Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-10-24

honest pair OF eyes tnat coulu Oe set III
a human head.
AS she entered the room the old lady
rose and took her hand, saying in short
abrupt sentences:
$50 this is to be my companion. You
look young, child. Alice Justin, /
think what you wrote was your name!
WE'LL will call you Alice"
And so Alice became an inmate of
the quiet house. Her duties were light,
and she found q great deal Of time to
write loving letters to the dear ones at
home.
Before long she met the gentleman
whose face had been the first she saw
on her arrival. He was Miss Grey's
lawyer, and often spent a great deal of
time in the old lady's library, writing
at her dictation, while she knit and her
companion read. Youth is always at
tracted to youth, and Roland Hall was
young; and when his writing was done
ne would chat animatedly with the lit
tie old lady, who evidently thought him
perfection, and, liked nothing better
than to draw him out, and show off to
advantage his fluent conversational
powers.
So it was that as time passed, Alice
grew to look forward with delight to
the young lawyers visits. Her life was
monotonous: but she had grown to love
the eccentric old lady who was so stern
and bitter to the outside world, but so
tender and kind to her.
One day, as they were sitting in the
library, Roland with them, the bell rang
and in a moment the door flew open,
and in rushed a radiant vision.
1t was a beautiful girl, tall and ex-
quisitely formed. The golden curls,
flowing from beneath a jauuty cap, gilt
tering down over an elegant cloak,
which, falling carelessly from her shoul-
ders, showed the snowy fur lining She
sprang to Miss Grey's side, and clasp
ing her arms around her neck, literally
ldeluged her with kisses.
"Here am, my dear Miss Grey, back
again. How glad am to see you.-
Mamma has given me permission to
spend a whole week with you. Isn't
that grand?'
Then turning and greeting Roland,
she smiled up into his face, as she held
out her little gloved hand. Just then
the quiet figure, in its simple dark
dress, by Miss Grey's side, attracted
her notice.
"And what quiet little body is this?'
Alice crimsoned at the rather con-
temptuous tone of the address, and,
raising her dark eyes, calmly surveyed
the saucy beauty.
"Julia, let me make you acquainted
with Miss Justin. Miss Justin-Miss
Luttrell."
The girls bowed, but a hostile look
shot from the wide open blue orbs as
Julia Luttrell mentally said:
"Only passable as regards looks; but
with dangerous eyes. 1 suppose she
has been flashing them at Roland be
fore now."
She threw off her wraps, and soon
was in the midst of lively, interesting
account O. the travels from which she
had just returned.
As Alice watched the rose tint come
and go on the dainty cheek, and the
mischievous dimples now disclose and
now hide themselves, as the red lips
curved away from the tiny pearl-shap-
ed teeth in the charming smiles Miss
Luttrell was very lavish of, she thought
to herself, with dull pain at her heart
mo man living could resist such fas-
cinations"
Roland seemed to know his fair en-
tertainer very well, and Alice soon
found herself and Miss Grey only spec
tators, as the two jested and laughed
together.
Alice's was proud nature. She was
one of the kind who guard their love as
a queen guards her most precious jew
els; but that love once bestowed, neith-
er time nor eternity could cause it to
falter or change, and she had known
for some time that her heart had found
its master. She had felt, too, that Ro-
land Hall cherished for herself some
thing warmer than mere friendship, al
though no words had been spoken.
Roland had to come very often that
week, and Julia Luttrel made herself
more bewitching each time.
One day when the girls were alone
together, Julia suddenly said:
"Well, Miss Justin, how do you like
Mr. Hall?"
Alice colored at the unexpected ques-
ton, and replied, evasively, that of
course she thought him very fine
young man.
"Oh! how glad I am every one adj
mires him so.''
Something very significant in the
speakers tone caused Alice to raise her
dark eyes questioningly to her compan
ions face.
Julia blushed and laughed, and an
swered the look by holding up her
shapely hand. On its forefnger CLEAN
ed a large solitaire!
Poor Alice! she bore her agony brave
ly until all alone, and then, in her out
burst of passionate anguish, she real
lied the depth of her love for one whom
she knew belonged to another,
and whom she must tear from her
heart.
The next day Julia left for her own
home, and things went along quietly
again. Miss Grey's sharp eyes noticed
the change in her young companion,
and shrewdly suspected the cause.
One day she asked Roland to come