The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-09-20
DORA DEANE.

She was thirty-two, and the prefix
which would indicate her a married
woman was still wanting from hel
name. Yet there were ne lines OF
disappointment about Dora Deane':
mouth; no troubled expression in the
clear gray eyes. Yet she looked d
woman to love and be loved. She va;
not beautiful, but people had Away:
called her pretty girl. They called
her so still $50 youthful was the grace
full figure and mobile face). until they
stopped to reckon OH their fingers and
discovered the term woman" was
more appropriate. There was abou,
her, too, certain distinctive charm
"a something which made strangers
turn again as she passed them by for
second glance. She was neither
belle nor beauty. She could have
married many times, but-perhaps
because she felt that love was one Of
the essentials lacking, perhaps be-
cause the ideal was 10; at;ained-she
remained Dora Deane still. Thus the
gossips reasoned. Pry as they would,
they could discover no early di>ap-
pointment, 10 hidden romance, in all
the years she had lived among them.
Yet, reeping over her shoulder, as is
our privilege, noting the delicate
flush upon her:: cheek, the light i'll her
eye, the trembling Of the little hand
which holds letter written in firm,
bold characters, they might have
seized upon clue We are TOO generous
TO fasten or follow. The words she
had peru>ed were these:
The fever has broken Out again quite ,,otly with
and anxious Cara should bTyat ne :,.irer
ala. May drive her o';' to-..oriow and leave her
for fortnight: Ny messenger vii val: y"ur all
RONALD RAY"
''Of course she might come,
thought Miss Deane.
Dear little Cara! Doctor Ray was
her guardian. She had been left to
his care when 4 little child of three
years. She must be eighteen now.
For six years she had been at school.
Now she had returned to her guar
dams home, to remain until some one
stole her away to grace another But
she was still child. That was but a
remote possibility for the distant
future.
Ronald Ray was physician in the
great city in one of whose suburbs WAS
Miss Deane's beautiful home. How
many years she had known him! He
had even come to her first, in that
long ago time. to tell her the story of
the child confided to his care.
She had been but seventeen herself
then, he six years her senior. They
had been friends always, but lately
she had seen more of him than his
usual wont. He had talked with her
of Cara's home coming-of the plans
he had matured for her amusement
of the pleasure his mother would ex-
perience in having her bright young
presence constantly near her; and she
had listened, as she had always lis
tened when Ronald Ray talked-lis-
tened with a beating heart ard feet
ing celor. But it had never betrayed
her secret even to him. She had
scarce acknowledged it to herself
She only knew that other men might
come and 60, but were all powerless,
even by the most passionate protesta-
tions of devotion, to waken that
called forth by his simplest word.
But lately he had been different
There had been light in his eye like
that within her own-a suppressed ex-
element totally at variance with his
usual calm. And now from among his
legion of friends he had chosen her
home where his ward might be
guest.
Her thoughts were very busy as she
made her preparations to receive her
visitor. With her own hands she
gathered and arranged the flowers
that were to welcome her in the pref
ty room she had ASST gned her, joining
her own.
In the dusk of evening, the sound
of wheels announced their coming.
Dear Miss Dora = exclaimed
sweet, giriish voice, as some one
sprang from the carriage, ere the doc
tor could alight to assist her. ct is
all nonsense Ronald's sending me
away from home! But so long as he
insisted Oh it, am SO glad it is here.
We shall have such nice times to-
gether-that is, if you have not for
gotten me"
And she impulsively threw her
arms about the elder woman's neck.
There was charm-a winsomeness
about her impossible to resist.
Dora Deane felt her heart go out to-
ward her anew. As it had done when.