The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-03-05
A SUMMERS PASTIME.

Such tiny, pearl-tinted glove it
was. fitting faultlessly the white,
dimpled hand, and reaching far up.
with its innumerab'e little white but.
tons on the round, fair arm that it
was small wonder, spite of its
almOst-infnitesima size, that it fill
ed the scope of John Raleigh's vision,
as he somewhat awkwardly entered
the plain country parlOr, where the
owner of both hand and glove await
e.; him.
Wont you help me? she said.
in a very helpless way, and held out
To him the little fingers as she spoke.
He saw, then, that the task of but.
toning was still incomplete. A dark
red flush mounted to his face as he
undertook the duty assigned him.
He could not see the little mocking
smile about the beautiful mouth, as
il puckered itself into Il tiny mOue
at his lcouth efforts, or the laughing
malice in the hazel eyes. He only
felt beneath his touch the cool, firm
flesh of the exquisite arm, and
thought, with sort of unconscious
reasoning, how great a pity it was to
hide away any part of it, even be
meath thing SO dainty as the pearl
tinted glove.
Thanks" she said, carelessly,
when he had finished his task. "Are
the horses ready?"
Yes" he answered, and, handing
her into the light wagon as though
she were ii queen, he sprang in beside
her, ard, drawing up the reins, soon
went speeding down the country lane.
Two short weeks before, Adelaide
ArnIon had come down frem the gay
city to the quiet farm no ise, to re-.
gain, If might he, some of her faded
roses. Laler in the summer, she was
to undergo the usual watering place
ordeal but, MS a little respite bel Ween
the now and then, she had chosen to
spend the month of June buried
among its fragrance. OF course she
should be unutlerably bored, she
prophssied with mute resignation,
and, equally of course, there would
he no necessity for more than one
Saratoga of frightful dimensions
therefore it was with mingled pleas
ure and disdain that, on the first
evening of her arrival, she was for
mally presented TO John Raleigh.
and. looking anxiously up into his
six feet of stature, decided that, alter
all, even in this rural spot, few
toilets might be necessary, and the
hours would not prove SO heavy as
she had feared.
Mr.. Raleigh was a farmer himself,
of good family, she learned. but one
who scOrn,d not to till his own soil,
and who had evidently titled it to
some purpose. He had a college ed.
ucation, too. but had. singularIy
enough. supposed the years he had
spent in acquiring an education were
years to be devoted to that purpose,
therefore he returned ONE almost AS
ignorant of the social world AS before
goiEg into it. All women he vene
rated. To hear man speak lightly
of woman always brought flush
10 his cheek. To him, womanhood
and motherhood were inalienablv
and sacredly intermingled. Miss
Arnlnn was to him a revelation. He
had known her for two weeks she
had accomplished her purpose-he
was desperately IN love with her.
That she might not love him in re
turn was an easy matter for his mind,
IN its HUMILITY, to grasp; that she
should try 10 win his love for pastIme
and conquest that she should intiict
upon nim, with deliberate inIent, Il
wound whose scar might never heal
-would have been by him received
as gross calumny. In his eyes, she
was pure, innocent, beautiful child.