Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-05-02
CHAPTER. XIII.

LAST DAYS.
How those four weeks glided by which
Mabelle had consented 10 stay Mt 9
Red Lees none of the three ute knew.
All that they did know WIS that the
days were literally rs happy as they
were lon; and if any one of them had
been asked, he or she would probably
have owned 10 an impress ion that at
Foulhaven the said days were longer
and SUMMER, the hours more golden,
than anywhere else in the world.
Ii Philip was, rs Mahelle accused him
of being. somewhat exac ing in the mat
ter Of reparation. he was, on The other
hand. equally a>siduouS to make it man.
ifest to her how entirely she had mis-
taken him; and he succeeded in the at
tempt, as Of course il was certain that
he must. Dur ng months hold Y and
idleness there was ample opportunity
for him to give this kind of enlighten-
ment, particularly to one who was so
wiling 10 be enlightened as Mabelle
Philip had been TO d 10y the head of
his firm to take as long n holiday as he
liked. for that he had earned it; and
though he had declare at first on his
return that he would be lost without
getting quite accustomed 10 idleneSs.
Certainly, every circumstance, all his
surroundings, Just then offered rs il
were II premium to iCleness. The lux
urious summer weather; the society of
two girls, one of whom ut least sur
rounded him with every form of petting
and love and indulgence, in her JOY
ut having him back again, and her
pride In his cleverness and capacity
For letter had rome from Mr.. Starkie
TO Mr.. Massey the elder concerning his
son, and what he had done, VIII. ch let
ter the graft ed father had not been
able To forbear reading aloud to the
wo.nenkind, and on hearing which
Mrs. Massey had wiped her eyes, and
Grace had danced for Joy and prayed
that the letter might be given TO her
Tor an heirloom; while thivd lady had
sat in the background, with down bent
head and glowing face, biting her lips.
and feeling her heart beat wildly.
Upon this scene the OBJ .ect or il had
entered, and imputed what was the
matter. Being presented with the letter,
he had read II, while all eyes were
fixed upon him, and looking up, with
flush upon his face. had beheld all
those eyes, aud breaking into a some
what embarrassed laugh. had kissed
his mother. saying:
"FlumneIy! We always said there
was no one like old Starkie for putting
the paint Un thick"
Its kind of paint that like TO see
laid on thick, retorted Grace, captur.
ing the letter. which went to repose in
her archives; and ever after she made
more of Philip than ever; nothing was
too good. or, indeed. good enough for
HIN, and she went near to kill him with
kindness.
But, as has been said. he took verv
kindly To it. The man who had been
so restless and so uBtiringly energct c;
who had worked so hard amongst what
Mr.. Starkie designated the incOnceiva-
bic lardships OF n deSolate land scarce
trodden by other civil ed foot than his
own--like Robinson Crusoe, Grace said
whose frame had been made harder
by his hardy lie, who had been content
To sleep on a mating spread on the
ground, or sometimes on the ground it
self. ''under tire beautiful stars" and
who had worked with his hands as hard
as the commonest navy under his or
ders, now reconciled himself with the
utmost affability to the dolce far niente
oil summer holiday, TO aimless strofls
over the cliffs with Or. johnson and one
or both of the girls, or TO lying
stretched out upon the top of the said
chi, while one of the young ladies
read Browning or Tennyson, or what
soever other bard happened to he most
In favor at the moment; TO sitting by
moonlight in the scented garden, and
talking the veriest nonsense in the shape
OF chat with Grace. and sometimes
Mabelle, which it can enter into the
heart OF man to conceive; to long jog
trot drives in the pony phaeton always
with DIR. johnson and the girls) over
the bree y roads to distant W DDS, or to
some of the famous country-seats with
which the neighborhood abounded
lro BE CONTINUED