Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-04-29
LADS LOVE.
A STORY IN TWO PARTS.
PART I.

flowers and London pride, ant
dainty sweetbriar with its pale miniatar
roses a garden wherein bees find delicious
uasturage, and where, just now, big burl.
moths are beginning to whirr about amoni
tbe geraniums, which, with the lobelia
and delicate yellow roses and their homelie
neicbbors, look like fine ladies among
gathering of country folk.
Near the waters edge grow great alder
trees, with gnarled stems, and here anC
there a branch dropping low, seemed t.
touch the ripples of the river as it flowed
for very love of their bright beauty. Tn,
old house itself watched the river and tn
flowers through deep mullioned windows
framed in sweet tangles of jasmine, Gle
mats and ivy, and about one of its gable
a Banksia rose had spread neS woven o
green leaves and starred with golded but
tons.
Let US enter the room which looks on
upon the garden and the river, and who's
curtains are drawn fully aside to let in tn,
welcome GOODNESS that evening is bringin,
TO refresh world which has panteC
through this real hot summer day in tn,
month of July.
so our more modern ideas, and would b,
square but for certain charming recesse
branching ont in unexpected places, one o
which is large enough TO have tall narrow
window all to itself, couple of chairs
with spindle legs, and some carved oal
shelves rich in bits of rare old china.
The window that stands open is so wide
it seems almost to fill the entire end o.
the room, and all around it runs a window
seat luxuriously cushioned. 1t just now
looks like q frame made of tendrils and
blossom-laden branches, and framing daint.
iy q river landscape in exquisite olive-greer
and gray, where the simmer of gently
stirring water is seen as it steals through
rustling flags, and bathes the feet of a
me&dow-sweet or two, whose sunny plumes
mingle with the green of the sedges and
the russell of the bullrushes.
How fair the world looks thus sleeping
IN the welcome eyentide The red sail OF
tiny pleasure boat passing across the disk
of the picture seems the sail of fairy
barge, for the sfter-glow of a gorgeous sun
set catches it and turns it to gold. There
are two people in this room, whence such
fair sights are seen. A man and woman.
The woman, seated in the angle of the
low, wide window-seat, holds a square of
muslin, fine as spiders web, in her hand !;
an open basket full of tiny bobbins stands
beside her, and on the dainty canvas is a
spray of wheat ears and poppies, embroid-
eIed all In white.
The little bobbins are of sandal-wood,
and their faint, pungent perfume mingles
with the scent Of the flowers that twine
about the window.
She has all heT tools at hand, but the
square Of muslin as often rests upon her
lap as not, while with dreamy eyes she
watches the framed picture of the river or
turns with quiet, steadfast gaze to her COM
panion.
This woman was not young that her
female friends and acquaintances felt small
difficulty in dsciding. How old seemed a
question involving much uncertainty OF
opinion.
At all events, hitherto, time had but
given new depth and earnestness of expires.
sion to the beauty Of her face, new grace to
the lines of her plant form, as the finger
OF early autumn lends to the Virginian
creeper delicious tints and tender shades
Of crimson and gold.
Still, some people said. in sort of con-
fidential way, that Millicent Warner was
getting Oh, whatever that might mean,
and-when the speakers were of the gentler
sex-said it with cunning infections of the
voice which sought to claim the pity of the
listener for the progress in question.
But in the eyes of her old uncle, Sir
Geoffrey Warner, "Milly' was still a
child. As an orphan she had been left
early to his care, and that care had been
such as to merit full well her devotion
through the years of maidenhood and
womanhood a devotion that had grown
to him as the very Air he breathed, and as
the atmosphere in which he lived and
moved and had his being.
They were very happy, those two, in the
X any -gabled, red-roofed house down by
the river, for each understood the other,
each mind was cultured and companion
able, and each years routine was varied by
long autumn wanderings in foreign lands.
In Milly's life, years back now, there
had been once dream-a happy, blissful
dream while it lasted, and after the dream
had come the waking. In the first i'm
pulsive freshness Of her girlhood she had
loved, trusted, believed-and found love
aud trust and credence things given but to
the semblance of what she had rested her
hopes upon ungrudgingly. She had suf
fered, yet been brave in her suffering, and
80 the shadow passed from the fair surface
from summer sea,
Yet the suffering left its mark, in quick
ened possibility Of sympathy for others, in
added tenderness to every sorrowful Great
ure who came across her path. Hers was
one of those clear cut, high-featured faces
that even in extreme old age will retain a
certain beauty; the eyes dark gray, black
Iashed the hair black as ravens wing,
with a crimple ruffiing it here and there
the nose slightly aquiline, with sensitive,
almost transparent nostrils the mouth a
little sad, but most inefably sweet at
times, also at times little stern the chin
firm and finely nodded.
Such was Millicent Warner to look at
To listen to she was delightful, so sympa-
thetic was every infection of her soft, low
voice, but she was a woman who was often
silent, and often spoke by look or smile as
much to the purpose as another by many
words.
"My dear, she's thirty-fve if she's a
day." said the wife of the village Rector,
irst TO this person, then to that.
And may be the lady was as near right
ss Immature was likely to be. adding a
year or two to make up for the many who
were ready to rate Miss Warner at several
years less than her actual age.
That she was over thirty may be allowed.
You seldom see such perfect repose and
grace Of manner as Sir Geoffrey Warner s
niece possessed in any woman under it.
That the touch of light on the edge OF
those pretty ripples in her hair meant the
gIiste3 of silver thread or two might also
be taken as proved.
That she was an influence, pure and
true, in the lives OF those with whom she
came in cortsct might also be taken for
granted.
No one could look into her eyes and
doubt that fact
" 1t makes me very glad and happy to
hear all these things"
She looked across at her companion as
she spoke, q sweet content shining in her
eyes.
- knew it would, he answered blithe.