Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1881-03-25

rooms. The fact Of the matter is, l a
reading hard for my 6nal, and want
4nfat spot where thore VIII be no con
panionship to take me from my book
and where / can have little solitai
recreation in the shape Of rout-fshin,
A harmless amusement that. is it not :
The fish do not think So" reptile
Clara, smiling eff you Will sit dow
moment / Will fetch mother. and vo
can arrange matters with her"
So saying, having handed him chail
Clara departed to call Mrs. Moor,
That worthy lady was soon in attend
ance, and before Mr.. Cox had quite
her roof he had arranged to take tn
rooms for at least couple of month
from the following Thursday.
1t is, perhaps, almost superfiuous t
state that Clara Moore, being such
beautiful girl, had numerous admirers
Although the village-by name Nun
tord-was in itself small, there wer,
plenty Of outlying farms; and not nor,
than three miles away a market town
From these surrounding quarters cam,
many and many a one to see the villag,
belle, and many and many one at frs
sight fell over head ears in love with anc
her.
Added to her charms of face and fig
ure, she had a remarkably sweet voice
and although it was not highly cult
vated, it was not altogether unframed
The consequence was she was in great
request at readings, which, during the
winter months, she attended with com.
mendable regularity.
-, At one OF 9g these eatsEtssisapasnts q she
away from Munford. She had been in
troduced to him there, and he, like
many another fell in love with her.
OF all the men she had met she liked
him the best, and, not a week prior to
the advent of Mr.. Cox rs a lodger at
her mothers house, she had as good as
consented to be engaged to him.
1t is unpleasant to pick holes in any
body's character, and doubly unpleasant
to pull to pieces the disposition Of one
VINO is ia ~ tarn4l things perfection.
But the truth must be told-Clara
Moore was a terrible flirt and, lik.
most hirts, she seemed to have a total
disregard for the feelings of her vic
Tins. She would lead a man on to be-
lieve at least in the possibility Of his
one day securing her affections Indeed,
the very fact Of woman tarrying in a
mans society to listen to his love pas
sages, is in itself an earnest of her ap-
probation of his society, and then,
when it suited her caprice, would throw
him over and laugh at him.
Clara Moore had tried young Ar
mold Carew's patience to the utmost
more than once. Ay, scores and scores
of times she had destroyed his peace of
mind by her pernicious fondness for
what she called " harmless Irritation" !"
And we must give her credit for the
fact that her firtations were in one
sense harmless there was no vice about
her. She never forgot that self-respect
which renders woman precious in the
eyes of men.
When Arnold Carew won her consent
to be engaged to him-for she as good
as promised him to become his wife
"some day." though she expressed her
self in sufficiently indefinite terms to
admit of her escaping from her promise
if she pleased to change her mind, with
out his being able to affirm she had ever
strictly bound herself to him-he was
well satisfied, He felt he could trust
her and even bear her flirting propen-
sites with greater equanimity than he
had hitherto been able to do.
There were few evenings on which
Arnold Carew failed to walk over from
his fathers farm and enjoy pleasant
stroll with the lady of his love"
Happy evenings were they for him.
Through the day he looked forward to
them; they lightened his toll and made
his existence much happier than it had
ever been.
He had a double incentive to work.
1t was not self that he toiled for only,
now; he knew that he was working fol
her!
Mr.. Cox had not been located in Mrs
| Moore's small though comfortable
apartments more than a fortnight before
Clara's evening rambles with Arnold
Carew became less frequent.
Clara had all along been very silent
to sae 9 l99dgsr and at nst mind 4 PeSei si
that accounted in any way for her less
frequent appearance at their usual rem
devious.
One evening, however, ne ventured
complain, and chanced in his tempo
rary annoyance TO say: "Oh, l sup
pose there is some attraction about this
heavy swell who is staying at you
mothers"
Clara flushed up in a moment, ant
answered, hotly: You are quite vel
come to think what you please in tina
respect. He is a perfect gentleman
which is saying more for him than on,
can say for everybody"
q don't pretend to be gentleman,
was Arnold's cool answer "nor do
profess to be an educated fellow.
know you can beat me hollow as far a
learning goes but learning is no
everything in this world and peopl
can feel and think with only a littl
of it."
Now Clara was very fairly educated
indeed; and, certainly, was what is vul
gularly called more of scholar tina
her sweetheart; but he was not an iq
noramus by any means
His words made her feel a littl
ashamed of herself; so she answered:
q didn't mean to insinuate that II
better educated than you, or that yo
are not gentleman at heart; but d
consider it most unreasonable and III
justifiable that you should throw OF
hints against Mr.. Cox, simply becaus
he's gentleman of superior education
''It's very certain I've seen much les
of You, Clara, since he came here. . Al
swered Arnold Carew, with melanchol
reproach manifest in his tone of voice,
"Well, if you must know the truth,
answered Clara; but you're SO ho
headed and unreasonable I've nevt
liked to name it to you before; he
kindly undertaken to teach me Frencl
and that accounts for my evenings bein
more occupied than they were"
1t was your duty to have told n
before" answered Arnold, suppressin
his jealous indignation. "Where do
he teach you ?"
! In the sitting room, of course"