The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-08-03


two miles in the blazing sun, help Wat
zins till tea-time. then rig ont Val, and
afterward play quadrilles for the rest to
dance two or three hours! / don't see
what in thunder makes girls so hateful
to each other"
Jack had no idea of being profane.
but he was of the opinion that it took
strong words to express strong indigna-
ton.
That evening Miss Valerie Richards
found Keith Falconer rather more in
different to- her charms than was alto.
gether pleasing to that young lady. To
all her witty remarks he seemed insensi-
bic, and was once rude enough to inter
rupt "A brilliant sally with:
Amt we to have the pleasure of see
ing your cousin this EVENING"
My cousin?" she asked, arching hen
jetty brows in well-simulated surprise.
Il beg your pardon he answered,
a. had reference to Miss Eustace."
go, you mean Chris! Why, | no
more think of calling her cousin than ]
would Watkins, my maid. Her father
was only papa's half-brother any way,
and we're only keeping her till she can
get a better chance.
A." Indeedn'
And the gentleman nodded rather too
stiflly to be entirely gallant, it must be
confessed.
A slight movement behind caused
both to turn. Chris, with a fierce little
flush on either cheek, stood waiting for
them to stand aside that she might
/ pass.
Miss Valerie didn't care to conceal a
certain scOrnful emphasis.
" Pardon metz exclaimed FalcOner,
much disturbed, for he knew she must
have heard that unkind remark mo-
ment before. But he managed to
/ possess himself of the ron of music,
| and, Notwithstanding Miss Valerie S
/ ill-concealed disgust at this proceeding,
accompanied poor little Chris to the
| piano. There, although he exerted
| himself to the utmost to be agreeable
| and no one could be more so when he
/ choOse-he could not altogether Danish
/ the cloud from the pretty face, or the
\ panied look from the tender brown
| eyes.
More than once he looked up to see
/ sudden tears kept back by a great eff
fort, and perhaps this fact, together
with a strong personal interest,
made him more devoted and tenderly
! solicitous for the welfare of his little
/ protegee than suited the fair Valerie.
Be that as it may, she fairly ground
her teeth in rage, as Keith Falconer
stood turning Chris music, and once,
when he capped the climax by bringing
her an ice, Jack, who was peeping in
the window. was afterward heard to de-
clare:
''Val was so tearin' mad, she shook
her fist at the whole caboOdle of emf
ff1hnnAlof1 a. NErOr-d oil -IaRl~'c
own, coined for the occasion.
After that quadrille he took her out
to walk on the piazza in the delicious
moonlight, and made himself SO pleas
ing, talking with her so kindly and
gently, and insisting upon arranging
the tleecy Shetland shawl about her
shoulders to suit himself, that poor,
foolish Chris half wished that this
moonlight walk might last forever, and
the morrow of which she had such pain
full forebodings never come.
The next morning Chris did not APP
pear, and Aunt Richards commented
severely, in a general sort of way, about
people who would go wandering about
moonlight evenings. eff one was so
imprudent. one must expect to be sick, "
and so forth.
Valerie said very little. but that little
was so decidedly tinged with acidity no
one wanted more.
Keith Falconer felt uncomfOrtably
culprit-hke, Just as they intended he
should; but, contrary to their expecta-
tions, he understood precisely with
whom he had to deal. Besides, he had a
certain little scheme in his own mind,
which he meant, in quietly determined
way peculiar to himself, to carry out.
Therefore his manner was urbanity it
self, and he seemed so delightfully."- easy
and Indifferent no one would imagine
that he ever took moonlight walks or
knew of any one who did.
Meantime, while one of the offenders
was pouring oil upon the troubled wa
tiers below, the other, in a little cham
Der up three flights, was industriOusly
fashioning pale-blue satin bows for a
white muslin dress of Valerie's.
Nothing had been said to her about
last nights escapade. and Chris felt al
most blissfully happy, even though she
had been working since daylight, and
the memory of the unkind words of the
evening before would sometimes thrust
itself upon her
Valerie had come in early, and ordered
the dress finished for the lawn party
that afternoon And Chris, singing
little snatches of song, worked away
for dear life, never wondering in the
least when Valerie informed her bris1ly
that probably she wouldn't have time to
finish the dress otherwise, and she
needn't come down to breakfast. Wat
kins brought it up to her soon; and to-
ward noon Jack appeared with q mys-
teriOus white-tissue-paper parcel.
"How's this?'' he remarked, trying
to appear careless and indifferent, and
making a sublime failure, throwing the
parcel into a chair.
A beautiful pale-pink sash. which
Chris had long coveted at Farlan's,
greeted her delighted vision.
80 Jack dear Jack, is it for me -
she asked, hugging him rapturously.
"Of course it 5 Tor you; how look
with it on Pn receiving her caresses
with good-natured patience. Now
try it on, and see how it looks"
SO it was tried on, and tied, and
looped, and bowed in every conceiva-
bic shape. admired by Chris and criti-
cised by Jack, who wound up with
''ru bet two cents you'll look better'n
the whole kit of 'em this afternoon I! "
Soon after, he took his departure, and
met Valerie on the stairs just going up
to Chris room.
Whether a good or evil genius took
possession of the boy at this moment
its impossible to relate. but he tiptoed
softly back to the door, and applying
his ear to the key-hole, listened dill
igently.
An hour afterward, Keith Falconer,
returning from gloomy and unsuc-
cessful fishing eXpeditiOn-Guy was
busy on some critical review or other,
and couldn't accompany him-saw the
lnd snafed at the foot of the long