Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-09-26
LESLIE GRAY.

GRAY. a. she stood beneath the labur-
mum trees.
barton Conway, with his dark, Apollo
face, his deep-blue eyes and faultless
form; and plain, earnest James GRAY.
who had loved Leslie from childhood,
and almost worshipped her now, in her
pure young maidenhood.
She was slender, graceful girl with
,hadowy, passionate eyes, with lips
scarlet-hushed as the geranium, and a
complexion of creamy fairness and
Barton Conway, the elegant man of
the world, felt his pulses thrill for the
wild-rose beauty of this girls face, as
they had never thrilled for woman be-
fore.
Had Leslie been the niece of Farmer
Gray Barton Conway might have made
her his wife, in spite of her want Of
wealth and position.
Yes, he would have married her,
and gloried i'll the perfect beauty of
her face.
But that was past and now he stood
there, knowing that he had won the first
love Of her heart, and decided he could
give her up; and James Gray, watching
his handsome, naughty face, a half
scomiul smile resting on his own could
almost read his thoughts.
Barton Conway's heart told him to
take Leslie for his wife, and be happy :;
but his reason said:
Why ruin your prospects for CLASH
cal face and graceful form, and wed a
glH who has not even II name of her
own ?'
Not even name of her own
James Gray had often thought OF
that, from the day that she had been
left, u helpless baby, at his fathers
door, but the very fact of her utter
helplessness only made her the dearer
to him.
But Barton Conway had come, and,
with a deep pain at his loyal heart,
he had seen how Leslie's innocent
heart had gone out to the royal-looking
stranger
Barton Conway had won Leslie's love.
believing her TO be the niece of Farm
er Gray, instead of being an adopted
Ioundling
lie stood looking at her now, knowing
that he was going to do Il cowardly
action, and, selfish and egotistcal as he
was, he shrank from the pain he knew
would come into her beautiful eyes in
less than an hour.
Suddenly Leslie turned and came
towards them, her soft eyes glowing, her
scarlet lips apart.
James Gray's face turned pale, for his
own tender love told him what was in
store for Leslie.
lie had known Barton meant to give
her up from the moment he had seen
the expression on his dark, Apollo face
as Farmer Gray told the story of the
night he took dark-eyed Leslie in
As Leslie came up, James turned and
entered the house, his one prayer be-
ING that Leslie may not love Barton
Conway as deeply as, alas he fears she
does.
Two hours later he came on her.
sanding Mt the window, gazing with
dark, hopeless eyes out on the dis
lance.
She looked like Il statue then, with
no tears in her shadowy eyes only
the dcathly pallor Of her face telling
what she had suffered, and the firm
me of her red lips the effort made to
rcpress it.
Two hours had changed her from Il
tender, loving girl to cold-laced wo-
man, who seemed to hold her heart in
her hand, and look half-pityingly, half
Ncontully at il.
Only one short week before, she had
stood at that same window, one wild,
lellrlous thought filling her whole be
wife. Oh, God the intense JOY Of that
moment and now-and noW-oh why
could She not die
James sprang forward, for her slender
.orm was sWaylng.
James-James !" she cried, piteOus-
y, and the next moment the pearl-fair
iace was lying white and still on his
shoulder.
The branches of the dropping labur-
nuns swept against the window of the
pretty room where Leslie Gray lay.
You would scarcely know her, she
was so woefully wan and pale, with her
AHr cut closely to her queenly little
mead and curling in short rings over her
low white brow.
From the hour James had held her
IKE a broken flower, in his arms. she
mad lain there, fighting with death, and
..a'ing Of her lost love, calling piteously
Tor his return.
But As the days passed and length
'Hed into months, health and strength
returned TO her, and though she was
never the gay, bright Leslie Of old, She
was a nobler. sweeter woman for the
'0iierin2 she had gone through, and
miles returned to her lips again-not
.1e brilliant smiles that once curved