The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-01-24
ing such things p
Did she tell you that che did,


Did she tell you that che did,
mother?"
swell, no. That is. not exactly.
| heard that one Of the Hill ladies
was down at the McNulty's doing
these things, and spoke of it incl
dentally to Miss Barnes and she
asked me to say nothing about it,
and said she only did what she
couldn't help doing; and when l
said thought it u great deal for her
to leave all her gay life every sun
set, and go down there, night after
night, and wait on that family, and
then hurry home to her household
of company, she colored sp SO pref
tily, and said we were all stewards,
and it was duty and pleasure, too,
to do what she could"
"Humph !" said Harold Hartley.
He knew very we'll now who it was
that he saw through tie window of
the McNulty cottage.
But, after all, pretty face covers
Il multitude of sins. He set about
forgetting the deceit he reasoned
that it was girlish jest, signiIying
nothing; and he went to Washing
ton all the same, shortly after the
holiday season arrived, and present
ed himself among the first New
Years callers at the great doors of
Mr.. Barnes residence there.
"Ah have you come?' cried Miss
Barnes, hurrying to meet him, We
were 50 afraid you wouldn't. Aud
now you know SO few people in town
that you have no calls to make, and
| want you to stay the whole day
here with US. I've a perfect crowd
of pretty girls to help me receive,
and dear deaf and dumb old du-
emma for a chaperon, and it will be
one long festival Will you have
some refreshments now? Champagne
punch ? There's some MADEIRA, fifty
years old. All there's the bell. Ev
cry man to his post! There are no
prIvates here; but I'm captain gem
eral !" and she danced back to her
place, well content that Mr.. Hartley
should see the triumphal procession
that the day was likely to be.
And triumphal procession it
was-the jeunesse doree. LouDgers,
clerks, attaches, members, senators,
secretaries, officers, in their splendid
uniforms, all swelled the ranks,
swept through the great house, and
kept it thronged with groups in the
rose drawing room, groups in the
gray parlor, in the music hall, the
irawing room and conservatory.
AS the day wore on Miss Barnes,
with a portion of her attendants,
Was as much in the dining room as
ihe drawing room, sauntering in
with one and out with another, or
standing under the heavy curtains
between the rooms.
What a picture she made, Harold
thought, Ill her scarlet satins, with
elbow puppies in her hair, againrl
the background Of the citrine colored
curtains.
There she was now, taking that
Venetian gem of a decanter from a
servant, and herself pouring wine
for an old senator, who had perhaps
Iairrady too much.
Here came a parcel OF gold laced
officers, flushed and gay and hand
some. What did she mean by urg-
Ing that old port on the half tipsy
boy among them, while the rest
laughed and jested?
Harold was not ordinarily troub
led with scruPles but this seemed
20 him to pass the limits Of Jest,
and he experienced sense of .elieI
as he saw lady approach in the
shadow of the curtain, and placing
her hand on his arm lead one boy
away.
Gowned in cleaning white satin,
her shining shape crossed that scar
let blaze like the passing of a moon
beam, and knowing who it was and
thinking she might have trouble,
Harold followed; but it was only to
find Nina alone in the gray parlor,
the boy having laughed her cup OF
bullion to scorn and left her out OF
hand.
"Isn't it too bad ?" she said with a
laugh that was half a sigh after all.
He asked me if | was a temperance
lecturer, and called this delicious
bullion 'slops.' Will you have
llt?"
Where have you been all day p
he said, setting down the cup.
"Oh ! | am ON duty on this side.
We are all stationed by plan of bat
tie; but most of my battalion have
deserted to the other rooms, Ism,
this lovely one? 1t almost units
. person for quiet life at home, these
gay nights and days. II would, at
least, if one were quite at rest in it. y
1t was a lovely room. 1t tempted
ali Harold's old love of ease and lux
ury.
The gray velvet on the floor. drap-
ing on the walls, draping on the fae
Wails, covering the cushioned divans,
wearing a frosty bloom under the
silver chandeliers, the delicate carv-
ed jades and worries, and spars, the
one white winged marble, it seemed
somehow as if Nina herself had tax
en- SHAPE from all these pure, pearly
shadows.
He looked through the cleaning
arches that led from room to room
and saw the scarlet clad and golden
crowned beauty standing there, with
the ruby glass suspended in hel
hand as she offered it to some new
guest, and a strange shudder stole
over him.
Unjust as it might be, for that sin
gle moment the one of the t~O girls
was like picture of the incarnation
of sin and the other of innocence
He remembered the icy morning, q
a few weeks ago, when he had seen
Nina in her swandown mantle hold.
ing up sheaf of wheat against the
sky, and a hundred little belated
birds lowering around it, with whir-
ring wings and chirruping cries. and
he turned and looked at Nina with