The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-02-12
CHOICE FICTION.

THE FIRE FLY.

From Horper's Mogazinr.
When | first knew Margret Sinclair
she was not quite sixteen: petted child
in happy home-one of those children,
! advancing toward womanhood, to whom
the feelings constitute all of life: alter
mating from smiles to tears, the smiles
having much the better part of it, she
danced her way along. The "Fire-Fly, >
we called her in school, and it is as the
FREELY | love to think of her. There
was nothing particularly attractive about
her at first sight. She was small, she
WAS dark, she had irregular features,
but she had eyes that lit up her face and
kindled fire in others-eyes that looked
into unknown depths, and then skinned
the veliest surfaces: glittering like any
bead. till of sudden some feeling came
into them. and the bead was the window
of soul. Yes, Margret Sinclair in those
days had Il soul, though she knew us
little of it as the rest of us, and the pos
session, whether we recognized it or not
made her in some sort "uncanny." At
| times we could not understand her, and
| know she did not understand herself
i fully developed heart and soul in an
undeveloped girl of sixteen does not nat
urally adjust itself to conventionalties.
1t makes its own path, and Margret Sim
| clair made hers early. While I'VE"
her school girl companions. were curious
" peeping at life through the experiences
of our elder sisters, envying, enjoying,
| or criticising, Margret Sinclair met her
fate. There came to Washington an
officer of the navy whom we called 1.-THE
Apollo" and invested with every glo-
rious attribute. In reality he had many
noble qualities. and one overpowering
vice. He was already. at twenty-ei.ht,
the victim of intemperance. AS yet his
magnificent physique told no tales, and
Harry Rogers would have been the lion
of that season if he could have been
caught and held. How often | have
heard my sister and her friends. the
bellies of the hour, seriously and iokingly
devising plans to entrap him. to fascinate
him, to pique him: but Harry Rogers
evaded them all, with smile that added
to his desirableness. giving us younger
ones but n poor opinion of their resources.
eve would do so and SO, and yet
when our time came we had profited no.
thing. Each one commenced anew, and
learned her own lesson in her own way
and for her own self. Margret Sinclair
was no exception, exceptional rs she was
in all else. With her (if there was not
an overriding fate iii it) it all turned
upon visit she made, quite accidentally,
to Caroline Masten. a daughter of Com
modore Masten, who lived some four
miles from town. The SinclairS and
Mastens were intimate, and Caroline,
though several years older than Margret,
was fond of the Fire-Fly in the patron
izing way that became her greater ex-
perience and knowledge Of the world.
Caroline Masten was a practical girl,
with enough common sense on common
matters: a good girl, in being ;csthet-
ically tinctured with what passes for re-
ligion-not faith by any means, not
even a sentiment. but routine that an
swered for both. She could never be
troubled with any doubts as to her fu-
ture well being, here and hereafter, while
she went to church every Sunday morn
ing, and behaved like lady. The Fire
sermon, she would like to get on the
back of the seat and whistle And yet
she was not altogether irreverent.
Miss Caroline, however, was our model
and l believe the FREELY worshipped
her i'll some blind way. till she found
herself soaring miles off, in world of
sentiment and passion that Caroline Mas
ten could never apprehend.
1t so CHANGED that Harry Rogers, who
was Commodore Masten's nephew, was
spending few days in the country when
Margret Sinclair went out, but no one
thought of him as Il danger ahead "
for her. She was "a child" going into
the country for holiday, and as child
i'll her school dress she drove out to meet
her fate. At that time she was more
full of life. had more enjoyment in it,
than any person | have ever seen. She
did as she pleased and said what she
pleased, within the limits of a refined,
airy graccfulness all her own. The Fire
Fly was her appropriate name. She
sparkled in just that titful way, and
again with just that steady glow. She
laughed. she sang, she danced-above all
she danced. Dancing was 4 kind of in
| toxication with her. and | never krew
| her hear waltz that she did not spin
round. as if in obedience to some law of
sist. 1t was the only expressive dancing
| ever saw, and yet | could never tell in
what the expression consisted. but felt
4 difference | could not see. She knew
her dancing was a power, and when she
tloated round in the only large ball room
she had ever been in. dressed in white.
with the "angel Sleeves then worn.
she did not look altogether like Zone of
u.s..
But | am i'll advance of my story. |
did not think it would take SO long to
tell, or perhaps | love to linger over that
time Of my Sirlhood, when, if we were
not all Fire-Flies, we aspired to be-
Margret Sinclair then, went out to Com
modore Masten's to spend Sunday. and
as she was not young lady Harry
Rogers did not as usual desert the field
He did not think her of sufficient i'm.
portance at first, and afterward he staid
because he found her piQuant and anus.
ing. Caroline Masten has often said that
when she accompanied Margret to hel
room for the "talk' that all girls, ole
and young, wind up the day with. she
observed the FREELY was preoccupied
and when she asked her if Cousin Ham,
was not ''splendidly handsome" Mar
gret replied in doubtful. questioning
way. Miss Caroline, | could not look al
him? ~ Surprising, however, as sucl
, common sense persons are apt to do
that what they do not understand doe
not exist, she took no notice of the alb
surdity of the reply, but proceeded t,
! NJ Il, Il