The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-09-24

Let us pass over few months. The
neighbours long expected son has come
home, and Lady Annabel is in q state of
anxiety, for her heart is true to her first
love, despite her twenty y-nino years. Her
father and his neighbor are great deal
together, looking over papers and in
specting boundary lines but, contrary
to all expectation, the neighbours son
turns out perverse, as neighbors' Sons
are apt to do, and begins filtration
with little girl of sixteen, as poor as
rat. His father frowned-Annabeps
father frowned, and Annabel-she re-
mombered her twenty -nine years.
This state of things continued for
some months, in spite of various remon-
strances Oh the part of our father, and
polite speech OH part of theother. In
vain title deeds were shown HMM
vain the contiguous estates were talked
over and walked over. Jasper re-
manned immovable. at last, upon be-
ing formally and vigorously appealed to
by his father rs to his intentions con-
tentlons concerning Lady Annabel, he
obstnately refused to enter into any en-
gagement with her whatsoever, alleging
as reason that she was too old to be
his wife, and adding, she might be in
formed of his having said so, for aught
he cared.
Two days after he put the finishing
stroke to his disobedience by eloping
with the before mentioned little girl of
sixteen
All this was conveyed to the Lady
Annabel by her offended and indignant
father. And now, indeed, was she un-
happy-for she really loved this man,
and knew herself to have been loved by
him some years before
"Too old for him, indeed too old
for him God knows my love for him
may be older than it was, but ii is only
the stronger, the more enduring. Cruel,
cruel Jasper, to cast me off thus and
Tor rwhat?-because I am twenty-nine
Surely am the same that have always
been. And he reproached me with the
years that have taken away none of my
beauty; he might rs well lay to my
charge the age that passed before I was
born.
But so it was, in spite of all her grief
1t was then rs it is now, rs it always has
been and always will be-man speaks,
and woman abides by it. The Lady An
mabel pincd, and sricved and wcpt in
secret; and talked, and laughed and
jested about the elopement in public;
and for while no one knew that hers
was heavy-laden heart.
Tears do great deal of mischief in
the world. In the Lady Annabels case
they did great deal. They took all tho
lustre from her bright eyes; they wash
ed away the color from her checks, and
rolling down they wore for themselves
channels in her smooth skin, 80 that by
her thirtieth birthday people began to
say. "the Lady Annabel is very much
faded'-the Lady Annabal ts not quite
so young as she was"-and one little
lady, the odious little lady, as lady An
mabel had called her year ago, was
heard to say--"I did think she wore
very we'll, but don't think 80 now. To
be sure, poor thing, she is getting on
pretty we'll"
This time the Lady Annabel entreated
here father to omit the usual merrv-mak-
ing. She spent the day alone in her
own room.
''Thirty years old How it distressed
me year ago to think 1 was twenty
nine. 1 have no such feelings now. Jas.
per was right when he said WAS too old
for him. How would my careworn, sor-
rowful face look in company with his
blooming appearance ? They talked of
ball for to-night-how my heart shrank
from such n thing at. n ball No
this dimly lighted room suits me better.
Jasper Was right. But then, if he had
still loved me, would my youth and
beauty have gone so soon?" Perhaps
not--but they are gone, And what is
left to me? A dull. joyless life of re-
gret."
But she was wrong-she was not
quite rs old as she thought. A few years
passed away. Her violent sorrow became
changed by degrees into n melancholy.
and then into gravity. They rarely saw
her laugh, but she was very often cheer
full. She had put away her ornaments
her jewels is true, but her attire
was always becoming and elegant. Hor
fathers dwelling continued to be the
resort of his numerous friends. She
mingled with them but seldom, and
smiled when the odious little lady, now
Mrs. Somebody talked about old maids.
Meanwhile Jasper was never heard Of
his angry father having refused to COR
respond with him. He seem to be overy-
where forgotten, and he was-overy-
where but in one place.
But grief will wear itself out. After n
while Annabcl ut first listened, and then
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