The Penn's Grove record., 1883-04-21

dreaming happily of her coming lover
but now white as death, her hant
clenched, her lips quivering.
She gave no token of her nearness
and the two moving away in search Of
her did not learn that she had over
heard their little chat.
ODDLY was always entirely selfish,
she whispered to herself, after a time,
81 have given up everything else to her,
and now she will try to win HIM"
She crept carefully out of the garden
into the house.
''My dear, Roy has come" hel
mother called out %joyfully, as she was
slipping up to her room.
'sYes, mamma. ~ must smooth my
hair"
Once safe in her room, she looked at
herself long and sadly in the mirror.
'If | am pale and grave and thought
full, y she murmured, II have become 50
waiting and watching for him. If |
had loved him less Z might not have
piled away my roses. Yes, Dolly is
lovely-soft and tender and lovely as
the roses out there-and as soulless.
But he will see only her girlish bloom,
and she will break my heart"
It was half-an-hour and over before
Dolly brought Roy to the house in the
search for Diana, who was waiting in
the cool, dim, jasmine-scented parlor,
pale and quiet and cold,
X Z
The fiery trail of red October wa
over all the land. There were coral
seed-cups ON the vines over the %trellis,
but roses no longer. Great clumps of
chrysanthemums famed in the garden,
but the heliotrope and mignonette were
no more. A perfect glory of moonlight
flooded the loag porch which gave grace
to the plain roomy cottage where a
widowed mother had reared her two
lovely daughters-daughters whom to-
morrow she was to lose, as mothers lose
girls whom they give to men in
marriage.
There were a dozen merry young
people promenading the porch, in the
white glory of the night-bridesmaids
and best men, as well as the two pairs
of lovers-Dolly, clinging lightly to the
strong arm of Roy Douglass, and Diana
pacing side by side with the man she
had promised to marry-a sutton who
had fallen in love with Dolly fast, but
on being refused by her in favor of Roy,
had turned to the older sister, ap-
parently as well satisfed-a widower
from the city, out in the country for
his health a wealthy merchant who
could offset Roy's twenty-five thousand
with ten times that sum fifty years of
age, with courtly amer and refined
habits.
sEHe was not a bad match for DIANA -
her friends said.
''She was so quiet, the great differ
ence in their age would not be so OBJ
servable and really, after the way Doug
lass Tilted her for her sister, it must be
quite a triumph for her to make such a
match before his very eyes,
Oh yes, it must be great triumph
Doubtless Diana felt it so, as she
walked proudly and calmly by Mr..
Burleigh's side, her fair face fairer still
in the brooding whiteness of the moon,
her beautiful eyes lifted to the shining
heaven with a strange look in them.
To many she seemed lovelier than her
more blooming sister, a lily purer and
more gracious than any rose. As they
passed and repassed each other in the
moonlit promenade, Roy's eyes were
always lifted from the piquant face of
his own p~artnerand fixed with troubled
scrutiny on that other quieter face, but
his anxious look was returned.
81 de clare, Roy" pouted his bride
elect, ''you seem to be walking in your
sleep. ''If you are going to be silent
and stupid, III steal Diana's fellow and
let her have you. Come, Mr.. Bur
leigh, let us run away and hide, like
poor Ginevra. lisa glorious night for
a walk"
Dropping Roy's arm she a up to the
other couple, with that pretty, spark
ling, h~alf-defiant ways of hers.
"You have got to lend him to me fol
a while, Di. III give you Roy to keep
| for a few minutes, as a little girl lends
her dolls. Be sure you are careful of
him, and don't let him get broke.
''I'm afraid he's sullen to-night-ol
sorry, who knows ?-and I'd rather
have Mr.. Burleigh."
Dolly could say all sorts of things
with safety. People only smiled at heI
folly as at that of "a pretty child. Bat
| Rows face flushed dark as she dragged
the elderly fianc6e away from his be
trothed, nothing 10th Tor a lark with his
Jolly sister-in-law to be.
''Turn about is fair play" he said so
berly. "Diana, will you take m!
arm?n
She would not refuse it, though h,
observed her hesitate. In a minute
they were walking along the grayeleC
drive, on into the frost-kissed garden
along the winding path shining in tn,
moonlight. Finally in the very arhol
where he had met and kissed Dolly, Ro.
suddenly stopped and threw at his com
panion a look that turned her pal,
cheeks even paler.
Acry of anguish, long, stitled, uncon
trollable, burst from him in a few DIES