River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-07-21

tAlDg ABOUT her. TOO, Whlcn feullueh
him of his favorite sister. He felt that
jamie would have liked her.
He took her back to her mother,
feeling very much as if she were lit
tie child confded to his care.
"Poor little girl" he was thinking to
himself. 'Is she so very plain?"
He had really scarcely noticed her,
had asked her simply out of ''compas-
sion for her loneliness" with no interest
in her personally whatever. She had
amused him, though. He smiled again
as he recalled her naivette.
After an interval his thoughts re-
CURED to her.
"By Jove" he thought, 'I'll take her
for some refreshment."
And very much TO her amazement,
and her mothers surprise she was es-
corted on her lordship's arm to the re-
freshmentroom.
All her shyness was gone, as far as
/ Lord Pelham was concerned. She
chatted away freely, not for moment
imagining in her simple little heart
| that he was critically considering
whether she really was so very plain.
81 suppose she is" was his mental
reflection-"I suppose she is-and yet
] don't know. / wish she'd look at me.
She may have eyes under those lids, }"
But Lizzie was not yet sufficiently at
home with him to look at him. She
answered his questions freely, and was
easily led on to give graphic descrip-
tions of her home life; of the brothers
who teased her, and the sister, a year
or two younger, who was longing to
come out, and who was such a regular
! beauty.
so fair, you know" said Lizzie, with
a touching reflection upon her own dull
and freckled skin, "and with such love-
ly large, blue, open eyes"
'By Jover' thought Lord Pelham,
81 wish she'd look at me. I'd like to
see what her own eyes are like"
But this wish at least, was vain. Not
even her gratitude-and shy Lizzie was
overpowered with gratitude for all his
attentiOn-couldg give her courage to
1 look up at him.
! He remained near her, chatting, till
| the carriages were announced, and even
| fingered to place her cape around her
shoulders, and bid quite cordial good
night to her parents; but, after all, his
curiosity was not satisfied.
'And so Lizzie did dance" said her
elder brother next day, as the ball was
eagerly discussed.
"Dancet said her father, in high
good humor-"I should think so!
Danced with Lord Pelham, above allp'
YES" said Mrs. Morton, reflective
ly, sit was very good natured of him.
heard him say something about COM
passion; he was sorry to see her so
lonely"
Lizzie herself was so convinced that
this was the case that she was not the
least annoyed, only when she went up
stairs she stayed q moment longer than
usual before her glass, and, raising her
heavy lids, looked herself straight in
the face.
"He's very good-natured, she
thought. II wish l were not so very
plain"
Lord Pelham's curiosity about those
ewes was singular. He found himself
specializing more unreasonably on the
subject, and wondering what color
would suit her face.
Almost any color, he was forced to
admit, would do. The dull, sallow
skin, the Informed nose and wide
mouth, no eyes could wholly redeem
them, and probably the fringed eYelids
We're compensation.
Well, well, what did it matter? He
supposed they should not meet again.
Why should they? He did not intend
remaining in the neighborhood, and,
had he intended it, he mad no excuse
for calling.
But they did meet Somehow, on
Sunday morning, a sudden and most
unwOnted impulse seized Lord Pelham
to attend service in the village church.
He went in late, a little embarrassed,
if the truth must be told, at his own
action.
He sat very quietly in the corner of
the pew to which the old verger con-
Quoted him, and only felt at home
when the droning choir began the
Psalms. Then he looked about, and
soon caught sight of Mrs. M0rton's
handsome face.
by Jove what a pretty girl !" he
thought, as his eye wandered past to a
rosebud of girl-"the beauty" evil
IDENTIFY, of poor Lizzie's tale-and next
to her sat his shy friend herself, the
downcast lids more dropping than ever,
| the dull complexion more leaden be-
side the bright blue eyes and pink and
white of the pretty sister.
! Still, Lord Pelham's glance rested on
the plain face of his earlier acquaint-
/ ance. The service seemed wonderfully
| short, and when the congregation left
| the chancel he found himself side by
side with Mrs. Morton.
"Going our way?' she asked, in the
| porch; and so, naturally enough. ne
accompanied them homeward, even
walking through their park up to the
very door.
| "Mr Morton is in the conservatory,
| if you wish to join him." Mrs. Morton
ventured to say, her motherly heart all
in flutter; for here, she decided, vas
a chance for pretty Rose.
| Ana Lord Pelham did care, it APP
peared, and had chat with the master
of the house, found sundry points of
! interest in common, and even stayed
for the family dinner.
Horribly unaristocratic he must
think usp' feared Mrs Morton, as she
explained that the early dinner ena-
! bled the servants to go to church.
Little, Lord Pelham cared for her
chatter; he was wholly occupied with
the plain face opposite to him.
In vain pretty Rose bridled and
blushed; in vain she peeped up at him
with her most bewitching air. He was
only conscious of one fact about her.
which was, that she snubbed her elder
sister.
So did every one else, it appeared to
him: for when Lizzie ventured the re-
mark which she rarely did-it was
generally met with: ooh, l dare say
you think sol"
The neighborhood began to talk very
soon after this eventful Sunday in the
Morton's life Lord Pelham remained
mt his friends-Sir Harry Wells's-and
came so often to the Lodge, evinced
such an interest in all Mr. Morton's inn
provements- actually invited the boys
to his manor for the September shoot
ing-that he seemed almost like one of
the family.
One day in the early winter, when
the hedges were sparkling with boar
frost, and the roads were beginning to
harden, Lord Pelham took his familiar
way to the Lodge.
He was thinking, as he walked along,
of many things about his intimacy there
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