Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-01-07
ONLY A PRIVATE SECRETARY

hear. They viii make most we
come acquisition to the limited 8.
ciety of this poor little village,o r,
marked Claudia Thorne, with gres
animation, that was suddenly aus
mented by the appearance of an e
egant equipage that she hao. ju.
seen coming down the pleasant
shadowy street. There they ar
now, Aggie, DEAR" she continue
excitedly; 'and is not that carriag
altogether too stylish for this dread
fully questionable and prosy place
and that prancing, speckled, reddisl
horse must be a priceless flyer
think" she commented somewha
j doubtfulIy, for she was conscious o
her utter deficiency in equine lore
Meanwhile the spirited, dapplet
roan-an animal neither extriordi
nary fine nor fast-was trottins
past the garden gate, the sene
scent blossoms of the lofty locut
trees falling in white showers ovel
gilded harness and glittering wheels
"The gentleman-the one with
that Saxon and distinguished look
and the tawny, curling hair and
beard-he who is driving, must be
the millionaire who, / am informed
is the son of nobleman, but is toe
| Americanized to assume his illustri-
Gus title. The other. with the dark
hair and stoutish figure, must be
! the private secretary or travelling
companion. One can always dis.
Germ the difference between the pa
trician and plebian, can one not ?''
Certainly have no such subtitle
gift Of observation-disclosures the sense
you infer. One whose soul is ignO-
BILE must be pleDian, / think, how
ever aristocratic the birth, or tout
ensemble of that one may be,'
answered Agnes Rothsay, quietly.
She and Claudia Thorne were
cousins and ostensibly friends, and
were living together a life of gen.
teel economy, having jointly inner
tied small legacy devised by an
eccentric relative recently deceased
whom neither had ever seen.
In the picturesque and tiny ham,
let OF Rosehithe-a haven OF roses
they had made their summer home.
Agnes had been pleased and con-
tented with the small, tranquil
place, with its wide, grassy umba-
geous streets and sparce clusters of
quaint houses builded about the OBJ
fuse wooded angle of crags that
jutted into the tumbIing waters,
just where a wild narrow stream
frothed into the surf of the sea.
But Claudia had thought it all
the serene seclusiOn, the isolated,
but imposing scenery, simple inhab-
itants with their homely Ways-un-
interesting and ii.sufferabIy dull.
TREY were very unlike-those two
young ladies, who had yet all the
bloom and brightness of fresh, sweet
WomanhOod.
Miss Rothsay was tall and nota-
bly, graceful blonde, with that Fare
ly and peculiar fair complexion
that no care can wrinkle and no
time can yellow. Her fine features
were much too mobile for the artis-
tic Grecian type, and her large eyes
splendid and indescribale-wer
too passionful and tender to begray,
and too discerning and imperious
to be ideal and poetic blue. Her
masses of hair had the
subtle and beautiful shades of amber
and ruddy auburn and her atti-
tudes, her action, her manner of
speaking, were distinguished by
dignity, and gentle
that were as natural as
irresistible. Among interiors she |
would have been misunderstood
md possibly hated, feared, and |
raduced, Among her peers she !
vas loved and revered.
Claudia Tnorne belonged to quite
/ dissimilar sphere of mind, feeling !
md violation. She had more cum |
ling than Intellect; she was more
emotional than sympathetic, she
liked only the excitement that
,ould be made egotistically sensa-
ional, and she was inOrdinately
ambitious for very eminent social
distinction. She hated the deceas-
d legator who had bequeathed
Ter a humble competence instead of
n exhaustless income. 1t would
eem that she was pitifully unap-
,reciative of small favorS-that she
ably lacked the sense of gratitude.
she was witching
title ladykin, with ever restly feet
nd singularly pretty, elfish hands.
he was dark and petite, her hair
vas getty black eyes were brilliant
With mesmetic hues she had red
lips, and dainty scarlet
olor always waving over her baby
IN rounded cheeks. She affected
he naive with the most flattering
lccesS.
And she seemed very childiAhly
1genious, indeed, when she first
miled beguilingly into the admir-
1g eyes of him whom she supposed
} be wealthy and titled.
Apparently that first meeting was
ntirely accidental.
The gentleman had been piscat0-
ally busted in delicious cool {
iche among the willows, whose
,liage of topaz and emerald left !
ickering shadows along the mar l
in OF still pond where Il strata of $
lid rock had damned the stream, !
nd where a myriad of silvery frs l
anced through the clear brown
ater. He had heard a lazy and 9
regular sound of oars, and had I
anced with small interest across
le high green reeds and low flow G
de-luce, to see gaudily-gilded 7
I'd very small skiff rocking dam 4
erously among the water-iilies just z
efOre him. l.
The single occupant of the boat
as brunette fay, wearing a fancy 8
stume ofsome dark, ruddy- bronze c
uff, with gOlden-hearted lily-budS q
her jaunty bronze velvet cap. x
AS the young gentleman regard
her with a half-enchanted gaze, a
e extended her dusky jeweled o
lnds toward a snowy blossom, a
her oars with a pretty, %
reless gesture. The next instant G
e oars were drifting slowly away g
/ the sluggish current the next
slant there was a splash and a o
usical cry for help. Il
The light craft was capisized and o
audia Thorne was struggling and IL
sping among the lilies.
How the spectator of the catastro- II
le rescued her he never quite
narly remembered; however, he q
light never forget the sensation of Il
triumph he felt as she j.,
Y at last helplessly in his arms-a q
we'd, thankful nymph, so drenched le
d seemingly frightened that one o
uch less gallant and susceptible
an he must, perforce, have said to -"
r something very fiattering and q
reeable. n