Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-08-20
NELLIE DARE,s LOVE.

1t was a March morning, and vet
the sky was blue as in June. Man
fred Lowth stood on Wilson's hill
looking down upon the city. L
cleaned white and beautiful from
the plains, and the hills, green with
their covering of pine forests, rose
still and stately beyond. The "duIl
gray meadows" within sight had
peaks of snow upon them, and the
breeze brought the atmosphere of
snow from the mountains, though
the sunshine felt so bright.
Manfred Lowth stood with aims
folded across his breast and his tall,
powerful figure outlined against the
still sky. As he stood thus, still
and resolute in his solitude, with
his absorbed, masterful eyes, and a
face of Spartan firmneSs, he looked
every inch a king. 1t was his
thirty-fifth birthday. There, may
have been something, sad in the
thought to him, for he was utterly
alone in life, and the circumstances
which give a sense of airy freedom
at thirty, bring feeling of desola-
ton at sixty. Possibly Manfred
KoWth thought of this as he hailed
his birthday morn, and thought
how much of his life was gone, not
that there was any sign of advanc-
ing age in his vigorous figure and
abundant dark hair. AS he sud-
denly placed one hand upon the
stone wall before him and leaped
lightly over, he displayed a vigor-
Gus agility ofeXceeding grace; and
his step, as he walked down the
hill, had the buoyancy of youth
and hope. If his thoughts had
been grave, they were so no longer.
He went down the hill whistling
4.aa.,
There was long road of yellow
clay stretching before him to the
city, with patches of bare scrub oak
at either side. In one place the
road went over a slight elevation,
at the commencement of which the
space beyond was concealed by the
hill and just here Manfred Lowth
ceased whistIing, and began search
ing his pockets eagerly. He
laughed merrily as he brought forth
from the breast-pocket of his inner
coat a little worsted mitten. This
is how he came by it.
The morning before he had been
going over that very hill, but not
as then. Reaching the
top, he looked down upon a little
figure seated upon a stone by a
lonely roadside, where hardly a
house was in sight. 1t was per-
feet picture. The girl wore a crim-
son merino and a pretty snowy
hood, which was pushed back from
her rose of a face, over the sweet,
low forehead, off which little tresSes
of golden hair were blowing in the
mild March wind. She was alto
gether too intensely occupied to put
back her hair-curiously occupied,
too. She had pulled her stocking
and shoe from her left foot, and was
examining the small sole
of a worsted stocking, while the
little bare, snowy foot rested un-
on the ground.
Manfred Lowth recognizing Nell
lie Dare, thought she must be
crazy. What in the world was the
child doing? t
Suddenly quick smile flashed
over Nellie's face, her cheek dimpl-
ed, she tos sed back her hair, and
looked up and saw the watcher on
the hill. The stocking was turned
and put on in flash, the little boot
put on Manfred LoWth was sure it
was only half put on, by the tracks
It made in the snow near by), and
Nellie Dare sprang into the cross
road and hurried out of sight. Ar
riving at the place, Lowth picked
up the little white mitten. He put
two fingers into it-walking on,
looking at it and smiling-an then
Nellie had looked so pretty and
frig ghtened. But why had she un-
covered her foot and examined her
stocking by the roadside? Surely,
there were no thorns or thistles
about at that time of the year.
When he came to the crossroads
by the pines he hesitated and final
~ Struck into it. Then he put the
mitten back. into his pocket. but i
toned up his coat, and walked
faster.A atk = AA - -i7s
Nellie Dare's home was ON the
Auburn road, a little white cottage,
with bare hlacs and rose vines
about 1.-THE loveliest
place around in the summer time.
Now, there was face prettier than
any rose at one of the parlor win
1oWs, and Manfred, LoWth looked
up and bowed to it.
Nellie's fresh young blood flooded