Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-12-03
HOW KE LOST :AER.

told her that l loved her.
Il don. know what you mean, sir!
she exclaimed, with an expressive life
of the jetty eyebrows; but the liquid
orbs beneath avoided mine, and that
encouraged me to be saucy in my turn.
SIT Is of no consequence that you
should, Of course; but you don't i'm
agine that you were going to tllrt all
summer with a fellow of my stamp, and
get off unsing ed yourself!''
"Why not :" she laughed. "You
don't seem seriously damaged"
"But l am. My heart is shriveled
crisp as a wafe.'
"Really! Well, don't know what
can be done about it"
u am going to show you" And so
on, for half an hour. We spoke TESTING
", both of us, but the laugh with each
other covered deeper feeling,
She was beautiful, my Margaret; fond
of homage-as what woman is not? -
and accustomed to receiving it. Il. WAS
not her fault, after all, that l loved her,
but her glory, as all honest mans love
is always a true woman's glory; and
Margaret was true woman, though I
had called her fiirt.
She was promised in marriage to
Ross Bently before she ever saw me,
long enough. He had stopped horse
which had been running away with her,
and so saved her life. When he asked
her to give him what be had saved,
what woman with gratitude and a
whole heart would not have said Eyes"
as size. did, Besides, she loved him, for
aught I knew. l had seen him, and he
was handsome man to win
woman's love, if beauty would do it.
A handsome couple, but somehow,
seeing the two together, they did not
seem to be fond of each other; and 80 ]
took courage. Certainly, Margaret
never looked at Ross Ben,ly when l
was by, as she had looked at me many
time that summer, as we two strolIed
along the beach.
Ross Bently once stayed week, and
went back to town; He was man of
| business, keenly devoted to money
making; fonder Of that, l fancied, than
of the beautiful woman he had won, and
upon that i'm ,gining I hung another
| hope. M;rg4ret was an heiress. If
Margaret had been dowerless, fancy
that Mr.. Mr.. Bently would never have
wooed her. But how to prove it.
Margaret and did not relapse into
the fashion of s;rolling about the beach
by moon light after Ross Bently had
come and gone, and we stopped looking
and talking nonsense, watching each
other turtively. I felt confident that
Margaret was wondering if l had any
! thing to do with those moods Of
pensiveness which had come Upon my
dark.eyed queen of late.
One day found her upon the balco-
ny, with an open letter in her hand.
". am very fortunate girl she
said, glancing at the letter. did YOU
know that Clark, Vernon & Co., the
bankers in New York had failed last
week.
had heard of it.
"The bulk of MY fortune was in their
hands at one time. | did not know
but it was still. My guardian writes to
tell me, however, that he removed it
months ago"
came forward eagerly at that, ex-
tending my hand
''Permit me to congratulate you,
Miss Stoned"
Margaret laughed rather confusedly
as she put her little hand III mine. /
saw that she Was surprised at my eager
| ness.
"Miss Stone" said l, "Did you
believe me when l said that loved
you, somewhere about a month ago."
Margaret colored wildly, as she
gave me a doubling look.
Eyes. What fit. Do you want 70
take it back nowa'" she laughed.
"Not !. But in consideration IF my
great affection for YOU, l want You to
l.. p. q. e..