The Portland daily press., 1880-05-31
THE PRESS.
"A Peculiar Position. -

lands, purple and golden with heather and
glowing gorse, stretch away in lines of I'M
dulating beauty, where the snowy-saled
fishing-boats rock to and fro like children
too light-hearted to keep still; while snowy
winged sea gulls chase one another and the
fussy little steamboats,, surely simply for the
JOY of flying through the quivering Septem-
Der atmosphere.
AS for the drdmatis pers0R9-they are but
two at present, and can speak for themselves
as they stand on one of the headlands COM
manding sea, sky and cliff unlimited learn
ing, perhaps for. the first time in their
twenty and twenty-five years of life, what a
divine gift is beauty in form and color.
1t was like coming into another world, as
the younger of them had just remarked.
isn't it jolly? declare / never saw any
thing to beat thisr' which was not unlikely
considering that the boy had never left the
shady precincts of Bloomsbury save for an
annual run down to Ramsgate or Margate,
surrounded by goodly array of baby-rela-
tons and bandboXes.
''This is grand, Jack; just look at that
purple and gold colored headland. and the
blue sea just divided from the red rock by
that little frothy fringe of foam.'
"Look at Loreleir' observed Leslie vague
ly.
"Fish, flesh, or fowl?''
offend, if anything. You know the young
woman who sat on rock regardless of con-
ventionalities, combing her golden hair with
golden comb, to the delight of passing
fishermen"
"Extravagant young person-she must
have been an heiress; but your Lorelei up
yonder seems to have dyed her.locks to an
. inky darkness. Do you feel inclined to
play the fisherman and ascend the heights
for nearer view?'
mo: the fisherman approached from the
sea and met an uncomfortable end; beside.
this Lorelei doesn't seem got up for callers -
She certainly did not, this girl who sat
peacefully drying her hair after an after
noon swim. perched on rock, gracefully
clad in an old black serge, with bath towel
draping her shoulders, and her long black
hair hanging in straight, dripping points
around her. She looked so happily uncon-
scious of spectators that the young men,
fearing to disturb her, followed the narrow
path which led at some distance below
where she was sitting, to thicket of ferns
and brambles.
Conversation tagged for some minutes
Leslie whistled softly the first few bars of
she haunting old German song:
'Ich weiss meet was soil es bedeuten,
Dass ich so traurg bin.''
"Hullo, here's find one of the Lorelei ,
crown jewelsp' and Jack, who had beguiled
the weary moments by making choice col
lection of half-ripe blackberries held up tri-
umphantly large gold locket engraved with
double initial.
s'That can't belong to Lorelei girls don't
wear lockets like that when they 60 to battle
it may belong to the Grange people; perhaps
the miniature insid will help us. l suppose
it's all right to open it?',,
Jack opened it gingerly, but Leslie shook
his head; he knew all the men of the Grange
family, and saw that this delicate, almost
effeminate face could not belong to any of
the healthy, wide awake Trehernes; nor did
the words "From Arthur to Angel" en-
graved round the edge of the miniature, en-
tighten them, and thep had almost decided
to take it back to the girl that they had seen
sitting on the rocks, when they found she
had overtaken them, running along the
bramble-covered, rock-strewn cliff with a
lightness of foot that hare might have en-
We'd.
"Oh, have you seem" she began anxious
ly, and then her whole face beamcd with de.
light. ooh, you have it! Thank you so
very, very much! What should have done
if had lost it? The thing / value most in
the world. Oh, thank youv'
''I'm sure we are very glad we happened
to see it," said Leslie, rather coldly. He de-
y
person was overwhelmingly gushing. per
haps you can kindly direct us to the Grange
Mr.. Treherne's placer"
"The Grange? That will show you with
pleasure; and as happen to be going there
myself, we may as well walk together; it
isn't far, only to the other side of the vii
lage you see down there"
Leslie's face was study as he strove to
keep down look of dismay at the thooght
of walking through large village with such
a guide as this girl, whose half-dried hair
hanging wildly about her head, gave her the
look of "a kelpie.
The expression was gone in a moment,
but the girl saw what was passing in his
mind.
ooh, forgot that my style of hair-dress-
ing might strike you as a little strange" she
laughed; "never mind, we shant meet any,
one, dare say, and if we do, every one
about here knows me. AS we are going the
same way, and it is rather intricate, you
must put up with your guide. But what
would the Grange people say! Pray don't
tell them how you met me; have been
warned often enough that should meet a
stranger some day, who would take me for a
maniac, and now you see, it has come true"
"Your appearance, seated on that rock,
was decidedly interesting" struck in Jack.
''You looked awfully nice up there, quite a
siren, in fact; we've been admiring YOU"
For moment the girl looked confused;
the next she laughed outright.
swell, distance must have lent enchant-
ment! However, as any sort Of figure i'm
proves landscape, I'll forgive you for adj
miring me. Have you ever seen this part of
the coast before?"
Whereupon ensued an amicable converse
ton between the two, while Leslie walked
habiy6 apd soon hnnaroa lost in ooniootur
ing how he and the Trehernes would get on
together.
Leslie's family and the Trehernes had been
friends for generations, though the present
families had metibut once since they had
grown up. This was in London, five years
ago, when Mr.. Treherne had taken fancy
to the clever, gentlemanlike lad, while Les
lie had admired the handsome, noisy Ire
herne boys as much as he disliked the af-
fected, feeble prettiness of the girls.
Since then Leslie had lost sight of the
family, Mrs. Treherne's whole mind having
been given to matchmaking for her elder
girls-a task in (which she was singularly
unfortunate, though she sacrificed many
fair spring and promise of the year to mater
nal duties in Mayfair. Such discredit did
past defeats reflect upon Mrs. Treherne that
she now determined to alter her tactics and
invited eligible acquaintance far and near
to spend the henting weeks at the Grange
near that paradise for hunters, Exmoor.
Thus Mrs. Treherne remembered that nice,
THAT is, rich) young Fade. 'Could ask him
quite as one of the family; have neglected
him so long; such old friends, you know;
just the age of our young people-dear me,
yes, he was ages with dear Celia, of course
yes, it is quite time we looked up the
familyv' SO a prettily worded note brought
Leslie and his fedgling lawyer friend on
their way to the Grange, well pleased to re-
new the old friendship; and as he walked
along, he began to wonder which of the
many Treherne girls this was, and what the
others were like. Should he find among
them the one fair woman of whom he
dreamed but of whose existence he began to
be doubtful? He imagined not; the. girls
were all so much alike-fuffy, straw colored
hair, large, pale blue eyes, rather wide, pale
faces-singularly like pretty white cats.
Having arrived at this conclusion, his at
tention was caught by hearing the girl in
form Jack that her name was Angel, and
that she was cousin of the Trehernes.
81 was puzzled, you are so unlike the
Trehernes, and yet you seemed at home
at the Grange" he broke in. Angel turned
and smiled.
CAT home? Oh yes, of course 1 am; seeing
that have known no other home for five
years, and that's long time when one is