, she said. 81 hate the house, it's 50 hOt;
tie garden is twice as nice"
Then let Us stay in it. Don't hurry away.
Miss Ashton. Ii am driving you in, pray let
me go rather than do so. [ thought Won Nigh
be cold out Eere / am sorry spoke"
"GOu need not be sorry; but can't bear PEG
lie TO fancy that | Oan never 90 out of the
drawing room, as were only tit to be put into
a glass case.'
"SOme things are so precious that we cannot
take too much care OF them,' he said, warmly.
81 don't care for compliments" Audrey said;
81 am tired of them. That's another mistake
you gentlemen mako, thinking 10 necessary to
give us ladies no more Intellectual food to live
upon than empty compliments"
al can't say anything to please you to-day,
Miss Ashton. l had better CO."
Poor fellow. his heart had been taken COM
pletely captive by the London belle, who dare
say wOuld never have given him a thought in
the midst Of her gayer life. Yet hers was not
an ungsneTOus nature, and she felt touch of
pity for his evident chagrin. She held out her
hand TO hun, aud he grasped and held it in his.
She was the lowest and best thing the WCIli
held Tor him nOw-the first woman who ha
ever touched his bOysh heart-and he, standing
with his honest handsome face agiOw with = ca
sCre at the poor little spsrk Of warmth in th3
girls manner, did not look unworthy OF tyel
her love.
"Idare s'yI am ill-tempered," che said. "I
think papa has spoiled me. You have beS 81
KIND to me all this time, looking after me- AMI
trying TO make the time pass pleasantly for me.
l know ! am very uugrateiul. l think Il 20
back TO Aunt Helen"
40 fFSF bo oil L..
leave u, Miss Ashton; the place would be uGen-
durable"
She smiled at lis earnest manner She well
knew that when the time should come for her
TO leave LOTIimer Hall she would suffer pain
quite az keen "a anything he would feel, though
not for bis sake. She had come out OF her gag
and careless life into contact with his-a CON
tact that, scarcely felt by her, was one to leave
its lifelong mark on her young lovers life and
career. He could not bear now the thought OF
being called upon TO part from her, though
somehow he knew, poor fellow, that he ami she
would never be anything more TO each Other
then they then were. Still the sunshine OF he
presence intoxicated him, and he left the future
70 take care OF itself, content to live in the pre-
sent.
ThGtnight Audrey sat 20 long in her room
thinking, that at last Esther came to ask if he
dear child ever intended TO go to bed.
Esther, sit by the fire anu talk, like a good
old thing. want to ask you if you ever saw
Col WIighton at Rapa's house long ago, before
he went 10 IndiE""
Esther seated herself, and, after smoo.hin-
cut her black elk apron, gave a little cough.
well EstheT?"
'welI, Miss Audrey"
"It u me about him, for you must have seen
him, Father"
81 don't Ike, please, dear Miss Audrey, to
talk about thai gentleman"
why not? You can have no reason TO dis
like hin, Esther"
''May be not, dear; but in my humble OpIa-
ion, he wrought a great deal Of sorrow In your
house, Miss Audrey, and ! make point OF
"Why, Esther, what can yeu mean. Come
tell ne the rest, now you have said % much
Why is II Col. WTighton will never go to AshtO.
M Is to see Aunt Helen"
.'He go 10 see Miss Helen! Why, If the mas
ter heard OF il, he'd tell Mark to turn hIm from
the door. Did you never know, Miss Audrey,
that he and dear Miss Helen were once very
near being man and wife?'
"Aunt Helen!" and Audrey'5 voice sounded
low and husky.
cay, indeed ," Esther went on not noticing in
the freight that the girls face was white, auI
her lips trembling; Gay, indeed, very near,
when he took some fancy into his head that
Miss Helen took too much thought of the at
tentiOns OF another gentleman who is long since
dead, and one day he rode over to the house in
q white passion, and saw Miss Helen, and then
he went away, and we never saw him or spok6
of him any more. Mr.. Huntley knew OF it leny
ago, but don't think he ever told his lady"
Here followed pause, during which Audrey
never spoke, and Esther pOked the fire.
Esther, did-did Aunt Helen pay too much
attention to the other gentleman?' Audrey
asked at last.
"Well, dear, she may have done, dare say.
She wac young and ha ndsOme, and women are
weak creatures when men worship the ground
they tread on, as did that poor gentleman. |
don't say but that Miss Helen was thoughtless
but II was too much to break her heart by way
Of punishment; and can't bear to see that mau
going about with that untroubled face of his,
and know that she sits at home and mourns tor
him till this day, poor thing"
"Thel il is for his sake that Aunt Helen has
never maTTied?' Audrey asked, looking far III
TO the grim faces made by the Goals that seemed
TO stare into her heart with their fiery TeG
eyes.
whose else?'' Esther said.
Then Audrey bade her old nurse "gOOi
night but instead Of going to her bed, still
by the FIRE, heapiDg on small mountains Of coal,
yet even IN the heat and blaze feeling dead aud
cold at her heat.
SO the riddle was solved-he was Indifferent
to her because he loved anOtE eT, and that other
the pretty aunt whom Audrey herself had al
ways loved so much. He had no thought for
her blooming young face; he was thinking Of
face whose early youthful bloom had passed
away. SO that was why he never went near
Ashton Mills; why he was impatient to get
away from LOTTimer Hall and its vicinity: Whv
he wanted to go back to India. Audrey saw it
all now, and with it she came to know that this
man would be TO her, all her life, a something
different and better than all the rest Of the
world. Not that he would ever know it; she
would rather die than that he should; whatever
In min huwn EaW a. -Eaa 4