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

more dance with Miss Darley," Mr..
Peytou said when Mr.. barley express
ed his decided conviction that il was
time to 60, and the father could not re-
sist bis ehild's happy pleading eyes
Short sighted old gentleman, he won
dered what there was in dancipg that
al girls we're so fond Of it.
When the dance was over and the
pair came back they found Alice Tai
bot stoutly resisting an attempt on the
part Of her father TO take her away.
az must stay fer the next dance, papa.
/ am engaged to your good-looklng
friepdp She added in whisper to Flor
rie. 81 wouldn't miss it for the
world.O
But FIorrie hardly heard her. She
was absolutely wild with excitement.
Never before had Mr.. Peyton been so
devoted; never before had she been so
sure that he loved her, nor had she
realized what il was to be 50 loved.
al shall see YOU on Tuesday at the
Grsys," he said, a. they stood waiting
for the carriage, looking down with
more tenderness than he perhaps knew
into the flushed happy face.
Ii frightened, if that were possible.
"But / thought you said you were on
duty that day.
am get off somehow. | would risk
a ourt-martial sooner than miss seeing
you"
HThat would be wrong" she said
grayely, with her earnest eyes fixed on
his face. hope you would not neglect
YOUR duty on any consideration. l am
sure YOU would not" she added in q
tone Of deep conviction.
al never will after that" he said in a
a very low voice.
"Do you know that this dance has
begun ever so long ago" she said
presently, land / know that you are
engaged to Miss Talbot for it."
"Oh, Miss Talbot is so inundated with
partners, that am sure she won't have
waited for me,r he replied carelessly.
Nevertheless, ne found that she had
waited for him, though there were
several gentlemen eager to supply his
place.
When he apOlOgized size gave him q
brilliant smile, and said she quite I'M
derstOod and forgave him.
Meantime the Darleys drove home.
The moon shOne down on the father
doing in his corner; on the mother,
silent, with many anxious hopes and
fears regarding her darling; and on that
darling, sitting upright, and wide
awake, gazing into the clear frosty sky,
and murmuring over and over again to
herself IL am so happy, lam so happy"
1t was six months later, one hot night
in June, that Florence barley followed
her mother into another ballroom.
Only six months. But great deal OF
experience can be gained in that time,
and FlOrrie had acquired rather more
than her share.
An indcscribable change had come
over her whole face and manner. Some
thing of her sweet freshness and happy
content were gone. \ touch OF restless
ness, even fretfulneSs, had taken their
place. She was rs profoundly indiiter-
ent To most of her acquaintance rs she
had been OH former occasion, but she
made an effort to conceal 1t, and when
she looked round the room it was with
hasty fuTtiVe chances.
No one rushed eagerly up to her now
to express delight at her arrival and to
claim halfa dozen dances. But FloIrle
had not been in the room minute be-
fore she knew that Mr.. Peyton was
there. He was standing by Alice Tai
bot, who was looking more brilliant
and beautiful even than usual, and was
bestowiug her brightest smiles and all
her powers of fascination upon him.
With miserable, bitter humility Florrie
owned that it was no wonder he had
neither eyes nor ears for any one else.
But the acknowledgement did not make
it less hard to bear.
"She has so many admirers she might
have left him alone" said the poor little
thing to herself. But she has held her
self 6ravely to OpITsrd appearance. a
hundred times She checked herself in IN
the act Of Lifting her ey rs wan sag,a IA
81 SaxS aim. She laugneu,s sl-tners re-
,,,aSSi.ly that one OF her pe1 Az knew
ny ed afterward that re net :, 6er.
s4r 10 BARLEY had so m9ch iun - close
Once, when he ana Ali.c Soo,,Iy in
0her. she was apparently 80 ut ~ she
torpSted in her, e2nversas.t.!!onS ,.e .ssisht
have spared herself that small piece of
hypocrisy, for by him it passed unno-
ticed, and only brought smile OF deris-
ion to Alice's face. FlOrrie herself spent
the rest of the night in regretting it.
For, after all, smile or bow from
him would have been better than 10th
ing.
Mrs. barley looked anxiously in the
girls pale face and eyes that had so
deep a look of pain in them, though
the lips smiled 50 necessarily.
al think, my darling" she said at
last, "that It is time to CO."
at is quite early" FlOrrie said visit
ell. w
| up the last chance.
But the mother knew how vain il
was to wait, and that the sooner they
went the better it would be for FlOrrie's
| peace.
81 am tired, dear" she said gently,
"and it is later than You think"
Then Florrie aequieSced at once. 1t
was over, then, this evening that she
had looked forward to with such fever
| ish hope and fear. and what had it
brought? Only the establishment OF
the miserable conviction that she had
! fought against for weeks past. He was
| indeed lost to her. Vet, with the incon-
sistenCy of human nature, she began at
! once to consider when and where she
might have another opportunity of see
! ing him. She thought even that an oc-
casional glimpse of his face. word or
a smile, would satisfy her. and she had
! il.
At the top of the stairs they met him
and Alice.
"GOing already?" said the latter,
gayly. "Haye you enjoyed yourself,
| FlOrrie?
Every much, said Florrie, promptly,
and was about to pass on, for her mother
was already at the 1DOt of the stairs,
when Mr.. Peyton checked her by say
ing, with y slight expression of uneas-
iness on his handsome face:
81 WAS so sorry you were out when |
called yesterday. came to say good
bye. l am off to Southampton to.
morrow, thence to India" Even Alice,
who never took her sparkling eyes Off
the girls sensitive face, could not de-
tect by the CULVER of muscle that this
was the first intimation Florrie had
had of the fact. She looked with cool
eompOsure at the young man, IS she
said, quietly:
al am very sorry We missed YOU"
"And you will not stay and give me
one Gance?" he said.