The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1875-11-20


tily frilled and embroidered covers laid
over the old fashioned pillows, an easel
with its canvases and oil-tubes in one
corner( Miss Ashurst painted pictures),
writing table exquisitely arranged
drawn into the window (Miss Ashurst
wrote bOoks), a sweet.faced Madonna
painted on ivory,a few flowers grouped
in a classic vase, made the homely keep
ing-room chamber over into bower of
romance, simply Amy thought. She
stood as in a dream, inhaling the per-
fupse of a wide, luxurious life. OF q
whole world Of sensations and sights
unknown till now, and scarcely com
pretended.
the last touch to her vase of elematis
and roses, "now l shall do beautifully.
What a pleasant room this is! The
very exposure like best, and such a
sweet viewl 1t is just the room to work
in. am glad your mother let me
come, Amy. 1 may call you Amy,
may | not? We are relatives, you
kRow-tor away, but still relatives.
"Oh yes, please do" cried Amy.
Everyone calls me So"
" How lovely she Is - was her soli-
loquy as sbe went down stairs. L
wonder what Phil will think OF her :?
He will be surprised. I'm sure but
he must admire her he can't help it. I"
She watched the expression of his
eyes at tea. time but it told her nothing.
Phil scarcely spoke. he looked at Miss
Ashurst great deal, bit Amy could
only guess what the looks meant.
"Well?" she said, interrogatively, as
they met on the door-steps after tea.
"Well," responded Phil,
"What do you think Isn't she pref
typ"
"Pretty - with an indignant ipaec.
tion.
"Why, Phil, how can you help
thinking so 2"
/" Pretty is not the word at all. She
Is supurb-beautiful."
~ thought you would think So"
said Amy, cheerfully, but with a little
structure at her heart.
"Yes She's not my style, of course |;
but she is woman in thousand. No
wonder she has been such belle all her
life."
sim so glad you admire her. Now
you won't mind her being here, and
you'll be polite to her, won't you,
Phil ?"
"Oh, yes, IN do whatever you wish, :"
replied Phil, with a carelessness which
was half affected,
"ohe's not Philips style, whispered
Amy to her pillow that night, and fell
asleep with the talismanic sentppoe on
her lips.
Alas how easily Lhngs go wrongl
A word too nIncl or KISS to long,
Aud there f'lleth u midst aud binding rain
And life is never che same agaln.
sings George Macdonald. Things went
wrong" in little Amy's world during
the next fortnight. Was il only the
prescience of coming miSts with dark.
ened the blue, and made the days sad
Was it only foolish jealousy, or was it
something tangible She made herself
miserable over these questions. She
scolded herself but Seeding did no
good /; wiung, hurt feeling would not
leave her. And yet why WAS she hurt
Was it not natural and right that Philip
should be attentive to their guest, who
had on him, as on her, the claim Of
kindered blood-thls guest was one so
charming? For Amy never denied the
charm she felt it herself too strangly.
Was it not the very thing she had asked
him to do ? Yes but yet-but yet
All these reflections ended by deepen
ing tho vague unhappiness. Night
after night she sat alone on the door
step and WATCHED the boat glide of into
the MOONLIGHT, Phil at the oar. Miss
Ashurst with the tiller ropes in her
white hands, "Come with u.s." they
al ways said but when she murmured
an excuse they passed ON eheerfully
without her, Yes, it had come to that
Philip went without her aud liked 1t:
Just as well The world her world
had changed. Would it ever bo "the
same again 2"
Philip was In a temporary dazzle of
admiration he neither reasoned nor re-
fiected. But for Miss Ashurst, no slight
est glimpse of the truth had crossed her
mind. she thought Any a sweet, pretty
child, but shy, and bnsy with house
hold matters, as the only daughter OF q
widow in poor circumstances must ma
luIhD1 Dts fOI L Hllt ITO was Chul ullliB
she liked him best when alone-the
truth being that a slight uneasy con-
sciousness made him awkward when in
company with the old love, with whom
he was somewhat little off," and the
new. with whom he was not fairly
"on." So Miss Ashurst was not sorry
whom Amy refused to join in the moon
ligot rows, and knowing nothing of
what had gone before, it did not strike
her as unusual or make her question.
lie and Amy were as brother and sis
tire, she reelected. So her eyes being
sealed by ignorance, and Phils blinded
as by a sudden sphll, Amy's pale cheeks
and woful looks passed unheeded except
by one pair OF eyes which were not
sealed, namely, her mothers.
Mrs. Msuran was a quiet person; but
her quiet concealed strength aud pow.
eE of reading character. lnstinctively
she "toOk stock" of all persons with
whom she came in contact, and her in
stinct rarely failed A bitter expert.
ence had taught her how 'easily things
60 wrong" in this world of ours, and