The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1881-09-13

h'S'oihS ioOthj uhh ~ III uoi iSdi
riage. Good night. DO come and
see us. And her escort came up, and
she sailed away. 1t was not until
ten minutes later remembered that
| had not asked Tor her address or
Marian's.
tried to repair this omission the
next morning by visiting all the
hotels and examining their registers
The only result was the assurance
that the whole party had lett the city
that morning.
But the fates favored me. !
dropped into nice legacy, quite suf-
ficient for. the wants Of a lalnily OF
modest wants, and | determius d to
go to America home! 1t was year
since ! had met Mrs. Hill in Germa-
ny. Was Marian still In Europe
My little sweetheart Strange how
she had fingered always IN my mem
ory as the ideal woman OF my bache-
or fancy
l determined to go to England, and
accept long-standing invitation to
visit my friend, Lord Loringer ct his
place, Loringer Hall. / met with a
most cordial welcome, and, ARRIVING
Just before dinner hour, Lord Lorin-
ger hurried his own preparations and
came into the ro6n assigned to me.
What good wind, he exclaimed.
blew you into England?
ItoId him OF my legacy, my resig-
nation of my position, aud my return
homo via England.
But you are absolutely your own
master for the present? he asked.
Yes. Nobody expects me at home,
as / was returning on that most
idiotic principle-a surprise.
Join us, then. We all start next
week for a jaunt through France.
Spain, Italy, perhaps up the Nile.
We are not bound by any route, by
any promises. We start, a party of
fourteen. everybody at liberty to
leaye II he prefers another route. We
are TO he joined by party OF Amer
leans in Paris, Mr.. and Mrs. Engle-
wood, DR.. Smith and Miss Marian
Temple, who will probably prove the
bore of the party.
Why2
Oh. she is au old maid, blue stock
ing and poet. i forgaye her her
novel, Irmine, but deliver me from a
woman who writes verses aud calls
them "Waier Lilies.
Now / should enjoy all the pleas
nres of novelty in meeting her, l ex
| have not one old maid on
my visiting list, and never had an
hours converse with novelist-or
is it novelistess ?-or poetess.
Yon don't happen TO have her books
about you, do-you?
Yon will find them on the library
table, unless some one Is reading
them. There are several copies
about, as most of our guests brought
them.
found them, as promised, on the
library table, and after lpot TO my
Own room Lopened the poems. The
more l read, the more | was con-
yinced that 10 old maid penned them.
They were full ofthe fire, The genius,
even the faults of youth, and some OF
them seemed TO haye written my
self. The leading one, water
Lilies,n brought back to me the lake
where May and had foated upon
the transparent water, gathering the
great, white, snowy treasury in pro-
fusion, saw her sweet face dip Into
u greut heap upon the floor OF the
boat aud come up laughing, far
sweeter than the most glorious blos-
som there. Then | saw her in the
soft, white evening dress. with the
white lilies trailing from her soft
curls upon her pretty. dimpled, child
ish shoulders, dancing gleefuily. the
only little girl In the room, and with
an admirer wearing mustache-her
devoted adinirer.
Aud here 1t was all in musical
verse, with refrain OF regret for the
child.loye gone forever.
1t was tar into ths night when /
slept with the volume of Water
Lilies" tucked under my pillow, aud
at the first daylight was picking out
once more little scraps OF memory
a drive we took 10 Marian's Falls,
which Marian gravelY assured me
were named "years and years" before
she was born a walk we took, when
1 tucked up her curls in womanish
fashion aud twisted in sweet brier,
being piteously reproached a few
hours later with making her "pull
every hair out with those >horrid
thorns;" ride we took 10 Horse.
shoe Pond, where we pledged NUT
ual faith and love in cups of lilies,
and vowed eternal consiancy. Page
after page brought my sweetheart to
me, till tished my locket out of my
dispatch box and putt round my
neck, ready for any emergency
ready to swear with us much truth as
most lovers vows that it had never
left my heart siuce her white hands
first placed my treasure round my
neck.
To Parisl We were en- route Of
last. knew my darling's verses by
heart, / had read her novel twice,
dreadfully disgusted both times by
the fact that the heroine who had
brown eyes and golden hair, married
o hero who bore not the slightest re-
semblance TO me-.
The American party had engaged
rooms for US at the hotels thoy pat
ronizcd, and one general drawing
room was to serve the entire party.
Here, after making my dress an OBJ
ject Of most especial study, went on
the wings of love. A lady stood by
the window looking out, and | went
forward timidly. She must bc one Of
our party or she would not be there,
Her dress-a Partisan marvel of taste
and simplicity--was that Of q ieune
.flle her figure was tall, graceful and
slender, and her golden hair was
dressed with all modern abomina.
tions. But she never stirred OF
turned until l stood beside her, when
she turned her full face to me. My
darling's face, with all the little baby
curls on the forehead, all the swee,
innocence in the big brown eyee. l,
rtta,.l,, unmaouad ,r,a Fav n a.. n