The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-01-10
THE FaAN ANNIE LOVED.

SOlb 6CdlleL anu NUlL6 WOOl.N
Etheredge sat watching her, pretending
| TO read the Journal at the same time.
She was looking very charming in her
buff muslin dress, with pink ribbons at
| the throat, and looping back her brown
| hair.
Prate as we may of unimportance OF
dress, 1t more or less influences the des-
! tiny OF us all. Venus herself would be
ugly in a tattered gown, and oniys imag-
| inc Apollo i'll a swaliow-tailed coat with
bright buttons. Annie Hantley knew
the value of dress-ahd what is more,
she knew how TO attire herself i'll Just
the manner most becoming to her. ohe
was not SO much prettier than dozens OF
| other young ladies', but everything about
| her was in harmony, and people had
fallen into the habit Of calling her heau-
| tiful. She had clear, wildrose COM
| Extraordinarily regular features-soft
brown eyes, and brown hair that was
struggling continually to break into
| curls and fingiets so natural to 1t.
Milton Etheredge-grave, silent, wise
lawyer--wunderea within himself how
| long he had loved this little Annie. He
could not remember. Six years ago she
mad come TO them-the dying bequest of
Mrs Etheredge's best valued irieno.
| The good lady had been mother TO her
ever since, aud Milton had played the
part OF a kind elder brother. Annie was
felghteen when she came to Grayhead-
she was now twenty-five. Yes, he was
sure he had loved her for six years. She
had made everything so different. Her
pretty ways OF arranging curtains, and
! flowers, and books, ana knick-knacks,
lhaa Frightened up the stately old rouse
! wonderfully. Milton thought it was
strange how he and his lady mother had
ever managed. to live without her.
So he sat and looked at her as she
maze the shining steel fash in and out
the bright, fleecy wool. Not that he
thought OF ever being anything more to
her than he was now. His love was
quiet yeti had not reached that pas
sionate stage when 1T VIII not be sub
dued by any obstacles. He was old
thirty at least-and it would be childish
for him to hope she would ever link her
Young fresh lie with that OF man whose
nalr was already getting gray on the
But there was something more to de-
, stroy the nope, If he had dared to in
dulge it. AT one time, perhaps, he, had
it, but certainly not now. Annie Hunt
ley had nad her lie romance as well as
other women. 1t had been sweet at first
l-painiully bitter at last. 1t had made
her smile grayer-her color more feeting
, liter lldubCl dt bihlCo ouUuuGu anu . du
so Etheredge thought.
Annie and Leigh Richardson had met
| under somewhat romantic cireum-
stances. He had saved her from drown
ing at Cape May, when she had ven.
tured beyond her depth; and, after re.
, moyal TO Grayhead, ne mad followed her
there and located himself i'll the prac.
> tice of his .proiesSion-the law. He had
. been a constant visitor for two years
, People began to speak OF them as be.
, longing to each other, and Mrs. Ether.
edge had, with a womah's peculiar de.
: light, begun to anticipate the wedding
supper and the bridal trousseau. Eth
eredge had looked on with a dull pain al
: his heart, for which he felt half angry
with himself. Surely he ought to rejoice
that Annie would be so happy, for Rich.
. ardson was every way esJimable, aho
: was rising rapidly in his profession.
4 Suddenly, however, about two years
before the opening Of our story, his Wis
its to Annie ceased, and he began a VIC
| lent Irritation with Nellie Seymour, TIA,
lbevle OF the village. Annie did not die
on account of it--she did not even NOPE
: as girls generally do when crossed ii
I love, Her manner was a little more sub
i. dued, her laugh came less frequent, buI
she was not heaft-bfoken. She put aside
the sympathy Mrs. Etheredge woul(
S have offered her, quietly, and gave hel
J. confidence to no one. Some times she
:, met Richardson, but they exchanged ne
3 words-not even The ordinary ceremoni
Q GUS greetings Of mere acquaintences
p they were as completely separated as
an ocean rolled between them.
'TAis. night, as Etheredge sat watchinJ
y Annie, and thinking Of all this, ne nc
t ticet, with thrill of pain, that she wa.
g. a little paler, a little more quiet tha
;. usual, He remembered that she hal
~ met Richardson at the picture galler
l. that day.
10 Some magnetic Influence in the gaze G
a, Etheredge made Annie look up. Sh
flushed under the serene luster Of thos
dark gray eyes, and her fingers forge
Is their cunning, and dropped the bail {
IA zephyr she was unwinding. 1t rolled tt
i, ward the tire-there was genuine ole
!" fashioned wood fire upon the hearth
is and in STOPPING to recover it, her ligf
al sleeve dipped into the blaze. The fame
leaped up-Miiton sprang forward
. caught her in his arms, and crushed OF
. the lire.
'e She was frightened, weak and dizz
le with remembering what she had ESCAPED
land for q moment she stood circled O
his arm, her head ON his shoulder, be
IS soft hair resting against his cheek. Th
IL touch thrilled hinf with startling powe
N. He was hardly himself. All the love b
had SO long kept under foot rose up Lii
d an unbound tyrant. He pressed his Liz
IN passionatly to hers-he would have tol
at her then how dear she. was TO him, bl
: something seemed to hold him back. II
-. would wait a little until the eXcitemeI
r! of her recent peril would be oyer-woul
n wait, and think it over calmly.
or Ali that night he sat up, thinking
-. his course. He loved her with all Ii
N soul; he should never care for anotht
as woman. But he was not quite sure
NJ the condition of her heart. What if st
= had still "a lingering tenderness for Ric
"a ardson? lie feared she might have. II
as had seen her kiss picture which he fe
It. morally sure was his. Would he like h
bt wife to kiss Leigh Richardson's pictur,
~ Would he like to think she had ev,
kissed itS Then he remembered no
be she blushed sometimes when he locke
to at her, and took courage. 1t might
that the old dream could be forgotten
:! the new. At any rate he would kno
to before he slept, he said, with suddt
II. resolution, and after breakfast he Wei
ot down town for walk. He knew a fe
= = OF the fellows belonging to the Frank
us Club, and for the want of something be
ter to do, he sauntered into their room.