Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-12-28

tie dew from heaven TO the sleet OF
snow which meant ''winter ana wiz
weather. :,
She knew all the country roads well.
bv now, and absorbed in reflections
upon the news She had received this
morning, and revived by the fresh,
though cold air, she insensibly wan
dered on into the country, until she was
a mile or two away from the Grange.
on a high. distant upland road She
was rejecting eagerly upon her two let
tqrs-upon snatches of both OF them
which would keen recurring 10 her
mind. like some importunate air which
would not depart. She felt an odd
minolinp of scnsatiOns-pleasure and
main: pain that it should be supposed
that the engagement was in any way q
disappointment TO herself: pleasure that
Miss Percival was well and suitably and
agreeablv provided for.
For / suppose she considers il =
suitable provision, she thought, with
strong tfnge of contempt mingling in
her pleasure. Then the contempt, born
partly Of irritation, partly of indigna-
ton. found its way out, took the upper
hand.
..They are well matched" she
thought ''Wcrshiper and worshiped.
master and servant. He was ordained
to call. and to come, and all that
Kind of insipidness. oh, | feel degrad-
ed to think that one'of my sex should
lie found looking up to that man rs her
hero" Her cheeks famed, her eyes
flashed Women. then, deserve the
things that arr said of them. Formed
for woman TO love and look up
to- Why. I wonder? And it was
but the other day that he wanted me
to love and look up To him. What q
model OF cOnstancy and stability! ]
suppose this is To punish me. Laura
thinks / am punished, too. Pshaw!
Every one who knows anything about
us will laugh ut the idea that Marion
has been raised over nv head, and will
pity Tor rejoice in) my disappointment.
IL is CALLING for mundane soul like
mine: but l will answer il in the only
way in which il can he answered must
take my place. and she must be married
from my house, as if she were my dear
est friend
Margaret found n ray of satisfaction
think Of acting with POrtia-like mag.
nificence-of repaying 1.-The petty debt
thrice over, of heaping Goals of fire
upon the heads of those who sought to
put her to confusion. For she knew
that Miss Percival, though so studiously
grateful, triumphed, and triumphed
with a great joy. She knew that
Maurice B.ddulph allowed Miss Perez
val to triumph, allowed her to imagine
that she had won him from Margaret,
secure that the latter would never, un-
der any prOvocation, reveal the fact
that she had refused him and laughed
Mt him TO boot.
1t was hero that Margaret's chivalry
came out. 1t was her ability to act in
this manner which Tom Pierce vaguely
meant when he said that Margaret
could not sneak" She was furious
ut the false position in which she found
herself. But TO write to Laura and say:
BE silent, for the man YOU think have
lost l refused to take" to send a suave
epistlo to Miss Perciyal, limiting that
her lord had not been so DISTINGUISHED
always as he seems now-tO do these
things never entered her head. She
wanted her revenge. She was a fight
ing animal, and was not given to offer.
ing the right cheek when the left had
been smiGten. Simply, she revenged
herself in a different manner from thai
which would recommend itself to many
women.
Two cold splashes on her cheek at
last aroused her from her eager reverie.
ShS looked up. 1t was twilight The
SEES, which, when last she had conscious
ly glanced in its direction, had been
visible, gray and livid, afar off on her
rig ut hand, was now completely hidden
by the gathering dusk, and by thick
gray mist, one of those raw sea fogs
which infest the east coast, and plague
itS inhabitants. Rain-drOps were fall.
ing. The wind lifted its voice now and
again, in n mournful moan: storm
WIS ut hand, and il behooved her in.
stantly to retrace her steps unless she
wished to he overtaken by mirk night
Id the unpropitiOus elements. She had
NJ umbrella, and long. dark, tweed
cloak with hanging hood, and a soft,
rough-weather hat.
She turned, and found the wind driv.
irg sideways from the northeast. Bend.
ibg her head, and with her cloak flut-
tefing around her. she walked horne
ward, and as the wind was nearly in her
teeth she heard no sounds behind her,
and was unconscious that any one was
near, until horses hoof paused abso-
lutely beside her, and Louis Baldwin {
voice said:
Miss Percival, you take constitu.
/ tional with the same enerOy that char.
acterizes all the rest of Your proceed
ings."
She raised her face, startled, but SON.
Der still with the thoughts thai filed heI
mind. and said:
GOOD evening! The storm is upon
me. you see But don't let me keer
you. Ride on. pray"
| TO BE CONTINUED.