, 1882-06-16


-Nr had mwittlngly done She pos
-,-~ri one Gltt far beyond beauty or
-,uIU- the rare glft Of tact; and
gradually, after one OF two hlundcrS,
-h" lrd the conversation to several
topics on which. To- her surprise, he
could talk we'll He had read much
she soon found, and over books and
authors both became enthusiastic,
until. when at last the clock rang out
ten -ilyrry strokes, and with his usual
absent mindcdnoss. he caught up
Jimmic's hat and started for his
comfortlcss boarding place, it was
with a lighter heart than he had had
for weeks. He had been before a
stranger in strange land; now he
had found friend.
Evening after evening found him
in DIR. Van Dykes cosy parlor.
Sometimes Louise played for him the
grand, stately music he loved, while
he watched the face he was beginning
to think wonderfully attractive, and
the white fingers moving swiftly over
the keys. Sometimes he read aloud
from Louise's well-worn favOrites:
Lucille" and Carlyle, and Ruskin's
Grown of Wild Olives" and Louise,
listening to the fine voice, forgot the
plain face of the reader. forgot her
work sometimes and let her hands lie
idly folded. while she listened with
lips apart and color deepeing in her
cheeks. Then there were the German
lessons. when her laugh rang out
merrily over the blunders her one
scholar made. Their friendship grew
apace over that most musical of all
languages, and John Allen was rap
idly learning to conjugate lieben with
heart as well as lips.
She was no coquette, the little Lady
Louise, with the high-bred ways
which had earned for her her name.
She could not help it if her eyes We're
bright and her laugh musical and her
ways very winsome to the homeless
lad But tonight, alone in her
chamber, she confessed to herself and
her mirror that she was to blame if in
order to amuse herself, to while away
the summer evenings which otherwise
might be dull, she let this boy who
had never met a bright, cultured,
graceful woman before, lose his heart
to one who had nothing but friend
ship to give him in return. She had
had her first love; had loved fervent-
ly, as it was her nature to do; had
wakened from her brief dream as
many another had done, to find her
idol but clay. The wound had not
been a deep one. Hers was sunny
nature that readily threw off care, but
the knowledge that there was one
whose life was darkened by a
bitter disappointment made fier
watchful now. She had drifted on too
busy with the succession of duties
and pleasures the glad days brought
her, to realize that for John Allen the
old story, which had been played on
many a stage since the world began,
was being enacted. Not until this
evening, when with an earnestness
that had surprised her, he had asked
for flower that fell from her hair,
and her eyes met his fixed upon her
with look she could not mistake, not
until then had she dreamed that her
friendly companionship meant more
to one than to the other, and now,
knowing this, should she go on? She
sat long by her mirror that night; the
lamp burned dim, and the clock down
stairs rang out twelve warning strokes
before she began brushing out her
long soft braids. One hour later
when the moonbeams stole in, they
touched caressingly very peaceful,
sleeping face.
The Sabbath sun, streaming
through the stained window glass Of
the little chapel next morning, made
halo about one brown head bowed
reverently. 1t seemed to John Allen,
watching Lady Louise from his seat
by the door, that Gods hand was laid
on her head in blessing. As he
listened through the services for one
clear voice, he fancied-h was young,
remember, reader-that angels voices
were no sweeter. And he did not
take his eyes from one serene face
until the benediction had been spoken
and the worshipers were coming
slowly down the aisle. 1t had become
an established custom which people
had almost ceased to wonder at, that
the doctors daughter and the teacher
of the grammar schooi should walk
home from service together; that he
should sit down to a carefully ar
ranged table and partake of one of
Aunt Helen's bountiftul dinners; that
he should pretend to read, while
he listened to the Bible stories Louise
told to the children clustered on the
rug about her. All this happened as
on more than one Sunday before. If
he had fancied that some indehnable
change had crept over Lady Louise
since the evening before, it was for
gotten when she took her seat at the
piano and let her fingers wander
drcamily over the keys in the twilight
music she loved so well. Half listen
ing tO the plaintive melody, half lost