The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-11-04
heft ofa Heart.

OF the black porch of the Pebble House,
gazing out upon the river-blue as the sky
above 1t, and almost as bright-which
flows gently by at the foot of the garden.
Everything looks bright and beautiful
this warm, pleasant, fragrant October day.
The garden walks formed of many small
gfittering stones, encircle the beds of au-
tumn flowers and plots of feathery grass
like broad gray ribbons thickly strewed
with precious gems, and the little summer
and bathhouses, built of somo dark wood,
and incrusted with moro brilliant pebbles,
gleam and glow through the trees at the
waters edge, as the homes of the diamond
gnomes must CLEAN and glow in the heart
OF the dark brown earth. Nor does the
sheen and glitter end with them. for the
Pebble. House itself ls decorated around
each window and door-lmbedded in some
mysterious manner in the frames-with
many colored stones, each one sparkling
bravely In pygmy mimicry of the setting
sun. ~
But lovellest of all things that adorn this
wonderful October day-l0velier than flash
Ing river, cleaning sunshine. stepped peb
bles, flaming gladiolas, and beloved four
o-clocks-is the lady, young and fair, with
gold brown hair; large blue. gray eyes, pale
oval face, and sweet, small mouth, leaning
back against one Of the pillars of the Peb-
bio House porch, the red foliage Of the
Virginia creeper that enrobes it. dropping
over her beautiful head. There is a ten
der, dreamy look in her large eyes, and
soft smile about her pretty curved lips, as
she sits there 30 motionless, gazing out up
on the river. One can see that she is
wandering in dreamlnnd; but, alas! she is
doomed to be rudely recalled to earth
again.
"Kleptomania indeed" says loud girl
ish voice near her, and Miss Ada Warden
little brunette with magnificent black
eyes and heavy black eyebrows, comes sud-
denly out on the porch, arm in arm with
her lnseparable friend Linda Lees, whose
eyes are as blue as Ada's are black, and
whose eyebrows are the faintcst shadows
OF those belonging to her friend. Why do
they never call it that when the-the-"
sKleptomaniac, drawls Linda, sinking
Into an easy chair, and clasping her pretty
hands above her mead with generous yawn
that seems to indicate her weariness of the
subject.
ooh, thanksi" continues Ada, in the same
loud voice, swinging her broad.brimmed
hat carelessly to:and:fro-''k ''kleptomaniac to
be sure-happens to be poor wretch who
steals loaf of bread or something of that
sort9"
Don't look at me, Ada dear" Miss
Howell begs, in tones that would have de-
lighted Shakespeare himself; "I'm sure I
don't know" and she yawns too, but such
a cunning little yawn, as though red rose
bud had suddenly made up his mind to
unfold into the smallest of red roses.
swell, upon my word" exclaims Ada,
Indignantly, looking from one OF her
friends to the other, ''you both appear to
be In remarkable spirits this afternoon.
l can't stand it. must run away in search
Of some one less boistercus. No, I won't
either, for here comes Herbert Moore, my
cousin of cousins, attended, prince of good
fellows as he is, by slaves bearing iced
sheTbets and cakes of dew and honey.-that
Is lemonade and macaroons. Girls amt
you glad I've got such duck of cousin,
and that coaxed him to spend his vaca-
tlon here instead Of at Newport And now
for his opinion on the subject"
"What subject?" asks Herbert Moore.
And then, without waiting for an answer,
he turns to the lovely face inwreathed
with the vine leaves, and says, MAY 1 sit
at your feet, Miss Howell2 I've been
roaming, and Pm deu- bog pardon--aw-
fully tired"
''Wouldn't you rest better In chair?''
and she leans forward, with bright smile
on her lips and in her eyes.
'Not at all, thank you," seating himself
step or two below the lady.
''Mrs. Sherwood" )" begins Ada, between
two bites of macaroon. .." s.$. :" -,
"Oh, that affair of the diamond brace
let--poor thlng2" says the young man.
"What, do you believe In the kleptoma-
nia2 drawls Linda from her easy chair.
'That's the way they explain 1t, Ada
goes on. She has been an innocent picker
up of costly triiles since her childhood, her
father at first, and then her husband. re-
funding. But Dir. Brown, the ieweler,
with heart as hard as his diamonds,
threatened prosecution and only consented
to compromise on condition that he should
be allowed to warn his brethren Of gems
and gold. And so it all came out. Oh
dear, what shocking thing, especially
when one remembers that the-tha--'
"Kleptomaniac," Linda again lazily sug-
gests.
"More thanks, Linda lovc--that the
kleptomaniao came near being one of ones
intimate friends. Do say something, Her
bert"
Tho most charming grill ever met in
my life,' Herbert responded, gravely,
was q pickpocket."
Miss Warden chokes with her lemonade,
Hiss Lees drops her hands from their fav-
orite position above her head into her lap,
with the echo Of the word spickpocket,"
ard Miss Howell looks down on the Young
man with questioning look In her lovely
eyes.
''Tell us instantly, Herbert, that's dar-
{'ng." gasps Ada, and Herbert obcys.
s'Last winter coming home to my lodg-
Ing ono night, just after parting with my
old chum, George Cuthbert; Ada"
Miss Warden, with toss of her curly
head and flush on her brown cheek, COM
lnands. Don't address yourself altogether
TO me, air. 1t isn't polite"
''Beg pardon" says Herbert, mischlev-
eusly, ''bnt for some reason or other al