Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-12-05
Her Folly.

'There goes the most provoking man
in the whole country !" said Lucia Dare,
as she stood at the window and watched
Professor Lee 60 down the path
''really the most provoking. Some
times Pm sure he's in love with me.
again, Pm sure Pm mistaken, and that
it's Dora he's in love with, if he's in
love with anybody. He's 80 bashful
when he's with woman that he doesn't
dare say his souls his own anyway. I'm
sure don't see why he should be
afraid of me like him, and if he
could see two inches ahead of his nose,
he could see it,"
Lucia heaved little Sigh, and sat
down at the piano, where half an hour
before she had been singing 'Annie
Laurie" for the professor.
81 wonder what he wanted to see
Dora for?" she thought, as she trimmed
the keys in low accompaniment to
her thoughts. sit can't be that he is
in love with Dora, for he must know
that she's engaged. And yet, he's
such an odd creature that it wouldn't be
at all strange if he was. If he ever
heard she was engaged, he's probably
forgotten it. wonder what he wrote
to her? 1t must be something that he
considers quite important, for he wanted
me to be sure and give her the letter as
soon as soon as she got home, and it
took him half an hour to write it,"
She got, up, and went to the table,
and took up the letter Professor Lee
had written to her sister.
81 wish 1 knew what was in it," she
said holding it up to the light. 'He
looked as if he might be proposing mar
rage. i'll thought 1t was a proposal
i-D
Lucia's face colored a little at the
thought which came into her mind
She laid the letter down and walked to
the window, and stood there for some
time. By-and-by she turned, came
back to the table, and took up the letter
"a guilty look on her face, as she did
it-and dropped it behind an old carved
cabinet which stood IN one corner of
the parlor.
Its mean thing to do" she said to
herself as she went back to the piano.
''bnt I've done it. II it was a proposal
it's just as well as it is, for Dora would
never marry him; if it wasn't propo-
sal it won't matter much. probably"
Two weeks after that Dora came
home from visit to a friend, with the
news that Professor Lee had resigned
his position as teacher of languages in
the academy at Wilbraham, and &C.
cepted an offer from new college at
the West.
care you sure it's SO? asked Lucia,
with an effort to hide all traces of agita-
ton.
"Quite sure," answered Dora. "Hel.
len Templeton told me, and she had the
news from Professor Lee himself"
when is he going?" Lucia tried
hard to act unconcernedly, but her voice
sounded unsteady.
VERY soon," answered Dora. "This
week, think.
And it was only two or three days af-
ter that Dora came home with the
announcement that the professor had
gone.
"Gone!" Lucia's face was pale as she
repeated the word. At that moment a
tender hope died in her heart.
YES" answered Dora, ''he went
this morning. think he might have
come to tell US good-by."
Lucia got up without another word
and went to her room.
Poor Lucia!" Dora said. "She did
care for him, after all.
Upstairs LHcla knelt down by her
window and had a real woman's cry.
She did not know till then how much
she cared for Professor Lee. She had
always liked Alm, and had hoped that
that some day she might call him by
dearer name than that Of professor
Now she knew that she loved him.
but it was all on one side," she
sobbed. SIT must have been. or he
never would have left me IN this way,
without SO much as word. But 1 did
think he cared for me little.
1t was two years after when Lucia
came across the letter that Professor
Lee had written that Summer afternoon
for Dora-that letter which he had
taken care her sister Should not get.
She vas moving the oak cabinet, and
found it lying where II had fallen when
it sdropped from her fingers. A hot
flush ofshame dyed her face at the sight
Of It,. II wonder what is in it," she
said, picking it up. "Dora's married
and gone away, SO there's no more harm
in my reading it then as to do what 1
did with it,"
MISS DoRA-1 called to see you this
afternoon, but your sister SAID that you
were away, and would not be home for
day or two. l wanted to ask you
something, and perhaps it is better for
me to ask it in this way than any other.
l think you must have seen that / love
your sister. But have never told any
one so before. 1 have never limited it
to her in any words, but she has prob
ably understood me well enough. 1
heard yesterday that she was engaged.
I ask YOU frankly to tell me if this is