The Lake County star., 1877-06-07

casts IN upward glance AZ the draw
ing-room window, where Polly loung
es, watching her. The red golden
hair Is tangled, for she has been roll
Ing on the floor with a puppy, and thu
bright child's face is dimpllng all ovel
with smiles that are evoked by moth,
ling particular. .,el''. = - 'r',. ~,
THANK heaven!'' the youhg M attnn
says, taking her horse away at sharl
trOt. Polly Ii a child still with nc
thought of love or marriage In hel
head.n laH~ ,in .if tsss.te .at.l
So thinking, she filings of all weary.
Ing thoughts Of the responsibilities oi
her elder sisterhood. So thinking
she stays out many hours of that bright
summer afternoon, enjoying her ride
stung by no consciousness OF violated
charge-free from the oppressive In.
fiuence of the knowledge that she will
have to come to q definite conclusion
soon.
She stays out, beguiled by the
beauty Of the day, so long, that whei,
ahe reached home, hot and tired, she
flnds that dinner will be ready In q
quarter of an hour, and that Phil Ia
already dressed for II. In her eyes
Phil Is faultless. In other peoples
eyes. Phil's mania for punctuality Is
deemed q trifle less than virtue.
However II may be, Mrs. Saltoun has
q respect for the quality, and reaches
the table just as her husband Is begin
ming to be impatient.
| She h 30 breathless with the rapidity
Of her movements during the last te n
minutes, that she does not notice Pol
| ly until dinner Is nearly over, and she
has detailed 70 her husband every In
| cident of her ride. Then she turns to
her sister, and is about to offer the lat
ter donkey-ride on Black-heath,
when something In the child's face
stops her. l...sIyJ .e,..A;
"What is 1t ?" she calculates. '"Pol-
lyw
and hang In wavy masses down her
back, just as 1t did In the morning.
But the free, happy child's face. and
bright, unaffected child's manner have
changed. She has been aroused from
the enchanted sleep Of childhood but
whether 1t has been by the kiss OF the
genuine fairy prince or not, remains
to be seen. ~
"I've something to tell you, Belle, I"
she says. with certain sort of tender
outgoing of feeling toward her sister,
and her lips CULVER, and her eyes
flicker and iii with tears in way that
makes Phil wonder "if the child has
broken anything or not"
But his wife has no such dread as
this OH her mind as she takes the
young girl--a child no l0nger-back
into the drawing room, and asks low
ingly;;, -,
And with choking sobs, Polly slut
tiers out: "No. Belle, no; its Mr..
| Staunton."
"Has he been here?" Belle ques-
tiOns, Indignantly. @ So
eyes. almost as soon as you left and
he has been SO very, very kind, that 1
Ibid you wish to say no ?" the mar
ried sister asks, In All agony of spirit
which she dares not quite reveal.
mo-" Polly says, holding up a tear.
stained face to be kissed. II didn't
want to say anything; / hadn't
thought Of him even, till he came in
and told me that he loved me very
much, and that he'd like me to be his
wife, that he might be able to take
care of me; and then remembered
Aunt Helen and Aunt Grace, and
how grim and dull and cross they al
ways seem. and mamma says that's
because they have no husbands to love
and take care Of them, and 80 said
yes. Fancy my being married before
Florence, Belle! She'll come and stay
with us both now. and shall take
her to the balls"
AS this view of the glories Of her fu-
ture state beams upon her, Poiiy's face
glows with gratified vanity, and all
Ear Ton dried nm NJ nnpa Tho
tears threaten to spring again when
Mrs. Saltoun says:
"It won't be all balls and smooth
sailing, Polly dear; remember you
will have days and weeks alone with
him very often. Do you love him
well enough to stand that?
1T will be better than being like
Aunt Helen and Aunt Grace, any
way" Polly says: And Mrs. Salteun
says resignedly: -
"Well, there's nothing for me to do
but to write to papa and mama. i sup
pose Leonard will say something about
| It to me to-night" 1.;.
Eyes, Belle, he's written by to-
nights post to papa. And now hadn't t
| I better 20 and dress W f'i
Mr.. Staunton's letter Is received by
the paternal power in due time, pro-
nOunced to be q most straigh forward
and admirable one; and POlly-when
| practical arrangements for her COM
fort and security In the future have
been made-is delivered up by herwell
satisfied parents to the care and pro-
lection OF Mr.. Stsunton for life. They
come back after the wedding tour,
and even the most critical observers
are bound to confess that the hastily
| devised and carried-out scheme seems
to promise well for POlly's happiness.
For q year she is popular, much
sought young matron,r living In a
whirl of glittering garris0n-town gay
ETY.. And her husband In proud OF her,
and tolerant Of things as they are. AT
the end of that time excitement be-
gins to tell Its tale In the flushed cheek
end sharpened outline OF the face. A
heavy, feverish cold attacks her, and
when she Is recovering from the effects
Of this, her first child Is born, and, by
and by, IL Is very weak and emaciat-
ed Polly who comes out into the world
again. s4 E.H
WEAKNESS and languor are her pre-
vailing sensations now, and she does
not know that her elastic young con-
stitution has been overstrained, and
that the utmost care Is needed to re-
store It to Its proper tension. She does
not know, and there n no one to tell
her, for Belle Saltoun is far away by
this time, and her husband confines
his supervision Of her health to re-
quests that she "will take care Of her
self''--as II she knew how to- do It'll
and commands that she "does not al
low the child to worry her" ="
"She has nurse; why should she
keep o dog and bark herself?" he asks,
when the poor languor-striken mother
tolls about In vain, painful endeavor to
keep the nursery peace. He also kindly
suggests that "Polly should walk q
good deal - never taking into consld-
Grafton that Polly's ovef-taxed frame
invariably falls q prey to utter fatigue
and prostrating neuralgia, after she has
tried his invaluable panacea of"a long
Fortune, in .ous respect, h1s sfeAtly