The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-07-16
THE FATAL PICTURE.

upside down, held it off at arms length,
and scruhEized it closely with my eye
glasses.
Henry Wallis looked pleased; a man
naturally likes 10 have his aflianced duly
admired and appreciated.
$50 this Is the Bessie Armitage I
have heard so much Of; really, Wallis,
she docs credit 10 your taste. A blonde,
| suppcse?"
Fair as a lily, with beautiful blue
eyes, and the suDniest golden hair!"
All well, 1 must say I prefer the
brunette style, so far as my taste goes
but, then, fancies differ, you know"
IL was all very we'll for Wallis to go
into ecstesies over his pallid, fair-haired
little Bessie Armitage; no had never
met the glance Of Cecilia Vernon's
magnificent dark eyes. What did he
know about the true type of feminine
beauty?
"As you say, fancies differ" Wallis
returned, lightly. "But / wish You
would select a handsome frame for it
when you go to town Rezt-blue velvet,
with a gold rim on the margin, or some
such tasteful arrangement"
I'm see 70 it" I said, depl sitting the
picture IN its envelope, and placing it
IN nv inside breast pocket.
You'll be very careful Of 1t ?"
Careful? OF course I shall"
/ smiled little Ioftily at Wallis So
HcitUde, and we parted.
After all, Henry Wallis was better off
than l was, for he was securely engaged
to the dImpled, vellO=-tresgod little
object of his atfs ctiOu while I was vet,
as 1t We're, IN outer darkness, uncertain
whether my peerless Cecilia returned
my devotion. or whether she secretly
inclined toward that fellow. Fit2hupb
TyetOI, a score of times I had gone
10 tho NeruOns' house with the ye-v
formula Of declaration ON my lips, and
as often had the words died away ur-
spoken. If fate had only gifted me
with one thousaudth part Of Fitzhugh
Trefcil's of hand audacityl / don't
think anything short Of the Geiuge
could check that fellows cool self pos
session an earthquake would not.
However, love inspires he feablest
heart with "a sort Cs courage, and was
a new man since Miss Vernon had
smiled upon me. What was the use OF
doubling? Whv not decide my fate at
oncey Henry Wallis serene content
exercised a stimulating influence upon
me. j would fam have been even as lie
was.
There is no use in procrasEiuating
matters any longer" L said, half aloud,
as l walked mp and down the limited
domains of my law office. 90 have been
a doubling fool quite long enough"
I'm afraid / wasn't q very amiabIe
member of the domestic civol5 that
afternoon
81 think Paul is growing crosser
every day, said my sister. Struggling
her plump little shoulders. Mamma,
wish you'd speak to him"
But my mother, bless her wise old
soul, knew better than that She only
looked at me over be rims Of her spec
taciee, ard went ON darniug stockings.
" Paul rs worried with business mat
ers, L suppose, " she said, alphabetically.
He viii DO well enough, if you only let
him alone"
went mp to my room after dinner,
and made an elaborate toilet but ali
the pains I bestowed upon it served only
to hejghteu the general effect of
awkwarsuCss.
I've two minds 60 wait until to-
morrow, qEoth / TO myself, abruptly
stopping with my Cravat half tied
No, l might be a coward. but 7 was
not such q poltroon as that. I had be
gun the enterprise; and ! would carry
1t through. Moreover, had au iDspira-
ton, An entirely new and original
method OF putting the momeujous
query had occurred to me.
Hang Eitzhurh TrefoiI - 7 ex-
claimed gieofuly, half aloud, though
there was no ear to hear my ejaculation
I'll win the dark eyed treasure yet, in
spite of him"
I .r--ar.a.1 ~r-g- ,~-r-s4s.-.- ---.
fully ,unk ont little carte de risjte
wrapped in tissue paper. ana teuderIy
iaJu g. away with pink silk uaTfnmaG
satclc, that NIjuuie had made for me
once. j. Was Cs-ilia's picture she had
allowed me TO steal IL away from her
with scarcely o. Ecm0ustrauca. O week
before. Then was rle time 7 ought TO
have proposed Eub IEe The tIao~c1s
douhtIG wcol-caIf that ! was. TIlG The
golden zoe ut opportunity slip away
from nae. L drew Bessie Armisaee's /
vacant, @oi.-lke face from its unveIspe.
"UDc1wParrd the tw0 with a thrill of
triumph in nay heart.
"Cn'.riss- water. beside crimson.
spU'b.a- champagne pale violet i'm
the shaa"- ct O. rUsat rose: near. S. /
ecipsed 10y tGo fiery flash OF diamonds - /
exclaimed. Henry Wallis tasie may /
be corecl and classical, but give me my /
raciar. hEUaCtte' These bieache'-out (
be.uneS aEc not my i3enI of pc lection"
B. was q lovely spring evening as / en- /
t,Hgu tine VIDE Craveled path that I.g to /
tie broad porch of the old fashioned .
Venom mansion. Squire Vernon sat i
There smoking his meerschaum
Won't you sit down and have q .
s1s". - Re ,emaEded, Hospitality. cts /
b.. fHr.. D.
doors after beng shut up in the house /
a.' "..sts, Or may oe you prefer gong
Ea 20. sec Cecil 2" 4
Sensible old gentleman he had not
Tor often hls own Young days. ! init
m|.. -ha. the special object of uly
VI .aa been Ito see Cecil. "
Vel, she is in the parlor, all by
h,r-- &, SAID the squire, good humor-
civ. Walk In-wal6 In. ~
Cecil Vernon was sitting in the parlor
alone, re her father had said. the bright
center ot cheerful circle OF lamp-HgLt.
hIt Of crochet work was living in ltl |
lap, ana an open volume of poems
poems & had sent her-was on the table. /
CecIHa Vernon was always fair 20 look
upon, IN my sight 20 night, however,
she seemed more than ordinarily bean.
G.uL
= sat down, and began hesitatiugly
upon the uever-fa.Iiug topic of the
weather. 4 proposal had seemed the
easiest thing in the world as | walked
along the dewy edges &C the peaceful.
star-iiGdted road, contemplating it from
affair OF; hut now That I was facing it Alps
upon Alps OF difficulty and perplexity
seemed 20 surround its accomplishment.
I would have given all that I was worth
to postpone the evil day but twenty
four holrs-ail but my self-respect, and
that was imperiled now.
- Cecilia tried her best to keep the ball
of conversation IN motion; she intro
duced new subjects, asked leading ques-
tions, and feigned deep interest in the
most abstruse of topics. But even
Cecilia couldn't talk on forever. and
presently, with a little sigh of despair,
She subsidized into silence. Now was ]
the evertful moment of my destiny.
% Cecilia - said softly.
She raised her liquid brown eyes to I
nine.