The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-10-10


friends" to me, Mr.. Aylmer, an
claims for them all special favor OF
that account that / am quite dis
tracted with trying to do them al
Justice. Pray tell me how long ha
your mother been auntie's "deares
frieDd?' If L knew, it would sell
me to tell just where you belong il
the list I always keep of their mum
Der. I can't begin to trust them al
to my memory
Before Rex could reply, Mrs. LIE
Compile. foreseeing danger. inter
posed sweetly:
Why. Nina, you have often heard
me speak of my old school-mate,
JEANNE Lanier. = she was Rex's
mother"
"Have /, auntie? I am sure 1
have forgotten, but no doubt it is
true if you say SO. I've such a
shockingly bad. memory"
So it seems" coolly remarked
the young man.
Whereupon, Nina inwardly com
mented, II do believe he can be as
impolite as t. but outwardly she
paid no attention to his remark, but
went on:
"What a pity your mother and my
aunt are such very old friends
there is such charm in novelty. /
make it a point of conscience to like
new things best" Is sssa
Rex was not perturbed by this
expression of her likes and dislikes.
but rejoined in the same tone that
she had used. ~.
$50 you have q conscience !
Thank you for telling me so. for it
makes me sure you will not cause
your aunt to break her word by re-
fusing. to dance with me-. as she
promised you should" a-s1.s
rF 90. auntie how often have told
you never to make promises on my
behalf you ought to know better
by this time; just when / had vowed
not to dance again, tool Now here
it is that / must break my word, or
my truthful aunt must break hers -
= 'eOut of regard for the family hon
or 1 withdraw my request, Miss
Nina" calmly remarked Rex Aylmer
seating himself by her side, not in
the least abashed by her evident de-
sire to show how indifferent she was
to g the son of my dearest friend"
Nina had expected something diff
ferent from this. and could have
cEoked him for his GOODNESS, while
she liked him all the better for it. s.
After that they went on, badly
enough, it seemed to Mrs. LIE
Compte; managing to say as many
politely impolite things to- each
other as Was possible for two WE'LL
bred people. in SO short a time. By
and by, Col Egertons discovered
Nina s hiding place and came plung-
ing through the crowd and asked her
to dance. OF course, she would like
nothing better. and went off utterly
indifferent to her aunt's looks of
remonstranee. An hour after Rex
Aylmer came up to her and said:
"Now that you have shown me
how little you care to please ''the
son of mysoldest friend.' you will
dance this'oncs with me- 'aBiyI
She was on the point of saying |
NO. but some good spirit prevent
ed her, so she made ayes instead, |
and with him Joined the dancers
No suspicion of the truth flashed |
across Rex Ayimers soul as he look |
ed down into the brown. brown eyes
Of Nina LIE Compte he saw only
. woman SO fair that all other wome n
seemed suddenly tarne--that was
all. There are women whom to look |
upon is to. have the heart stirred
with a strange. sweet madness; wo-
men for whom men forget prudence. |
and. alasl sometimes even
honor, 2 ~
Suca an one was Nina LIE Compile /
and yet her own sex rarely called |
her beautiful. Her features were
not fauitlessly regular, with the cold
that sculptors love- bat
in warmth and glow, and coloring,
her face would have driven painter
mad, Hers was face that seemed
to hold strange sweet secret. and |
as men looked they longed to read
the secret, butlwere never able. An
maddeniEg creature.
who held in her hand a witchery that
tanner women could never learn. 81
Three years before, her father had
died. after seeing all his fortune
swept away, and the seventeen year
old Nina wasleft to the care of her
wealthy and childless aunt Mrs. lie
Compile. at whose earnest wish Nina
Beaufort became Nina LIE Compile,
heiress tosher aunta vast. fortune. |
Mrs. LIE Compte carried the lonely |
girl to her sunny home in New
Orleans. and she soon became the |
joy and pride Of the grand old man. |