The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01


Miss Dabney. 1 think she didn't wish
to be left out in the cold. All my guests
seem to be paired off this season. You
will have to devote yourself to me, Mr..
Northcote, unless I import another
blessed damosel.'"
"Don't, beg am content with the
blessings the gods have provided"
"You might dispute Louise with Mr..
Leroy, to be sure.
True. Let us begin by interrupting
the tete-a-tete."
"Mr. Northcote," said Louise, "this
is pleasure for which Mrs. Furniss had
not prepared u.s."
Excuse me, but your friend doesn't
look as if he regarded it in that light"
said Northcote, aside. "I hope 1 am
not de trop."
"I didn't know that such humility as
that hope suggests was a trait of your
SEX"
"Shall go away again2"
"Why, certainly not, Immediately
it would look as if I had snubbed you"
And I'm not sure but you have"
1t was doubtless pleasant to have a
spectator witness her refutation of the
popular preiudices respecting her want
of attraction, and that the spectator
should be Mr.. Northcote added piquancy
to the affair. cat leat he will see that
somebody finds me worth cultivating,"
she reflected. But in spite of this she
found herself incapable of entering into
the spirit of Irritation with the same un-
concern after Northcote's arrival. She
felt perpetual insane desire to shorten
the walks and drives, that she might
hasten back to his neighborhood, and
know just how he was passing the time,
that she might see his face and hear his
voice. But the further she withdrew,
the closer Leroy pursued, the old adage
that bird in hand is worth two in the
bush not holding good in love affairs.
The family had been picnicking in the
woods one afternoon, where the pine
needles made carpet, and frolicsome
brook capered and bubbled down from
its mountain source. Leroy and Louise
had wandered away to collect brush
wood to boil the tea-kettle, but had
gathered flowers instead; and when the
sunset had begun to fade, and warned
them to return to their party, they
found it was something more easily said
than done. After some time spent in a
vain search for the right path, they seated
themselves on q messy log till Louise
should recover breath and strength, and
studied such fragments of consultations
as peered through the branches over.
head, and listened to the lonely pathos of
the whip-poor-will, and made the place
ring with their chorus, not much daunted
by the situation, Leroy happy enough in
The protraoted seclusion which had be-
tallen him. Later he had waxed senti-
mental and poetical, and she had laughed
at and interrupted his loftiest flights.
"Were you ever in love, Miss Dab
ney9" he asked.
"Scores OF times from the age of SIX
Isn't that everybody's experience ?"
Not mine" he returned. 81 was
never in love but once"
"And who was the happy creature ?"
she asked, recklessly. thinking he re-
ferred to some hobbledehoy era.
"Who was she? Why do you speak
in the sad imperfect %
You don't mean to say"
81 mean to say that the only woman
ever loved, or shall love, is"
"Oh, hark !" cried Louise, rising.
81 hear footsteps-pardon the digres-
sion. Lo, the conquering hero comes ="
she sang. "Oh, Mr.. Northcote, how
glad l am to see you I didn't know as
we shoul get home till morning." as
that ger 1man waved the brand he had
stolen 0m their gypsy fire and shouted,
Eureka |"
81 didn't know but I was de trop
again, when found you and Leroy tax
ing it so cozily," said Northcote, later,
as he opened Mrs. Furniss' garden gate
for Louise to enter, Leroy having been
already captured by the hostess. "I
feared 1 had mistaken my vocation, and
had not been cut out for discoverer.
"Indeed, was never so glad to see
you in my life."
"Really? Was it SO bad as that?
we were so hungry"
81 thought Leroy looked rs if he
would like to eat me"
doubt if you would be tender"
could be, Miss Dabney, depend on
it-both tender and true. There, don't
start. You thought You had es-
capped Charybdis only to fall upon Scylla.
Upon my word, was afraid you would
have accepted Leroy before could find
you"
"You thought was to be had for the
asking"
:" feared you were not to be had at
ALL"
"But why should you have cared if I
had accepted forty Mr.. Leroys?
"Because, in the first place, it would
be n little unusual, and because I
thought you might do better"
"Thank you. will go in now. Were
there any letters tonight, Mrs. Fur
niss?"
"Here are two for Mr.. Loring North
cote, ditto for Miss Mellish, and one
yes, one-for Miss Dabney," replied that
lady; -,
turning it over and stud ying the post
mark. Fairfield. I never heard of
theplace before. Some mistake, 1 fear. "
" Fairfield" repeated Leroy, catching
the word, and speaking on the impulse,
with a heightened color. ats a new
summer resort. There's some sort of
water there good for blues and bilious
ness.
Louise opened the letter.
"M1ss DABNEY" (it began), -" You
may think it an intrusion for me to ad-
dress you, but hear that you are staying
at Valley Farm, under the same roof with
Mr.. Leroy, and that he is falling O victim
to your cruel spell. beg you send him
back to me. He is mine; he is all !
have. 1 can not live without him. Be-
fore he met YOU. he was all nv own.