The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-07-23

What she did know was that she did
not want Ia love him. IL would be So
such II tame ending to n
career that had really had brilliancy aud
prestige about; buc Ole wooing-love
among the buttercups! Why, her fnther
had said To her almost with his parting
kiss, Now, of course, that neighbor of
Hinxman's will fall in love with you, and
| dare say we shall have you settling
down after all, a. an ArcaGian shepherd
ess." And she would SO like to have
gone back and said to him, Here | am!
no Arcadian shephcrdess after all-only
your old torment come back again"
Then Emily had, of course, shown
every card i'll her hand the very first
evening of Alberta's arrival, and Mr..
Crichton although really unconscious of
the plot, had followed her lead from the
beginning. 1t would be So dreadfully
prosaic To fall in like raw schoolgirl To
such palpable scheming, and say II ready
Yes" To the first "Will you?" AL
berta felt inclined to he as provokingly
improbable as the hors that stands still
until the groom is close to him, only to
show him, at the last moment, IL clean
pair of heels, rs he puts the field again
between them.
Well, if she did not love them, that
Was the easy course TO pursue, and dis
appoint them all. Ii, on the other hand,
she did love him, she could quite fancy,
like one finds freedom in restraint and
liberty i'll law, how the tame ending
might unfold plquancy and grace pass
ing the romance of novel writer or poet.
She sat dreaming of it for n few mo-
mcnts, looking at the May wilderness
before her with strange feeling mt her
heart, and then she thought, what if she
ever came to deem those mountain bar
rierS prison walls? if the quiet country
life becIme commonplace and dull and
il she had not enough love for Mr..
Crchton to sustain her through the 365
breakfasts 10 he faced together yearly,
which some one warns us to bear i'll
mind III our ideal views of matrimony.
The glass door suddenly opened, and
Mr.. Crirhton himself, with his mission
written on his face, asked permission to
JOIN her on the balcony. ii Mr.. Crich-
tons face betrayed his mission, he had
come there quite prepared to follow up
the mute appeal 10y word Of mouth.
Emily has sent him ON purpose. "
he had himself cspicd her there from
afar, and closed with the opportunity
there AID then. They were quite and
umiruia1ly alone, all except n doll left
by uncof the children III II corner of the
balcony. which stared mt them III I'M
blinking establishment. He went to the
point at once with adirectness that made
Alberta's fencing somewhat difficult, and
with the eloquencc which n man y na-
tLrr thoroughly i'll earnest seldom fails
to fluid.
He was some ten years older than Al
hcrta, aud nothing very wonderful per-
haps-ncithcr tall rs II dragoon, hand
some us Apollo, nor witty as Horatius
Flaccus. But my physiognomIst would
hav" said nj a glance his face was "A good
one, the eye and smile most notably SO,
ana one might we'll believe that to the
woman who loved him he would be, III
III" or death, worthy of her devotion.
Something of this was III Alberta s mind;
but wa she the woman to whom Mr.
Crirhtnn would be all in all? II was
very important to he sure Of that.
He was saying, "this cannot he a
surprise to you, for | have let you see
my intentions plainly, and Mrs. Hank
man too.
Il do not say it is wholly surprise,
said Alberta, who had been zigzagginP,
50 Ia speak, Ill her replies; Us soon as
size ncIred one dangerous extreme, rush
ing of in the opposite direction, and
then capO. 4 word Of contradiction
even from the doll, if it could have
spoke, might have made acceptance easy
and attractive; without it, it was flat and
tame; besides, was she not iii doubt
whether she loved him? She grew pet
ulent from her uncertainty.
Then surely You can give an an
swcr," said he; "there can be no diff.
Guilty i'll that"
"Nonc, of course, replied Alberta
hastily; "and one thing is my right t.
say will not be bothered AMI worried
tircly NY own concern"
Never by me, said Mr.. CrichtOn
the smile moment ago changing to sud
den gravity, "if ] am t. understand tina
you look upon my attentions i'll tina
light. l love yOu FIR too we'll to giyt
You moments pain. Do you meal
that that is your answer"
Now Albcrta's prtulance had been, il
reality, against Emily and her own indie
cision, but like pawn at chess, sh,
could not go back. Since, with man
dense stupidity, he had chosen 10 sug
gest her answer, he should even hav,
IL 50.
"Yes, that il my answer" said ALDER
ia, with unnecessary vehemence, ian,
particularly beg / may hear no NOR
upon the subject"
THAT you shall not, be sure. Go,
help me to bear this as best l may!"
There was something so simple an,
manly in the words, 50 earnest iii tn
tone and the look he gave her, that tn
coolest heart might have been stirred
At this joyful moment the luncheon bel
changed out, and Mrs. Hinxman, open
ing the glass door, exclaimed:
"Oh, here you are still! Come along
if You are ready" thereby giving fresl
evidence Of her fitness for match-mak
ing.
The governess and children, with MI
Hinxman, awaited them in the dining
room, and the meal was got throug
with the usual amount Of conversation
Not that Alberta helped it much; dan
RcrOus inclination TO cry seemed t
threaten her her accustomed self-pOsses
sion; bu: she had nothing to cOmplai
of in Mr.. Crichton. He covered he
silence, and brought the children to tn
surface Of the talk--an Infallibly success
full rusc where parents are concerned
Then, with an easy transition from tn
subject Of toys:
"That's right" said he; -"you hav
spoken just i'll time--tambourine gun
doll, drum and taify. lam going up t
London this very afternoon. Has an
one else got commissions for me?"
An exclamation of surprise from Nh
/. Hinxman, who kept directly out Of plot
and domestic asides; arcproachful glanc
from Emily to Alberta. But Mr.. erich
!, ton was equal TO the occasion, and Ia
reasons ready-made for change of plans
or aught besides. Only, as he held tn
door open for the ladies' to pass out, j
wishing goOd-by to Alberta, ne laid
certain grave emphasis on the partin
word, that conveyed To her ear, AZ it wa
, intended, something more than what
usually meant. Emily followed til
/ school-room party to give some after
/ noon orders, and Alberta strayed back
, her balcony alone. The doll was sti
seated in the corner with arms straigl
down and head thrown back, smilin
namely, probably at her own goo
fortune in being doll, and not suffer
ing mortal. Alberta sat down, lookin
at the calm beauty of lawn and field, 1
tba ,,,1oaJ mountain ran0e and Mt A.