Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-01-08

iIldie YOU oIlIS Illc, IL Ollly W GedSc.
And without further ceremony | left
him more mystifed than ever.
| saw him very often in the next
two months, and learned to like him
very much for his kindness to my awk-
ward self How much | liked him [
scarcely knew, until letter from
mamma came, saying that summer
was long over and people were grow
ing very curious as to my whereabouts.
With cold, sick feeling at my heart,
| took the letter in my hand, and went
through the orchard to the place where
| had played 'sLorlei" for the benefit
of Walter Gray. Bitterly | regretted
my masquerade, for thought he could
never be brought to like the red-hair-
ed, clumsy girl he had pitied and been
kind to.
lay on the grass crying, holding
in my hand some of the dead leaves
lying all about me, and thinking how
like my own hopes they were. How
long | lay there | do not know, till
some one dropped on the grass by me,
and a cool, soft hand held my own.
Crying! water-nymph? ?" and be-
fore | knew it | found myself close
held by two strong arms, and dear
voice speaking to me.
"Gour aunt says you are going away,
Lorlei; going away to be educated, and
taught many things it is right for YOU
to know. ! dare not let You 60, little.
one, until l ask if you will think of
yourself as my own Lorlei, and try to
become as graceful outwardly as your
pure, good heart and natural abilities
will let you. | have learned to love
you very much, and you will let me
hope, will You not::"
For all answer, I lay quiet, looking
Iup in his face, and thinking how nice
it was and fearing to break the spell
by showing him my real SELF
"Do you like this awkward, ugly,
clumsy, red-haired girl?" | finally
managed to ASK. with longdrawn
breath of satisfaction.
"Stop the adjectives," he answered,
closing my mouth gently with caress
(and how glad l was mouth was
pretty! IAt times you are more
graceful than any one ever, saw, and
as for the hair,-a
sat up eagerly, and asked:se
"Iou like yellow hair, don't you?"
"les," he said, wondering at my
eager look and manner.
Turn your head away, and promise
not to look" ] said, turning his head
50 thai he could not see me-
| p promise, es,nir~ tie voice Z vas
waiting for. With trembling hands
| took out the pins, unfastened the
elastic which held my red wig, and
pulling if off, turned his face toward
me. He looked as though he had seen
a ghost. and stared at the red hair in
my hand and the golden on my head,
III mute astoniShment.
Yes, its mine said, answering
his look and pulled one of the short
curls hanging over my eyes. "And |
can dance and sing, and play the piano,
and love Shakespeare" | could get
no further. for reasons lovers can per-
haps explain; and when, an hour after,
in my pretty white rutfles and woman
ly tinery, | crept into the sitting-room,
| found Aunt Hetty talking to Walter,
and saw him grayely kiss her hand as
he came toward me. When | saw the
light in his eyes as he looked at me,
for the first time in my life | thanked
God for my glorious beauty.
There was grand time when went
home, and for while my ''unfortun-
ate appearance ceased to be the gen.
eral theme of conversation.
My first anxiety, when nurse brought
me my little Fannie to look at, was
whethSW was pretty. | need not
have troubled myself. Her nose is
fiat, her mouth is wide, and only her
blue eyes and sunny temper keep her
from positive plainness. She has re-
lieved me from all fear of perpetuating
the race of ''Lorleis. Tile 1{dihe.