The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-26
THE DAILY STAR
A PLEASANT LOVE.

gie,' he said one day, about eighteen
months after he gained his commission.
"Guess what it is.
They were walking along the green
lanes of Perlock, listening to the ceaseless
murmur of the sea, as, at intervals, they
had walked aud listened ever since they
could remember, at any rate, for she was
six years younger than her former play
fellow.
"You are going to be promoted" she
said.
promoted, you little goose! No one
ever gets promoted in the British army.
Guess again"
"You are going to marry an heiress."
There was lump in her throat as she
said it,
"Wrong again. No inestimable young
person, with green eyes, turn-up nose,
susceptible heart, and fifty thousand a
year, has turned up yet. But it's some
thing nearly as good. Pm ordered to
China"
"Oh, Alicw she gasped, and burst into
tears 1t was very foolish of her, but
then she was only sixteen, and had not
yet acquired the praiseworthy art of con-
cealing her feelings.
"Why, whatever are you crying for?
ne asked, and kissed away her tears.
He'd kissed her ever since she was five,
and thought no more of it than if she had
been his sister, or the cat, excepting, per-
haps, that it was nicer-which it was no
doubt. 81 shall only be away five years,
at most, and when come back I'll bring
you a pig-tail and an ivory tooth-pick,
and a whole lot of things, and"
"Yes% she said, listening attentively.
"But then you'll be a young woman
I forgot-and out and all that sort of
thing, and won't condescend to speak to
poor lieutenant; you will have all the
squires and fox-hunters about the place
at your feet"
ooh, no! indeed 1 shan't, Alic," she
said eagerly.
"But l tell you, you will. believe
you are a born little firt, and shall
come back and find"
But she burst into tears again, and put
up her pretty little hand as if to stop his
teasing, which she could not bear just
then. 1t seemed so cruel of him to laugh
and joke, when he was going away for
five years. He did not seem to care a
bit, and she could have broken her heart
on the spot, and would have gladly done
so, and thrown the pieces away so as
never to be bothered with it again.
Then, seeing her mournful blue eyes, he
was merciful
1 believe | shall come back and find
you Just as great little darling as you
renow, and if we've got any money we'll
get married and starve ever after unless,
of course, the heiress turns up"
"Oh, l hope she WON'T" said Maggie,
Eke a truthful little idiot. "Shall you
ever write to me, Alic, dear%
eyes, of course | shall, and | shall ex-
pect you to write back six pages crossed,
and all that sort Of thing, you know"
So Alic Granger went to China. and
Maggie waited hopefully enough for a
letter, but six months passed and none
came. perhaps it takes longer for a let
Ter to get here from China" she thought,
knowing as little about the means of
transit and the time it took as if the ce-
lestial city had been in the moon. But a
year passed and no letter came.
"Perhaps he's i'll, or it's miscarried," !"
she said, tearfully, half wondering if it
could be possible that Chinese heiress
had turned up, and that was the
real reason of Alic's silence. "Two
wears past, and never a word. It's too
bad" she said bitterly, and wondered
ruefully if he had married with pig
tail. And the days and months went by,
and Maggie journeyed into womanhood,
but no word or sign came from Alic
Granger, and at length she gave MIN up
qltogether
Maggie was twenty years old when her
father died, and the creditors did
pounce down, and she and her mother
were sold out. Mrs. Dunlop was offered
home in London by a sister who was
we'll off and bad-tempered, and it was
thankfully accepted. Maggie was in
formed that she must get her own living,
which, being precisely Maggie's own
opinion, as well as intention, she adver-
tised for situation as governess. Now,
Maggie lad very modest idea of her
own merits, and therefore only asked for
EOS year and comfortable home, 50 no
less than five answers came to her an
nouncement that she could teach English,
French, music and the rudiments OF
drawing.
One of these answers came from Wool
wich, and stated that. Mrs Marshall re-
quired governess for her three little
girls. Mrs. Marshall was a stiff-necked
sort of woman, and stared at poor
little Maggie (who looked almost as child
like and twice as pretty as ever) through
double gold glasses. Col. Marshall, hel
husband, was nice old man with gray
head and an iron-gray moustache, anc
there was a grown-up daughter, Mis-
Patterson, Mrs. MarshalI's daughter by
her first husband, who was really thu
mistress of the establishment for Mari'
Patterson had a strong will, and she wa
an heiress. "a very nasty heiress, too,
poor Maggie thought, and she was right
for Maria was skinny, and thought heI
self sarcastic, and always said mast
things to people who did not dare to sa