The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-11-15
Led. by jealousy.

1t was grand and gorgeous on the first
morning of spring. 1t is not the tapping
of the woodpcckcr in the hollow beech. nor
yet the nuthatch humming at his breakfast,
that soft rap-a-tapAtap one hears. It is
only MIR. Ernest Black, knocking out his
pipe against the garden scat.
Happy man to have such charming
nook wherein to smoke his early pipe. His
comfortable mansion of Shrublands. q cosy
modern building, warm and roomy. with
glass houses clustered about it, and its con-
Vcnlent offices at the rear, lies on the slope
above. In front of him stretches a pleas
ant lawn, and he looks over upon sweet
river valley, bounded by purple hills.
reaches OF water showing in silver strealls
here and there. A warm, pleasant little
dlngle encompasses the grounds, shcltcring
the house from the north and east, and
sloping down toward the south, and here
the hrst breath of newborn spring is felt.
and the first green leaf of the year is seen
on the slender white birch, whose brown
catkins arc dying for love of the earliest
blossoms of the season.
Ernest thought that it was very good to
be here, as he smoked his pipe on his gar
den seat. But everything comes to an end.
and by tho time he had finished his pine
and knocked out the ashes a cloud had
come over the sun, the air was chilled and
the beauty of the morn tarnishcd It was
time he found, to start for his train He
went into the house to say "good-by" to
Ills wife, for he heard tho carriage wheels
grinding Oh the gravel as it came round
from the stables to the door.
lie seemed to be happy fellow, too, in
his wife, who was a fair, plcasant-faced
woman, of charming figure and full spirits.
81 didn't know you were going away"
she said, a slight shade of vcxation coming
over her face.
"Didnt I tell you2" said Ernest, 81 IN
tended to. I shall be home to dinner Pm
only going to town to sec the old masters.
They close this week."
"Ahl if you had told me in time
would have gone with YOU"
TO say the truth, Ernest did not much
care for company when he was going to
look at pictures.
PITY, eh7" he said, carelessly putting
his hand under her chin and giving her a
kiss. "Well, another day, perhaps, Tot
tic, her name was Theresa, but her pet
name was Tottic, -"and then, perhaps,
can SO shopping with YOU"
"Why didn't you think Of it bcforo2"
'You should have told me you were
going"
eyes, 1t was stupid of me; however,
there's no help for it 1 have only lust
time to catch the train. Good-by."
And away he went.
Theresa sat down once more to her book
OF household expenses, but the totals ran
into each other and the same row of figures
wouldn't come to the same amount twice
running. 1t wasn't like Ernest, thought
she, not to ask her to 60 with him. He
had never gone off anywhere before with
out asking her to accompany Inn if it were
I. practicable. His manner, too, was so cold.
i What could be the reason of it7
she took up the newspaper to distract
her mind. She rarely looked at the daily
papers, but this morning she felt uneasy,
and could not settle to anything. Sud
denly she sprang to her feet with cry of
distress.
She had taken up the outside sheet of
the paper, and thereon she had read an ad-
vertisement.
Constance to Ernest. To-day at Vic
toria, 10 noon"
That was the reason, then, that Ernest
had gone off to town 80 suddenly. Yes,
she knew it; She had been wrongcd and
deceived; could it be possible that such
treachery, such betrayal Of oil the ties of
friendship and affection could be permitted
to exist9 :, tt
Theresa was, perhaps, Of a somewhat
jealous disposition. Certainly Ernest had
given her no cause for jealousy hitherto, as
far as she knew, but she had always i'm
aglned 1t possible that at some time or other
he would; and now it seemed to hor as
though her torebodings had been justified
~ Constance Brown had been her earnest
friend, her school fellow, her one dear
companion, for whom her affection could
never be diramed. And this friendship
J had continued unabated for whole two
years after her marriage TO Ernest, during
y which 1t had been her chief delight to en-
4 tertain Constance at her new homo. Now
Ernest wasn't at tie beginning, at any rate,
{ at MI fond of Constance, and used to think
her visits. rather a bore. Anything was
!, better, however, than having his wife in
!. the dolefuls, and on such occasions. he
would suggest:
s'Ask Constance to como and spend o few
days" Us Z 1,
AS time went on, however, little disa-
greemehts interposcd between the two
friends. Constance was Of an adaptive
nature, and fonder Of masculine than of
feminine socie ty. She professed great In
terest in Ernest's pursuits, which were
rather Of a miscellaneous character. Alto