Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-08-31
Mr.. Israel, upon whose arm she lean

| petite figure in white and gold confused
him so; but he had arrived late, and Viz
ginia and guardian were already going,
and that was the end of the conversation.
He unused over it, thinking that the lady
was simply polite. and seemed indiffer-
| ent simply because she was not so. At
sight of the frank, steel-blue eyes, the
firm, white brows Swallowed by rings of
fair hair, the fnely-chiseled mouth-all
of which she remembered perfectly-her
heart gave a traitorous leap and threat
| ened SO alarmlngly to go over to the
| stranger that she swiftly summoned all
her native caution. He did not love her.
neutrality-suspicious. never would; and she
was very proud Even her fathers wish
must be set aside before her rights as a
woman to be preferred solely for herself.
But Launce went to CRANKY. I
hardly know of anything on earth that
wouldhave kept him from going. Vir-
ginia had reigned mistress there only
since the previous autumn, but her taste
| for what was artistic and beautiful had
given the interior of the great mansion
striking charm. Lovely pictures lean
ed from the walls; graceful figures in
bronze and marble graced shelves and
inches: floors had been relaid in polished
wood, and covered with rich skins and
foreign rugs. And over this beautiful
home reigned presence the most beau
| tiful he had ever seen, Launce thought.
He talked, and rode and drove with Vir-
| g1nia, and she was sweet and gentle.
But others talked and rode, and drove
with her-sons and brothers of her
neighbors whom she had known all her
Ife-and she was sweet and gentle with
them. There was Allan Stuart, Godfrey
Grey and the Rane brothers-Launce
| could not see a bit of difference between
| her treatment of them and of himself.
He pondered the matter at night, on a
sleepless pillow, the moon looking at
him through the silken curtains of the
windows, that week at CRANKY. But
Launce was thoroughly manly fellow,
and had courage to dare his fate. He
did not admire Virginia Payne one whit
the less because of the reserve which SO
baffied him.
One day when they were out riding
with party of four others, he proposed
making d cross cut through the woods to
day previous, and asked Virginia to &C.
company him.
I'VE will meet the others at the
turnpike CROSSING" he said.
Virginia turned her horses head
readily, all unsuspicious; but, when they
were hid among the balsamic frs she
suddenly became aware of her compan-
ions manner A sudden bloom showed
in her cheeks she began herself the
search for the whip.
81 do not care picayune for the
whip. I came this way Virginia, that I
might be alone with you for moment"
This did not tend to make the soft
cheek any less vivid, but Launce did not
notice,
81 want to tell you Something" he
went on, steadily, (Which you have
heard from other men, dare say, but it
is nevertheless true from me. [ have
never in my life seen woman who suits
me as you do, Virginia; and it is not be-
cause of what your father wished and
planned for us, but because of yourself
But while you are beautiful and attract
i've, there is nothing wonderful about
me; and though 1 don't know why you
should marry me l wish you would.
Not because of your fathers wishes
either"
He had taken her hand, stopped the
horses, and was looking into her face,
with its dOwncast eyes and tremblous
lips.
" Gould you love me, Virginia %
A dimple stirred the soft cheek.
Perhaps"
horse at that moment, but he SHE'D at
oh ho IL
ing her, and then flew like the wind
down the path. Launce followed
anxiously, but she had met the others of
the party before he overlook her. There
was no chance to see her alone again
that day, and the next he had set for
his departure. But she had confessed
nothing, promised nothing and he was,
perhaps, less at ease than before his
declaration.
There was company to entertain that
day-among the number Tom Arlington.
Launce had often heard him spoken of
and did not wonder. He was singular
ly handsome man, with brilliant COM
plexion, disheveled hair, curling silken
beard, blase air, and the tout ensemble
OF an artist. Launce looked critically
at the rose-and- gold of Tom Arlington's
makeup, and did not like him. This
before he observed that his attention to
Virginia during the evening were very
marked. The talked to him, played for
him, sang with him. Poor Virginia |!
So near to being perfectly happy that
she dared not contemplate it, she
seized upon the first pretext for conceal
ing her emotion. And that pretext, I'M
fortunately was Tom Arlington.
! 90 ALAS how easy the world goes wrong!
kiss too much sigh too long,
And there follows mist and binding rain,
And life is never the same again ~
Launce remembered that Virginia
" did not firt, and though he struggled
manfully against it, his heart sank like
lead before the evening was through.
So young, SO sensitive, SO susceptible to
beauty and grace in others, was it likely
that he would win her? No, no he
told himself, bitterly. He knew how,
alone and unaided, he had battled with
the stern realities of life, how he had