Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-12-26
AUDREY'S CHRISTMAS MORNING.


gentlemen, who were travelling together. and
enc lady, who Was -lJne. Su5 ~. young, but
che vas not lt pretty, that word "a L, way
conveys an idea q the singular beauty OF r
face and expression She was vaTy selt-p)--
ses,ei. and quite aware OF her attractions.
one q. the Elu, alter the hrst < -nce, never
LOOKED Ler way, but sat Immersed in hi pa per.
his tbCuElt- q Judge from the haif-p aimed sN-
preston uis face wore none Of the pis4Sa,.re~
He va tai. da-k and -OIdIeJly- Docking, y. q =
rear hali-LIOiru by his long, d5JJP.uk NOUS
tsehe. man turning the corner @. his prime,
vea-lrIc A somewhat sc0JutII. -ueertng eVu.---
zion round the corners OF Gis TnCu-h-au eNFUe--
siCu that seemed O. have grown hgb.tuat . that
face VEeu ~ TsI.se. a. n 10 hal been long 'm-
planted and fe-tsEed there. lis companion
Nss mO-5 Ike The girl her--lt-bTi sht and
sunny Nth 8 bright curly head OF hair, With
nothing but an iuCisIeuy Upl~.Rca5 To relieve
the sUU1-hue-- OF b. face. a TJw OF dazzIiugIy
white teeth, aud laughing, blue eyes. She
never looked ~ hlm- e.. course, possibly be
cause she vas aware that his ewes were fixed
BpoU her, fun Of boElsn admiration, bat nov
ami then she glanced fu--ivt!y ~ The other IEc-,
and Led lie would cJ-le 20 Al enl o. hls s-a-
IiG IaTer-
At Isst he put tie paper d3Eu and glanced
Care.es-ly az her. She VAS sitting back N DER
corner. her gloves thrown ON The seat opposite
her, and her Hs-ls white EgE7rs eHlFIoEcd iu a
BIT OF aVI1-5 cLtiy useless woman : "oIs. She
lad been reading, and her BOOK lay with uer
Rieve-, where she had thrown tt ste1 she tJoS
out her CTUtrhct- The man Win tie g.I1 eyes
like her CuB glanced once or twice at tbs JpOE,
ard then, 81 10 embniLeued by finding One-
tEirg Of sIiI tritv iu their tastes, teSusd oyer,
an Iav.ng lis hand on he book, ssiI.
may I5os at it? ] am 50 fond OF Teunv
son
ooh. certainly. you know how far we are
~ have no idea. have meyer been in this
part Of the country before, >" he answered., shout
ing I- cut - that she might teaT. ''Wright"u
Won know turning 70 his companion. cor
have you forgotten England completely 10 tls
No, he had not forgotten; he had been recall
ing each place they had passed while they nat
fsncied that 10 was resGirg lie thought ten
ME- nr. "a zen ne
night, the train jeTksd ~ uuwieldy body iGt1
the Ashton Mills station within the time he had
named.
Before lauGiug back the book, the name on
the hy-ltat caught the younger mans eyes
SAudTev Ashton Audrey Ashton he KEPT
repeating. a. they drove along over the frozen
roads, aUdsO intent vas he ON hisOgn thoughts.
that ne ord lot perceive the start that his com
ramon gave hen he first heard the name.
s'l on regu A good deal sfTu-< 10y the name,
CLAYTON. Why are yca!' the other asked at
"Sruck! I should think 50. Why Audrey
Ashton IL he belle every body has been ravIng
shout in town: the greatest i..rt, they say, ia
England, the best dancer. ami the VrettiesJ ri
der. In Tact, that'r the girl, WrightOn, who has
teeu turning All the heals AZ town. and break
ing more yBan one heart
SHesds must he easily turned and hearts
equally easily broken tie OtleT replied saeor-
ingly-
certainly Is strangely beautiful
"DO YOU know anything Of her famlly?' Col.
$40. much. Her fafhsris Sir Charles Ash.
ton. CT Ashton Mills, ana she Il an only daIgL-
teT. ] believe there l. q sister Of oI Charles,
much Younger than himself, who lives a. Ash
ton Mills but Miss Audrey Ashton has been
abroad until this winter, and dare-ay tins 10
her hsst home coming since she was child
After this 10 mOEe Was said til they reached
their destination.
