The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-25

celVed that 4 was making very httle
headway.
Idilated on unimportant matters, and
was no nearer the crucial question than
when l began. Iastead of preparing
! FloyPs mind for what was to come, ]
was leading him off on entirely discord.
ant lines OF thought-if, indeed, he were
attending at all to my narrative, and not
rather following out train of ideas Of
his own, under cover of the smoke.
wreaths he WIS coiling about him.
Irritated at length both with myself
and him. 4 broke short off in the current
OF talk and said abrutly:
"By the way, Floyd, you haven't told
me yet how you happened to turn up
here in DRESDEN"
"Ah-yes-is that all, then? A very
interesting story, too, my bov," he
grunted, with yawn, and throwing his
arms u,Ojve his head he INDUCED in a
hearty stretch Tt wis TOO evident that
he had not listened to word. When,
when, could be the subject of such extra
ordinary preoccupation? a
"Ah-what was that you asked me
Oh, how ] came here. Well, you know
l wanted to find you. But come, Tom,
since you've made a clean breast of it,
so will /. I'll make you my confdant,
old fellow. The fact is, I'm here in a
threefold capacity--as friend. as q
brother and as a--humphP
"A WHAT"
Floyd rose 70 his feet and sauntered to
the window. A pot Of heliotrope stood
upon the sill, and he pulled off the larg,
est cluster Of blossoms, and began alb
stractedly to pick away the flowers.
began to have my suspicious as to what
it meant, but I said nothing. After a
pause he continued, keeping his face
rather carefully turned away from M:
"Well, you see it's This way. In the
first place decided to come over here on
your account-tha reason why IA tell
you presently. Then, Thought l, shall
see Gwcndolen (that's my sister, you
know }, whom l haven't met for 1 don't
know how many years; and instead of
letting her know Pm coming, FL give
her surprise party, anpsnr before her
unexpectedly-she falls into my arms
with strickland all that. Now, after
my dear old governors death"
SIS he dead, Floyd"
"Eghteen months ago-yes. Well,
after that she wrote me that she was
going to live at her uncle's-our moth
ers brother-a good fellow, l believe,
though Inever saw him. So, as soon as
landed in Liverpool, I went straight
there. They weren't at home, and the
house was locked up. I made inquiries
in the village, and was tcld that they had
started on their travels about three
months before, and the fellow in charge
of the house said he believed they had
intended to take run on the Continent
first and then 60 to America"
"To give you surprise party, l sup
pose?" ..
eyes. However, Thought I'd try the
Continent first, for knew you must be
somewhere thereabouts, and I couldn't
go back to America without you in any
case. So l crossed over to Paris and be-
gan beating up the ground carefully.
By-and-by came across some obscure
intelligence about you; but not word
could I hear about Miss Gwendolen.
Pm pretty we'll convinced, now, that she
is this moment ON my Plantation in
Maryland
"Whata pity! / should like to have
seen her, too"
NOh, 1 mean you shall some day, Tom;
Pm told she's good-looking, though 1
can't speak to that on my own knowl-
edge; in fact, if she is, she must be very
much changed from the scrawny, freckled
little fdget she used to be seven years
ago. However, she's out OF the ques-,
tion just at present. But"
"You've accounted for yourself rs a.
friend and a brother; now for the other
thine-thc 'humph'g"
"Ycu know, Tom," said Floyd after
some hesitation. kncckigs the ash from
his cigar with the remains OF the hello
trope blossom-''you know i never was
like some fellows-suscspsible- always
falling in love, and all that sort of thing
-ehw
Icould not help grinning at this exor-
dium. Floyd, 80 long as my acquant.
ance with him had lasted, had been with
out exception the most tickle and incor-
rigible firt ever saw. He was always
in aud out of love, and his longest at
tachment seldom lasted six weeks. The
effrontery with which he new recon-
mended himself to my admiration as a.
model of continuance in this respect was
too much forever 3ny gravity.
T've known very few fellows like you,
at all events" was my nor-eommittsl
reply, '.and from what l do know, |
should think it very probable your time
might have come at last"
'Well--only y this is no laughing mat
ter, mind you, Tom, said lloyd, turn
ingruund upon ME with a counteuance
of extreme solempity-"it's very natural
you shouldn't quite understand how a
man like myself feels when his heart is
really touched for the first time; you've
always been out of the way of such
things you iknow-you never took to
women. But my whole soul is IN this
atfar; tits matter of life and death. ii
might say"
A this point could restrain myself