The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1876-02-10
.S1LKEN
THREAD.
- BY E. LYNNaLINTON. : =.
= -. CHAPTER II: j, =.
HER ORDEAL.

Meanwhile the cause Of all this do
nestle difficulty at Wildwood, distract
cd between love and fear, excitement
and apprehension. pleased vanity and.
humilating self fdistrust, was s:prepar-
ihg Cor her ordeal visit to the
lady:mother of: the fine gentleman
who had offered to make her his wife;
and raise her. to . place: almost as far
beyond her own in the modern :esti-
m mqqte IT Of things as was that mythical.
King Cophetua'a beyond his: beggar-
girls, was a trial which naturally ,ap.
palled the daughter Of the Wyth-
burn guide. 49,. ="
Not that Lois Lancaster: was: =
.peasant-gin Of the conventional type.
Her father, who knew what he, was
about, had determined that sheahopl1
be "made a lady off, and a lady ,ac-
cordingly she >was-that is, she had
never MIXED = COW in her. life, could
not churn, nor make cheese, nor cut
out i shirt. nor Knit, i, nor cook like a
Christian but she could tat, and
crochet and embroider with credita-
BILE dexterity, if her plain.work was
no more scommendable than her bak.
ing: She was q country girl Of the
modern hool-rather delicate in
health, with a tendency I'd, Mysteries
and no digestion to speak Of; WHO
could play q little on the piano and
sing prettily,in the choir !; who dress arsst
ed by the fashion-papers took in hsr
weekly instalment ofpenny literature
wore an elaborate chignon and q
great many beads (chiely Of wood
and glass), and would as soon have
thought of swearing as of talking
"broad Cumberland" She called
the vernacular Of the dalesfolk
trough talk" rough pronounced
with q slight Leaning towards roof
ard her grammar was really: not
livery much more imperfect than The
grammer Of most girls, though, some e
Of her phrases and epithets were, loci
al. She had caught up currentslapg
too, and had been heard to say cav
! fully jolly" all the same % if abe
had been the real lady she assumed
| |ytoIbe In a word, she was the half
bred Of the summer show-placei
neither gentlewoman nor peasant
hav wing. lost the racy color and un'
trained simplicity Of the latter: with:
out gaining the grace and refine men,
Of the former. But she was d COED girl
in both mind and conduct; and if not
thorough in polish, was at the leas!
substantial ID propriety. And she
| vas beautifal;- wonderfully ~beauh-
f,l; slightly impassive perhaps, md
TOO much like = = wooden Madonna
tbut every feature was perfect, and het''
Color was a. lovely as her form. form =: :
Her pure, transparent skin
! through which the blue veins could
be!seen so clearly traced, was at ali
i'times as delicate as the lining Of d
a-shell; but when the color mount:
/ ed, as it did under slight emotion
few things in nature could be com
pared to it for exquisite tenderness o1
| tint. And, as she knew the value o.
her complexion, she took care Of il
land did not suffer herself to get freck
led, sunburnt, or coarsened. Her
hair was as fine as silk aud of color
Of dark amber ; her eyes were large
light blue, and heavily finged will
dark lashes; and her eyebrows, o
nat long aud lovely arch which is q
beautiful but not intellectual, were q
the color, Of her lasbes. She VA
ltall and slight ;-altogether, q su
! Pre- emely lovely person, who had sh'
been born in the purple would hav
attained an almost fabulous reputa
ton, like Helen, .Cleopatrs, or poo
Scottish Mary. =. Al it was, her fathe
Who had eyes and. decided facult:
i'6r arithmetic, determined that he
beauty should be made to pay some
how, as a valuable investment place
to his credit by nature. .~
This father of hers, @old Timoth
IL ancaster, was one Of those cleve
h.nchorless men of whom every vi
ublage possesses atthe least one "H
G could do anything he had q mind to,
XMAS the phrase usually applied to hi,
/, u lhv ,h;s, frienda ma 1ias1hbors: btitf