Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-11-03

"By the summer house. thought
you were going with papa.
''I begged off knew you would be
miserable without RE, so | was self
DENYING, and came to look after you. 7"
Indeed, | was very happy y jamie
returned.
ooh, jamie, You know how dreary
the afternoon seemed, how long the
hours we're. Why, believe you have
been crying"
jamie raised her eyes for inspection !;
but they dropped again instantly, and
| she drew little nearer, tracing the
threads on his gray sleeve with trem-
bling little fingers.
q" thur. | wish you would tell me
| lust how YOU thought of me first.
have been thinking of it all the after
noon, 1t is so strange that you should
care for such foolish child as am. /"
Glow do you know | do, Miss Vani-
| y? Come, sit down here: it is cool ard
shady and out of the way of those sis
tiers of yours" and he drew her down
beside him upon the bench that stood
under great tree.
1t was very quiet there, the path
shaded by a double row of fine trees,
with the lawn on one side and the park
on the other.
"Now try to be exact and logical for
once, young lady, and tell me what
grounds you have for believing for an
instant that, to put it as you do, care
| for your"
JAMES eyes answered him.
Gas if there was reason that could
satisfy any logical mind! Why you
goose. it might be that hate you, and
want you to have the opportunity to
lead you a miserable life But come,
| will tell you all about it.
"And don't laugh at me"
Laugh at you! Bless the child! If
you would only look at me instead of
tearing your handkerchief into small
pieces jamie desisted with blush
"you would see that | am as grave as
as Dick-there"-pointing to JAMES
white dog. who was regarding them
with steadfast eyes from the middle OF
the pathway. "Now / will proceed
with my explanation Many years ago
l was staying in Bagdad and fell in
with a magician" jamie looked up
with wide-open eyes. Queer people,
those magicians This one was a good
fellow in his way, and he told me that
If | went down to Thorndale on the
18th of July, and visited my old friend,
the Squire, / should meet young
lady in green muslin dress, who was
the Queen of the Fairies. Her | must
wed, and then obtain possession of the
fairy revenues and live happy ever
after. You wore green muslin dress
ergo, you are the Queen of the Fairies,
and | am marrying you for your mon
ey."
"Janie's merry laugh made Dick dash
round them wildly, expecting a race,
But the girl was not daunted in her
inquiries. She tried little coaxing.
II want so much to know. You
looked at me so on that first evening
and you weren't in love with me
then"
Dead shepherd, now find the saw of might
Whoever loved that loved not at first sight.
"Do you intend to correct Shak-
speare. Mademoiselle?
"Did remind you of anybody you
once knew" persisted jamie.
Her question startled him nto grav-
ity.
"Have you heard? has any one told
you"
what was | to hear? All, then
there is something! Won't you tell
me? l could not bear 20 hear it from
any one else"
"My darling, | meant to tell you; il
is better you should know. And yet
my jamie, love you so dearly that
could wish the past away and you my
first love"
"Oh, knew could not be that! II
doesn't pain me bit to think you
cared for somebody else. l knew ii
was so. But please tell me-"
Il viii" He hesitated still, bend
ing forward to smile into her earnest
pleading face. when you have heard
my story, darling, you will know how
dearly l love you; for am glad to
have lived through it all, You have
not only make my future a bright one
sweetest, but it robs the past of its
worst gloom to look at it by your side
1t is long story, jamie, and / will be
gin at the very beginning, that you
may understand it all.
1t seemed a difficult story to tell, for
he sat for three or four minutes in 81
lence, looking straight before him, his
dark, handsome face very grave
There was strange feeling in his mind
that the past had come back again
time slipped back eighteen years, and
he was again penniless tutor. Fol
once before in the beautiful long age
he had sat on that same bench one
summer afternoon, with the same
trees waving to and fro above, and q
girl with soft brown eyes-Janies eyes
beside him and they two had beer
all the world to each other.
To break the spell he took the little
hands lying loosely casped on jamie
Hollands dress and looked tenderly in
to the childish downcast face blushing
rosy red under his eyes.
at was your aunt l loved, jamie
Look and he pointed to two initials
carved on the oaken rail they lean
against. "H. W." Helen Wilmot
Il Nnl1;n ",