The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1880-12-16

i
ously again.
II believe you think I could not max.
him love me.''
u am sure you could not, = said Lucy
Il wonder If 1t would be worth Will
to try9' unused Nab, aloud, tapping he
fan upon her rosy lips, and loohn,
thoughHully from the window.
Allen was coming up the avenue, ans
che bowed to him. '5
"You may if you choose" replied
Lucy, with little, vexed smile.
She knew that Nab would be likely t,
tlirt with Allen in any case before til,
fortnight was out. It was better to- take
it coolly. And then, as she had said. sht
did not think it possible for girl 81
Mab's caliber to make Allen StopforG
love her.
Nab began dressing for dinner. an6
put some spice pinks in her hair. Wher
! at the table she turned her dark braid,
toward Allen, he saw them, Fand involun.
tarily murmured, with an expression Of
pleasure:
'Spice pinks.''
eyes, said Nab, II knew you liked
then.'
And then she looked up in his face
and he saw that her eyes were pretty.
After dinner they went boating, and
his natural eye for artistic effects was
gratifed by Mab's figure sitting in the
bow in pale dress, with crimson scarf
| draped about her shoulders.
"Your cousin is not exactly handsome,
but there is something very, very attrac-
tive about her, said he to Lncy.
The latter dipped her hand in the
shining water and held her peace, which,
under the circumstances, was as much as
could be expected of her, I think.
The next day Lucy invited a little
party Of friends from the village. and
they made picnic in the woods.
Nab trimmed up her white dress with
oak leaves and st1olled away from the
rest, down the leafy aisles of the woods,
with the youngest and most agreeable
man present, who was Allen Stopford
They came back with some white
water-ilies. Nobody had noticed their
absence but Lucy.
"You want bit of color about YOU, .
she said, coolly, to Nab, and pinned a
pink wild-rose on her left shoulder
And now, day by day, Allen grew alb.
sent-minded, and was exceedingly alive
to the presence or absence of Miss Dew
ereux. If she were absent, he must know
where she was. If present, he made in
coherent replies to everybody else, and
was like the needle to the magnet,
whatever the young lady's movements
were.
If she lounged, he noticed that the sun
shone in her eyes, and closed blind. If
she sang. he turned the leaves of her
music; if she walked the piazza, he would
urge that the rooms were to warm and
find seat without.
Once or twice he caught himself up in
neglectaQg Lucy and attending Nab, but
the spell was too strong.
The fascination which this girl of a
wanton heart exerted he succumbed to
almost uncensciously. And the siren
smiled and smiled, and drew him on until
there came a feverish light in Lucy's
blue eyes, and her cheek grew thin with
the fear she yet repealed.
Yes, it was dangerous for all three,
this playing with edged tools. It was
true that the love between Allen and
herself was not founded on mere fancy.
but in a mutual confidence, esteem and
q sweet congeniality. If she had known
it to be q fancy she would have had no
confidence in it.
For three years they had known each
other well, and the tie had even grown
stronger. She had often unused on this,
and. indeed, made it the strong point in
her acceptance of Allen Stopford.
She felt herself very young but nine
teen-when called to decide this matter:
she had long been motherless. From the
depths Of her heart to the heights
of her wisdom she sounded herself before
she replied to him, and the expression of
her face at that moment, Allen never
forgot. Eye to eye and heart to heart
they pledged each other, and now
could Allen forget?
Apparently he had forgotten. She
could not accuse him of rudeness toward
herself-that was impossible to his ma
ture- or selfishness; but that he was
drawn from her the most casual eye
could see. And Mab's fortnight had al
ready heightened to three weeks.
"Weu have tea on the lawn tonight,
Lucy" said Aunt Lucretia. the house
keeper at Rosehome. "It is such very
warm night, it will be pleasant
"As you please, auntie- 1t makes no
difference to me. shall take no tea I
have severe headache
Aunt Lucretia went indoors, but some
one else stood beside the hammock where
Lucy lay, She turned her head and
looked into Mab's hooking dark eyes.
"Confess you are fretting yourself sick
about Mr.. stopford. Why don't you
send me home2" abe asked.
sAllen does not love you, Nab. He.
will never tell you that he does, = replied
Lucy, quickly, and with dignity, though
there was sharp contraction Of her deli.
cate features.
Nab saw. perhaps experienced, a pang
of remoIse-for she sincerely liked her
gentle cousin; but she was full Of q
wicked exultation, SO strong was her pas
sion for power.
She turned and strolled down the
gravel walk among the cyprus vines,
flirting her pink fan, and Allen saw and
came from his seat in the avenue, with
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