Col. Wrighton had Just returned from a
twelve vtar- tour % zeEvCe Ia India, where La
had Won himself a name, ' JCL0rla Gross, sut
what he priced more, the love and respect d
his officers and bis regiment. He had been in
ne -. ~ H a nm
spend their Christmas ~ q place called L0Er.-
msT Hall, nov IN the possession OF an old scLOo.-
fellow Of the COlOneIs, Jack Huutiey. Ii was
pleasant enough house 70 pass te~ weeks IN,
and Mrs. Hunt,ey was one OF those sweet, M
therIy women whose chief happiness consists II
making those about tss N happy, ana whose
plans have this eEt A. tl-IT sole purposes. WIN
this characteristic. It = not strange that she
should DC something Of q match IL 7Ee--au
auiable, through often sadly dangerous
weakness Sl- had promised that the TtrzE
round their Christmas dinner should
20. Vlis hon had no Lore f.E society
u festive gatheIiIg>, and, indeed, Ic was only
On this condition that he had been p55suaIei %
come az all. Jack huHtley nal known C.aIie
NTightOn intimately in he DAYS when ley g. -r
bOrE young men he Lad known. and stu We.
remembered, that IN those days there -lal been
Won an whom the Colonel had held very dear
so dear, tuGt when the reaction hGl come. aaL
he hat thought OF hCS she had treated him, De
tigU with that nsHe which they had hitherto
coupled with the dearest terms Ma heart could
wonder that lis Cl1 friend Claude clas5ei ali
women under ore category, ana Isa-ilg them
by the light Of his bitter experience, did not
hesitate to doubt the truth Of Al that bore that
name. In the cid saws Dir. Huntiey hal been
IL his friends confidence, ana he had 50 well
keIt BE promise OF silence Oh that episode, that
even lis vile was ignorant Of the romance
EhicA had been pay et cut ia the days "Aen
a Iadvvas seated a. the drawirg-room win
dow a. Ashton Mills. She had been sitting
quietly fer quarter Of 81 hour thinking, a II
r.nHgr Hnwnr= INF.
the book she had been reading lying Idly on b eT
knee. She dressed in a stiff silk dress o.
sOnbre gray, suited to a woman OF hftys and
vet the young looking lace anu s!lsut, pretty
figure tod yea tAst she could not be move u an
thIIty. The face was a very quiet one now,
with the lOvtliest brown hair snOOthed oven her
white d Oh forehead. Loving brown eyes, too,
she had, that smiled OF you fun OF great s0T-
row. and a mouth eXluisitely tender, that had
laughed and dimpled very beautifully in the
old lost days o. her EITlhOOd. Yet Helen Ash
ton had settled herself down 10 be an old maid,
and her friends and relations, though many OF
them cid not know the cause Of this resolution,
had come to accept It a. fact that she would
never marry At length she reused herself out
OF her revere and rang the bell, when WAs an
sveIed by pleasant, Inlldle-aged woman.
"Esther, see it's beginning to snow. Have
they sent the close carriage for Miss Audrey
"That they have, my dear she'll come safe
enough with kObert5 trust him for looking after
hizs Audrey. Robert thinks there never was
auy lady in the wOrlI ike the Young Mistress
''Dear child, how lOEg II seems since We saw
her, Esther. hope they won't have spoiled
Lei win o. tA-l E@4N-r SIC Has oCSL ALANAASH
"BIeSs her. DO fear Of that It will take more
than one year, Miss Helen, 20 spoil her.
s.Ah, there II the carriage at last. Esther, 20
and tell them TO send up some tea, the child viii
want something 70 warn her alter LeT cold
drive
Then Miss Ashton ran down stairs in time 20
receive Audrey in her arms az she came into
The hal, tUw taAeS OF snow lying Ike TUFTS OF
6rmiUe OF her black velvet mantle.
my darling Welcome home ST LAST
How 5oly ! l., aud such dear old house!
Ard You Aunt Nelly, Lot looking a day older
"COUe 10 the Light, Audrey" Miss Ashton
said, when they got back to the drawing groom.
s'Let NE look 81 you, love"
"Ch, yG-, do look ~ me, Aunt Nell, and tel.
ne honestly u YOU think me pretty. J ha7C
been told am 80 often, but One never knows
whether people mean what they ssy. Now
you know / ca. trUs: you % tell exactly what
you think"
'.Ny darling, you are lovely" Miss Ashton
answered. standing under "A big lamp, aud look
ing a. the sweet sII. St face with - rich bloom
the bloom which ECr own had los. long ago;