The Red Cloud chief., 1880-01-29

and she put her tiny hand within II, and
all through the walk her exceeding gen.
tleness and sweetness carried such eom-
fort % my heart that a half-formed res
olution that I had made took stronger
hold up0n -
| BY and-by. when Lucy and Di and I
were together, after the rest had dis.
banded to meet a. dinner. my cousin
reminded me of promise in these words
"Come, Hal, you must Dot forget
your pledge to me. Di. he promised To
show % to-day the picture he fell ovio-
lenfly In love with a year ago. IL was
taken abroad. l hear, and perhaps you
may recognize in it some Venus Of the
skylights that you have seen IN some Of
YOU travels. nyoa do. now. don't spare
him-out with the crushing truth, for
Hal has definitely informed me that he
viii = VOC or wed and other woman
than the original Of ihls~an'ass he has
lately changed his mind She said this
last with a twinkle In her eye, hut l An
swered very gravciy:
~ have done 10 such thing, Lucy,
and an strongly as ever resolved that
will never love or marry any woman
but the original Of this picture" and
then ! slowly drew the precious little
card from my pocket.
Miss Chester, without any apparent
reason, here sprang no Suddenly and
retired to a distast part of the drawing
room, .:5 stood with her back toward
me looking out Of a window. Lucy
stretched out her hand for the picture,
but l held it back.
"Miss Chester mus see il first" /
said, "to tell whether she recognizes
it. Miss Chester, will you come and
iookah
Di called out in a low tone that she
did not van 10 see it, and I declare the
great distance made her voice sound
choky, and almost as If il had tears in
il. In a moment more 1 had gone To-
her side, and fancy my surprise when !
discovered that her great star-clear
eyes were full Of large tcar-drops, and
she was holding the end of a damp lit
tie handkerchief between her tiny
pearls of teeth, and giving 1t little Jerks
in her agitation and anxiety to keep
back the tears. My heart gave a quick
throb Of joy as a delightful thought
shone in upon mo. The little darling
was jealous Of the picture. Could it be
true?
"DOn't you want TO see the face of
the little Oma who had won my
heart before | eve saw you? Don't
you feel interest enough In Inc to care
to SEE the woman that | love and hope
some day to marry?" ! said.
But she only shook her head, and l
saw the great tears fall and roll down
"Ah, bnt you must" I said; 81 will
make you look. See, Di, this is the pie
ture of my sweetheart, my one love. the
little creature who possesses every shred
and atom of my heart:"
And | hell the picture just beneath
her eyes.
A look of wonder-a little start-a
glad cry of happy tcnfuslon-and she
was In my m
We knew how long it was be-
fore We thought of Lucy, but when we
did she was nowhere ." b- seS,i; but
by-and-hy ~ rail- off and brought her
bark, and we had a little explanation
and rejoicing together, and Di explained
how she had given the picture to nv
cousins guest, and said first that she
was very angry with her for giving it
away, and then that she would thank
her as long AS she lived for doing H., and
that Lucy knew she always had said that
Matches were made in heaven, and a
great deal more to the same purport.
In this last, however, | agreed with her
entirely, for surely her love has shed in
to my life a joy and peacefulness that
are not born of earth.-Christmas
Graphic.