Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-12-21

followed her mother INTO another ball
room. Only six months. But great
deal OF experience can be gained in
that time, and Florrie acquired rather
more than her share.
An indescribable change had come
over her whole face and manner.
Something Of her sweet freshness and
happy content were gone. A touch of
restlessness, even fretfuness, had taken
| their place. She was profoundly in
different to most of her acquaintances
as she had been on a former occasion,
but she made an effort to conceal 1t.
and when she looked around the room
it was with hasty furtive glances.
No one rushed eagerly up to her now
to express delight at her arrival and to
claim half dozen dances. But Flor
RE had not been in the room a minute
before she knew that Mr.. Peyton was
there. He was standing by Alice Tal.
bot, who was looking more brilliant
and beautiful even than usual, and
was bestowing her brightest smiles and
powers of fascination upon him. With
miserable, bitter humility Fiorrie
owned that it was no wonder that he
had neither eyes nor ears for any one
else. But the acknowledgment did not
make it less hard to bear.
"Sho has SO many admirers she
might have left him alone" said the
poor little thing to herself. But she
held herself bravely TO outward appear
ancc. A hundred times she checked
herself in the act of letting her eyes
wander in search of him. She laughed
and talked so gsyly that one of her
partners remarked afterward that che
never knew Miss barley had so much
fun in her" Once, when he and Alice
passed close to her, she was apparent
ly so deeply interested in her CONVEX
sation that she did not seem to see
them. She might have spared herself
that small piece of hypocrisy, for by
him it passed unnoticed, and only
brought smile of derision 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 nothing.
Mrs barley looked anxionsly in the
girls pale face and eyes that had so
deep q look of pain in them. though
the lips smiled so necessarily.
81 think, my darling" she said at
last, chat it is time to 60"
at is quite early" Florrie said wist-
fully. she could not voluntarily give
up the last chance.
But the mother knew how vain it
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,
"aud it is later than you rhink."
Then Florrie acquiesced at once. 1t
was over, then, this evening that she
had looked forward 10 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. Yet, with the in
consistency of human nature, she be-
gan at once to consider when and
whore she might have another oppor-
tunity of seeing him. She thought
that even an occasional glimpse of his
face, n word ora smiler would satisfy
her. And she had it.
At the top of the stairs they met
him and Alice.
"Going already?' said the latter gay
ly. Have you enjoyed yourself,
FlorrieP
very much" said Florrie, prompt
ly, and was about to pass on, for her
mother was already Mt the foot of the
stairs, when MIR. Peyton checked her
by saying, with a slight expression of
uneasiness on his handsome face:
81 was 50 sorry you were ont when
called yesterday. Icame to say good
by. / am OH to Southampton to-
morrow, thence to India" Even Alice,
who never took her sparkling eyes of
the girls sensitive face, could not de-
tect by the culver Of muscle that this
was the first intimatjon Florrie had
had of the fact. She looked with cool
compOsure at the young man, rs she
said, quietly
81 am very sorry we missed you
"And you viii not stay an give me
one dancer" he said.
Il am afraid l can't. Ny mother is
tired"
"Well, you must keep one for me at
the first ball we meet at on my return
from India"
con, certainly, if you are not eaten
up by a tiger in the meanwhile" she
answered laughing. "Good-by-bon
voyage" And with a nod and a smile
she ran lightly down the staircase.
He turned to Alice
Il won't let myself be eaten ty
tiger rs long as 1 know you, my carl
ing, are waiting for me-"
Hush " she said, glancing uneasiy.
"You must make fortune, before you
can have the right to call me that.
My father will never consent othe.
wise
Trust me. Only say you will be
true 20 me-
She raised her lovely eyes to his
face for a moment, and he did not
notice that she said nothing.
He walked home in the early mora.
ing, smoking a cigar, and building
castles in the air, of which Alice Tai
bot was always queen; while Florrie,
stillin her bAii-dress, knelt in her little
room at the top of the house beside