The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-10-11

| VINO, by the way, Is an artist of
great merit, remarked Miss Alice, with
much asperity.
"Well, well, my dears, we must have
Mr.. Kenneth here to dinner. He is q
very charming young gentleman, and o
great favorite of mine. And we'll invite
his friend, of course"
So it had happened that the two artists
had been guests at the Flemings for an
evening, which proved an introduction
to much pleasant social intercourse.
Having been prepared to see in Mr..
Kenneth only handsome, fashionable,
self-conscious devotee of art, the COVER
ness had been astonished to meet one
who seemed scarcely more than boy,
with all the ardor and enthusiasm of
young life flushing his cheek and firing
his glance, who yet possessed that sub
tie refinement, delicacy, and dreaminess
which mark the true artist. Taking her
usual place as quiet, unobserved men,
Der of the family circle, she noted with
increasing wonder the simplicity and
frankness of manner of this much-praised
young painter, this pet of society, who
sat in the center of group of children,
his face alight with interest and merri-
ment, talking as vivaciously as if he were
q child himself.
That had been the beginning. From
that evening the sober governess, who
had thought her romance dead, had be-
come conscious of a new element in her
| eventless life. Had it been only the
| language of Carl Kenneth's dark eyes,
that had so often sought her retired cor
ner, or had it been the novelty of receiv-
| ing numberless little attentions to which
she was all unused, that had first glad
dened the dull days? How was it that
the barriers of reserve and pride had
been leveled so completely by this
strangers gentle courtesy? How had
she managed to forget that she was
only governess, and he the heir of
millions ?-she a woman past the heydey
of life, he in the very prime and glory
of youth d?
All. what foolish dream And now,
awakened by that careless shaft of ridi-
! cule, she must pay the cost of her folly
! in these bitter tears, falling on cheeks
that burned at the remembrance of her
presumptuous fancies. Young Mr.. Ken
meth had been kind and chivalrous to
her, as it was his nature to be to every
woman. Perhaps he had been kinder to
her, out of pity. And she-well, thank
heaven, no one would ever know of it,
this idyl of dead summer, this idyl that
she would bury in the sunset of her
thirtieth birthday
Is it easy for a woman to see the glory
fade from her life-to look forward
bravely over a waste of gray, cheerless
years that brighten only as the dawn of
heaven breaks upon their close? You
xx,I,p ,,,1y
at Amy Cuthbert's haggard face as she
sat with the dusk gathering around her,
gazing out at the distant hills, and con.
fronting that prospect of
"Long mechanic pacings to and fro
And set, dull life. and apathetic end
1t was late when a knock at her door
was followed by the delivery of mes
sage:
"If Miss Cuthbert is not indisposed,
Mrs. Fleming would be glad to have her
come down. Miss Bertha can't sing with
out her accompaniment"
Rousing herself with an effort, the
governess was astonished to see moon
light already silvering terrace and lawr.
The afternoon had long passed, and mer-
ry voices below told her that, as usual,
the Flemings' hospitable parlors were
filled with guests. How could she go
down? But mechanically she had said
eyes" to the servant-maid SO as
she rose and dressed, removing as far as
possible the traces of tears, and saving
bitterly to herself, as she cast last
glance at the pale face reflected in the
mirror, "What does it matter how I
look ?"
The maelstrom of gay life surged
around her as she reached the hall.
Bertha Fleming, followed by noisy
party, rushed in from the terrace, waving
a book over her head.
"Oyez Dyes Come here and i'm
prove your chances. I've purloined Mr.
Kenneth's sketch -book-the same he re-
fused to exhibit !"
The owner of the book, who had been
running over light air at the piano,
sprang to his feet.
"Pray, Miss Bertha" was the vexed
remonstrance which hes tried hard to
make polite, "don't take advantage of
your discovery. Don't make public the
fruits of my late industry, beg"
"What's the use of begging, Mr..
Kenneth? After being shameless enough |
to steal the book from the pocket of your
blouse coat, you might know I would
also disregard your prayers"
"But the sketches are SO poor" the |
young man persisted, much discom-
posed, that L really must insist"
"No, you mustn't insist nor apollo
gize )" and Bertha's voice was supported |
by chorus from the curious group.
"You're genius, you know. Now, are
we all here? First comes a study of |
foliage, and next the old bridge over the
creek. Very pretty. Foliage again
shadows how peculiar
those are how light oh, how lovely I"
and she paused, enraptured by an ex-
quisite little color sketch of convolvuli.
"Oh, beautiful and Z" Mr.. Kenneth,
how could you deny us the pleasure of
seeing that p We're the outcries that fol-
lowed.
"Oh, now we come to the character
studies Here's a Goliath to begin
with, and an Airy Fairy Lillian on the Op-
posite page. What contrast And oh,
here's the funniest charcoal study of
toads |"
A laugh rose and grew as head after
head bent over the paper. But it was
checked by an exclamation from Bertha,
who had turned leaf
"Why, here's st. Cecilia, and, as /
live, it's the image of Miss Cuthbert p'
Every eye sought the governess' face
rs she stood by the balustrade gazing
9ut at the moonlight with absent eyes.
Confused by the general notice, she