The Republican journal., 1880-09-02

sent her the periodical, having no doubt
that she was old enough to read now ; and
this Jean reciprocated by dispatching in
return such journals as contained comic
or sentimental verse. Thus her intimacy
had remained unbroken, and Mr.. Waring
rejected with Il certain pleasure that he
would see his child -favoritc again. She
! must be somewhat more than a child now,
as she wrote SO easily her age must be
ten Perhaps a little more, even as
much as fifteen. Well, at all events, he
would soon know; she would run to him
and kiss him and perch herself in his lap
and tell him all her secrets, and he would
have an amusing time at The Reeds
which would be rather slow otherwise. 1t
was interesting to watch the unfolding
minds of these feminine humming- birds.
''Little Jean would make him laugh, at
least, and he would come back in good
spirits to this city friend.
SO, two days afterwards he had held
another delightful interview with the city
friend Mr. Waring packed his valise,
and embarked on the Chesapeake boat
which touched at the wharf near The
Reeds.
Percy Waringha not enjoyed anything
somuch fora long time as the walk through
! the brilliant October woods to the house.
He had not written that he was coming
on this morning, ana there was no one at
the wharf to meet him but it was not
far to The Reeds an old hip-roofed es-
tablishment embowered in autumn foliage
and he reached it and went up the
steps.
Some one was playing the piano in the
drawing room on the right OF the en-
trance, and this some one was singing a
little song with a constantly recurring
! burden, as in the poems OF William Nor
ris and Gabriel Rossettl There was an
exquisite sadness and sweetness in the
music and the voice of the singer and
| Mr.. Wariug found himself asking whether
| it could be Jean. In order to satisfy him
! self upon this point, he Went quietly to
| the door of tie drawing room, and saw
seated At the piano, tall young beauty
! of about sixteen, with dark brown hair
| braided behind the neck, a slender figure.
and bare arms encrced by bracelets.
| She was singing as a bird sings for her
| self and no one else and was 50 absorb
ed that Mfr. Percy WariLg came up behind
her and put both his hands over her eyes
before She was aware of his presence in
| the room.
"Who is it, Jean :" he said. laughing.
"Oh, il is you, cousin ! am 50 glad ~
exclaimed Miss Jean AIcyn, turning
round and rising quickly
Mr. Warlng bestowed a cousinly kiss
on the naiden but he felt little abash-
ed. She WAS a beauty; and he took the
small hands, and held her at arms
length, and looked at her Was this his
"httlc Jean z The thing was Incredible
| There were the very same eyes, it is true
/ full OF mischief and audacious sweetness.
! the same rosebud Of a mouth and the
same air of frolic. But Miss Jean .Allryn
was not ''little ,Jcan.' She vas 4 Young
woman, and d beauty, too, if She rus on
! ~ sixteen.
"a am So glad you have come"
"Well, Jean, | am aS glad u.s. YOU arc."
Are You really ,"
The brown head moved little to one
side, and the wicked eyes looked attcc-
tonatc.
Indeed | am How beautiful you uarr !"
Was it the voice of Mr. Percy Waring
that uttered these words 1t sounded
like the voice Of IA boy. He was still
/ holding her hands, and looking into her
/ eyes, when a voice behind him exclaimed,
"Welcome Percy, my boy :" and old
Judge Allcvn, with his long gray hair
and joNial smile, 5rasped his hand. "lou
ought to have written to say that YOU
We're coming think Of no one at the
wharf to meet YOU But here YOU are,
Percy, and jeans as glad to see you as |
am. Did YOU ever see finer boy, Jean
for an oH boy ?"
cousin percy's not old in his
bloom" said Miss Jean, with wicked
! glance at him
Take care, Jean, how YOU hatter
grandpa said Mr.. Warning. 'IIc'l fail
in love with you"
Miss Jean east down her eyes "lt
would be Il great gift, She murmured
That was the beginning; and when u
writer alludes to a beginning he always
means that there is going to be an end
! ing, and the end came with Mr. Percy
Waring very soon. Incredible us the
statement may appear, just one week at-
ter their first meeting, Mr.. Wari1g had
fallen ID love with Miss Jean Aleyn.
1t seemed a very unlucky circumstance.
Such proceedings are serious When a
man OF forty falls in love, his sentiment is
different from boy-loye. In the latter case
the stream dances along asking every
flower it meets to bend and mirror itself
in it. In the former, the waters, long OBJ
Structed, break through with sudden
rush. Or change the figure, and say
that the light breeze is not the storm
wind-one makes ripples on tie surface
that Subslde as rapidly as they come !;
| the other lifts the tOaming surges, which
do not go down at once. One is comedy,
the other is tragedy-and all these beau
ttul SMILES arc intended to describe the
state of mind Of the unfortunate Mr.
Percy Waring. He had come to The
Reeds in tranquil condition for his
views in reference to his city friend, We
regret to say, were purely financial. Now
his condition was not tranquil-it was a
very long way from that. 1t was ludi-
crous. Had he not bestowed his elderly
advice on the youthful Charley Walton
to "try 4 sweet SiXtcencr, as that age
was easy to please He had added, if
he remembered correctly, that he did not
fancy that age himself; and now a repre-
sentative Of this untiedged age had cap
tured him
1t was fearful state Of things and it
was plain that Miss Jean realized it. He
had looked at her one day in a manner
which all women understand, and from
that moment Il chill fell over the land
scapc. 1t was not a killing frost, but
there was the silver gimmer of it on
Miss Jeans roses. What was the matter
Mr Percy Warng asked himself Had
she not noticed the unlucky gray nairs2
and did she regard him as her grandpapa
Or, finding that her sentiments were not
i'll sympathy with the views of Mr.. War
ing, had she determined to spare him
pain by nipping his young romance in the
bud. 1t seemed so-since there was the
frost.
Thence melancholy on Mr., Warnings
part. He determined to 60 away at
once, and as duly did not go away. He
conducted himself very much like other
male human beings in his state of mind
If Jean smiled, and said something which