Litchfield enquirer., 1875-07-22

the lily ln her bright hair trembled till,
 stepping for her erhandkerchief she had drop
 ped, 1t fell from her hair to the floor and
 Lawrence picked it up, she saw, and kepi
 it, and twirling it lightly between his fin.
 gers, took 1t away with him at last. ?
 ''It's good thing you've come, Va. leria, said Aunt Paget, winking violently,
 when, by and by, Lawrence happened to
 be with them all again. "It was very dull for Lawrence and his cousin Emily, all alone with us old folks. Now we will
 have the young people that always come when you do, and a couple of fiddlers, and make things cheerful little while-as much so as can be in this house of ante. diluvians, each with a foot Tn the grave.
 We have been very thoughtless to let il
 be so dull for the children"
 "I don't believe they've found it dull, ' said VaIeria, looking, with a pleasant laugh, at Lawrence.
 Well, at any rate, you may write tc the Luttrells and the Pennymans to-day we have sent for the Doyles-and we shal have quite gay house."
 "It was happy house before," said Emily to Lawrence, under her breath. He was standing beside Ter as she filled the big vase with flowers, and behind the shield of the vines and leaves he caught her hand, and held it in a close, long pressure.
 s'It will be happy house again." he said, as he dropped the hand and broke of bit of sweet -brier for his bouton- niere, that Valeria came and fastened on for him.
 It was as gay house as Aunt Paget foretold, though /; for the Pennymans and the DOyles and the Luttrells all came and there were picnics and garden parties and driving and dancing-the young beaux of town and country side following after the pretty damsels as well fortnight o1 real revelry, in which even old Uncle Mar tin, Aunt Paget, and the rest of them seemed to grow young again. From it Emily would have shrunk like an unno- ticed shadow, half out of sight, if she could. But Valeria, overfowing with vi- tality, with warmth and gayety, drew every one into her sphere, and was her. self like nothing so much as one of these very days of August sunshine in which renee, before the third week of that hos pitality on which Aunt Paget was risking of her precious hoard began, he found himself enjoying it like all the others, and eagerly planning new pleasures.
 ''I am going to send for horses to-day, " said Valeria, land we will every one drive over to see mamma. There she is 'all sole alone, and it will be the sweetest sort of surprise to her. It is only twenty miles. What. say? And I will show you the Gueltan Place, Lawrence. You haven't seen it since you were "a boy, and it has grown as you have. Oh, it is too beauti- ful for any thing And I love it so P
 ''What girl you are, Valeria p said wise old Aunt Paget. 'Go, by all means, and bring your ma back with you. I de- clare the way you are always thinking of other peoples pleasure amounts to pos tive genius"
 So they all drove over with much mer- riment to the great farm. And Valeria had certainly calculated with shrewdness when she counted upon the charms of the S prbpert8 asH 1t tNrsai.n 56e5Ha hes aWn4 -Snch and river in landscapes of enchantment on every side :; acres of billowy grain vel lowing to the harvest velvet sward undu- lating with hill and valley with pastures dotted by superb cattle with forest trees so grand that the possession of them was like an ancestral patent of nobility with laden in fruit with dairies and poultry yards and farm house and then the lawns, the greenhouses, the shrub. berries, and, most alluring of all, the gar dens-gardens almost as beautiful, it seemed to Lawrence's curious and half bewildered gaze, as the hanging gardens of Babylon could have been. And the itself, moreover-a stately stone building covering much ground, with grouped windows and chimneys, thick creeper softening every angle and lending natures grace to that of art, with an inner wainscots, pictures, ringing plate-ah, yes a man might lead life that was worth while at the Gueltan Place; with the Gueltan fortune to keep it up! And Valeria- Lawrence looked at her anew ; some other nature sprang up in him Tru- ly she mad positive beauty of her own. He preferred the more delicate, the pale and pensive style; but she would any where be pronounced royal-looking thing, with her fine stature, her rich col ors, her naughty bearing in the midst of all her jubilation. He glanced again at Emily 1t was like moonlight beside sum- set. But his heart was with the moon light. If only Emily had this fortune What evil fate was 1t that had made both himself and Emily penniless Here, in this place. with Emily And without her? No, he had resolved upon that-he would never be without her |!
 So they feasted richly and the servants in waiting, the gold and crystal, the state and ceremony, were something that kept striking vibrating strings in Lawrence's and attuniHg his wishes yet more and more to themselves, and were something, besides, that took on all the further splendor in contrast to the usual of life in the decayed old house at home And after dinner they explored the immense dwelling and portion of It's treasures-the curious things this Gueltan and that had brought home from the Chi nese or the Indian or the African trade paintings from Italy, armor from Spain, prints from France, 6ric -brGc from the world over. Then they fingered in the lovely music room, with it's great instru- ments, and Emily was begged to sing at the ivory harp but she knew that her simple little strains were not the music for such spot as this, and Valeria her self sat down at the grand piano and dashed off an intricate sonata. And then, at last. the old livery hacks which brought them were allowed to take their time for home with groom. and the fast Gueltan horses were brought out of the stables to speed them along-Mrs. Gueltan with them now-as if they travelled on the wings of the wind.
 ''We are living while we can, said Va leria to Aunt Paget. as she and Lawrence alighted first at the door, and the various parties came driving up the avenue. with song and laughter and all the tintinnabu- lation of gay voices, to receive the well come which the indefatigable Aunt Paget had sat up till this hour to give. ''By and by, you see, we shall be past enjoy ment so, if we make every day festival now, we shall at any rate, have that to look back upon Isn't that wisdom ?'' she cried, joyously, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks burning like autumn leaves. q always did pity those people who. spend all the time they can enjoy in getting ready to enjoy It was an arrogant speech, the speech of insolent wealth it sounded only like a needless, happy speech from the gay young woman with her overfowing spirits; but it was speech A. -ooA k<> 1Iko o~ Ro~