The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-01-29

was. He took me for one OF the fam.
; lily, and came up to me carrying his
hat in his hand. He was a very hand.
some old man. His hair was snow.
, white, mass of it rising up in waves
from his forehead, with eyebrows still
black and strongly marked, and the
finest brilliant dark eyes. | said tc
myself mentally: IF it had been l,
should have given in at once" And
: his manners were beautiful-not the
manners Of society-the deferential
respect of a man who knows women
through books, and does not under
stand the free and easy modern way of
treating us. He kept his hat in his
hand as he stood and spoke Il dc
not know he said, IF | have the
honor of speaking to sister of Miss
Stamford's, but [ know [ met you
there"
mot sister, but very affectionate
friend" [ said. His face lighted up
instantly; he almost loved me for say
ing so. ''Then if that is the case we
ought to be friends too," he said I
was so much interested that [ turned
and walked with him, regardless of
prudence What would the Stamfords
say If they thus saw me identifying
myself with the cause Of their assail-
ant? but the interest Of this strange
little romance carried me away.
Il must see her." he said. Don't
you think [ have a right to seefher?
They need not surely grudge me one
opportunity Of pleading my own
cause. No, indeed, [ don't blame
them. If I had such a treasure
he went on with smile, when [
have that treasure, | will guard it
from every wind that blows. I don't
wonder at their precautions. But
Stamford does not treat me with gen.
erosity; he does not trust to my honor;
that is why [ adopt his own tactics.
| came to try to effect an entrance
while he is away"
Il don't think Ursula will have you,
Mr.. Oakley" [ said.
Perhaps not; but that remains to
be seen. She has never seen me-
that is, she has never seen the real
John Oakley, only a director of her
brothers company, two different per-
sons, Mrs. Musgrave if you will allow
me to say sc"
But she saw you before she knew
you were director She travelled
with you. You were the gentleman
like Don Quixote-"
How foolish I wasr Of course I
ought not to have said it. | felt that
before the words were out of my
~, ou+b G1ob o,,oouraroyooyt oc II -,
was enough to counterbalance any
number of seventies. "Ah! [ am like
Don Quixote, am II" he said; and
once more, and more brightly than
ever, his handsome old face blazed
into the brightest expression. Poor
Mr. Oakley! | threw myself heart
and soul into his faction after this;
for indeed, as | afterwards heard, he
had not at all a pleasant ''time," as
the Americans say, that afternoon
When he sent in his name at Broth
ers-and-Sisters he was told that the
ladies were out, and, though he waited.
all that he managed to obtain was a
hurried interview with Mrs. st. Clair,
who conveyed ohm Ursula's entreaty
that he would accept her answer as
final, and not ask to see her. Sophy
told me after (she must have hidden
herself somewhere, for nobody but
Frances was supposed to be presently
that his behavior was beautiful
He bowed to. the ground, she said,
and declared that no one could
be so much interested as he was
in observing Miss Stamford's slightest
wish; that he would not for the world
intrude upon her, but wait her plea
sure another time. Mrs. ST. Clair's
heart softened too, and she did not
protest, as perhaps she ought to have
done, against this ''other time" He
passed by my cottage as he went away,
and | do not deny that [ was in my
little garden looking out. II have
had luck" he said, shaking his head,
but still with smile, mo luck to-day;
but another time [ shall succeed bet
ter"
I ran to the gate, felt so much in
terested. do you really think, Mr..
Oakley" | said, THAT it is worth your
while to persevere?"
Worth my while?" he said; 'cer-
tainly it is worth my while: for l am
in no hurry. | can bide my time"
Bide his time at sixty-fve! | stood
and looked at him as long as he was
in sight. There is nothing like cour-
age for securing the sympathy of the
bystanders.
After this the excitement ran very
high both in the house of the Stam-
fords and in the community in gen.
eral We all took sides; and while
General George made himself more
and more disagreeable, and we all
watched and spied her every action,
Ursula was subjected all the time to a
ceaseless assault from the other side.
Letters poured upon her; beautiful
baskets Of flowers arrived suddenly
secretly, so that no one knew how
they came, After a while, when the
ers Of game and of fruit, all in the
same anonymous, magnificent way.
And then the clever old man found
out still more effectual way of siege
The Stamfords had always nephews
who wanted appointments or who re-
quired to be pushed. For instance,
there was young Charley Of the Inner
Temple sadly in want Of brief; when
10! all at once, briefs began to tumble
down from heaven upon the young
man. In a week he had more bust
ness than he knew what to do with.
And Willie Thistlewaite had a living
offered to him; and Cecil, whom they
were so anxious to place with an en-
gineer, though the premium was so
serious a matter, suddenly found a