The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-08-26

YOU UTcSStu HOW, 50 VHaI YOU COulu ue-
gin your siege at oncea"
"Bel, go down at once and entertain
the gentleman until your cousin from
Devonshire comes down." commanded
Will, land mind you encourage him to
make all the love he can and you two
stay here and dress me-"
"You don't Want him to know you
are in the house, do you ?" said Bel.
Twenty minutes later there glided
into the parlor the sweetest witch of
about eighteen summers that ever was,
and Bel introduced her as "My cousin,
Jennie Vaughan, from Devenshire, Mr..
Fernleigh."
What lovely dark eyes she had, and
shimmering golden hair! WHY, even
pretty Bel couldn't hold candle to her!
Who could resist making himself fascin-
ating to herr And before he had left
Mr.. Fernleigh had engaged her for a
drive, telling Bel, as he slyly pressed her
hand at parting, as a friend of hers, he
would do oil he could to make her cou-
sins visit agreeable.
How the girls rushed down into the
parior after he had lett, and what a
screaming and laughing there was =
Will rolled on the floor almost in con-
WILSON'S, very much to the detriment of
his long train and fair tresses.
"What a Lark it was," he gasped, to
see him sitting there, casting his killing
glances at me So that YOU shouldn't see
them, Bel p
And he went off into fresh outburst
of laughter, while the only object of
their merrment wended his way leis-
urely to his hotel, thinking thusly to
himself:
"By Jove, regular little beauty
Bel herself is thrown in the shade, al
though there is family resemblance.
A lucky thing thought OF that drive
but III have to be confoundedly careful,
or I'll rouse Bells suspicious Why, l
do believe the girl considers herself en-
gagged to me, the way she acted to-day
Well, it's only polite to play agreeable
to guest of Lers, and I'm going to do
it p
The fun that followed the next few
days Everywhere Miss Jennie went
Mr.. Fernleieh was her devoted cavalier.
sSolely for your sake" as he resssur-
ingly told Bel, and to "oblige Miss
Rath bourne" the rest of the girls under
stood it.
Every evening Mr.. Fernleigh took
Miss Vaughon for stroll in the elm
groves, and perhaps his attention would
have been little less lover-like, and
his words little more carefully chosen,
had he known that behind the trees
were hidden score of mischievous girls
with their handkerchiefs stuffed into
their mouths and tears streaming down
their cheeks in their efforts to keep
themselves unobscrved.
But the ending came as it always
does, sooner or later, and Mr.. Fernleigh
awoke one mornin: with the unpleasant
conviction that he was deeply in love
himself He, the lmpregnable, the in
vincible, was in the tolls at last. And,
stranger still to relate, with young
lady OF whose affections he was not at
all certain.
Miss Jennie had persistently rejected
all his advances-had given HIM to I'M
derstand that she did not approve of
firtlng-in fact, had piqued him, and
close upon pique followed love; that Is,
as much love as his shallow heart was
capable of feeling, and he determined
that she should yield.
And yield she did that very evening
very sweetly and graciously, much to
his surprise.
Had been so sure OF my prize, /
might at least not have been IN such
hurry" he thought ruefully, "but l
shall have to face the music now
"And you will come over tomorrow
and announce our engagement = asked
Jennie, confidently.
How should he explain matters to
Bel, and to all the others What an
idiot he had made of himself But he
really loved Jennie, he told himself,
and so would brave it out as best he
could.
The next morning when he stepped
into Mrs. Rathbourue's drawing room,
he found himself i'll the presence of not
only Bel, but doz-n OF other girls,
every one of whom he knew-alas, only
too well Jennie was Nowhere in sight,
but Bel, coming forward, offered HIM a
seat, saying