Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-12-03

uaY III leE lle, WIKI SLY OANS
found herself within the oid walls OF
the court house for a similar iesuVity'
Florence barley still, andlikeiy 70 re-
mali. 50. Both in her own opinion
and in that Of her friends, though lew
OF her contemporaries were disposed 10
consider her cOnte nted acceptance OF
the title of "old maid" as persoiiaI
! injury to themselves. And truly sne
was only thirty-six, and mlght nave
passed for younger had she CHOSEN 70
assume the manner and dress Oh youth.
But she had long since lost her parents,
and had, moreover, Two groWn-uP
nieees, who, mOtherless, looked up 10
her as to mother, so she mad no WISH
To cling TO young-ladyhoOd. she haa
nIacsd hersrif in the ranks of the chap,
Irons and II was i'm that character she
came tonight. - u -
sIMv dear Florrie, YOU really make
yourself ridiculous with your assllmp-
| lion of old age" said a tall, golden,
| haired woman who entered the room
Just behind her.
This was the celebrated beauty,
adv Norlejgh, once Miss Talbot. she
was still lovely, though there were hard
lines now round the beautiful mouth,
| and a restless look of WEAKNESS and DIS
| content in the large blue eyes-a cur
| iolls contrast to Florrie's serene con-
tent. -, >, Nh,
barley, declining TO argue the point: i
thought you were in London. " h"'
brings you into these part"
10b. I came" said Lady Norleigh.
| fippantly, because Norleigh wanted
me not to come" A..
NorIeigh. standing by, laughed feebly,
and tried to look as if it were JOKE, ia
which attempt he failed. He was thas
miserable looking little man VINO nau
hoyered so humbly round Alice in this
very room years ago. Several uneX-
pected deaths had considerably al,
tered Miss Talbot's sentiments toward
! him. Nevertheless he looked none the
hannier for his double good fortune.
Lady Norleigh passed on in her dlac
monds, lace, and satin-the cynosure OF
! ali eyes-while Florrie, in her SOBER
! black gown, placed herselfOn bench,
prepaTed 10 amuse herself by Watching
her Urls amuse themselves, though her
attention wandered good deal TO her
| former rival. ..
WAuntie," said one of her nieces, sud
deuly starting her from an intent, nall
! sad, half-amused observation OF Lazy
| Norleigh, al want TO introduce the
name was lost.
az think have had the pleasure oil
meeting your aunt before, Miss barley"
said voice which in eighteen years
| had never until now brought Florrles
memory which even now brought such
rush Of mingled pain and pleasure,
such sufTOcating heartheats, that, Tor
moment. the sedate old maid was I'M
able TO speak. She shook hands with
| the sneaker as ifin dream, was dimly
| cOn.cious of his sitting down beside
her and making trivial remarks about
! the weather, the decorations of the
room and so on. Gradually she col
lectcd herself enough to look at him,
and To take i'm the changes time had
made in him. They were not many.
He was still handsome, but very much
older both in manners and appearance
more so than even the lapse of years
accounted for, but FlOrrie decided that
she would have known him anywhere.
He did not stay beside her, and present
IL Florrie saw him talking to very
pretty woman, whose youthful appear
anee. combined with her exceedingly
smart attire, proclaimed her a bride.
Whose bride? AS FlOrrie noted the
afIectionate admiration with which
Colonel PeytOn looked upon her, she
thought she had no need to ask, and,
indeed, almost at the same moment her
niece said to her:
AS she not pretty? Mrs. Peyton, |
mean"
'She is very pretty Florrie said.
with a Smothered sigh. With profound.
halfpainful interest she watched the
fair young wife. =.
"She looks good" she thought, "as il
she would make man happy. Heaven
bless him. Heaven bless them both"
Col. Peyton, however, did not spend
the whole evening in attendance upon
his bride. He presently went in search
of Lady NOrleigh, with whom he had
already renewed his acquaintance. She
was extremely gracious to him. and
smiled as brilliantly a. ever, but 1t was
a Tlard smile.
There was n certain defiant hardness
now in her whole bearing.
aWell," she said, as they took their
places in u quadrille exactly opposite
FlOrrie, ''hOw do you find England after
so many years of ABSENCE"
~ fluid it," he replied, $50 changed
that am tempted to return to India
and never to repeat this experiment"
"Oh, nOnsence," she said, gayly. ~
suppose you did not expect to find every
thing just as you left it,"
NO" he answered, smiling. 81 was
hardly so unreasonable as that, but |
was not prepared for so many changes"
"COme, now, What changes?" she
urged. "FOr my part l could almost
fancy not an hour had past since"
She paused, and then said: "Do you
remember ball here abOut-well, |
won't say how many years ago"
al do remember" he said, gloOmily.
"And here we all are again" she con-
tinued; "m0st Of Us ut least. Here am
! |, here are you. and there'-with q
slight change In her voice and glance
at FlOrrie-"is Florence Darley.'
His manner changed too.
"Yes," he said, "she is not changed"
"You flatter her," said Lady Nor
leigh, sharply.
HelOOked confused for moment, but
went OH undaunted.
"She looks rs good, rs sweet, a con-
| lSHlSu Us SIZE ulu eighteen years ago.
| Hers is indeed a face to make one feel
the better for looking at, to save one
from believing that there is no truth or
faith left in the world
"The meaning OF this TRADE being"
said Lady Norleigh, sarcastically, THAT
you are conceited enough to believe that
Miss barley has been wearing the will
low for you all these years. Don't look
so innocent and indignant. You know,
as well as do, that you nearly broke
her heart once; only, luckily, hearts are
not made of breakable stuff, and hers
was mended long ago" Then, with a
sudden softening of tone, perhaps with
some vague wish to atone for the wrong
she had once SO deliberately done Flor
erce barley, she added half to herself:
"But the scar remains, / think. Yes,
you are right; she is brave, true wo-
man and you-were fool"
81 know it," he said with a quiet
emphasis that Lady Norleigh quite un-
derstood.
When the dance was over and Colo
IL Doyfn,, hoA loft hfa no n