Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-10-23

said Mary. Whereupon Evelina Sug-
gested that her younger lister was q
greedy little cresfure.
AS soon as you've got ycur fiji of
diamonds which won lake more thnns
six months longer. /" suggested Mr.. Hall,
you'll come back again?''
"Not exactly. l have an idea of go
ing up the country across the Zambesi.
I've notion that should like to make.
my way out somewhere in the Medi-
terranean-Egypt, for instance, or Al
giers.'
What! across the equator? You'd
never do that alive!"
Things of that kind have been done:
Stanley crossed the continent
''But not from South to North. /
don't believe in that. You had better
remain at Kimberley and get more dia-
monds."
..He'd be with diamonds like the boy
with the bacon" said the clergyman;
''when prepared for another wish, he'd
have more than he could eat"
ITO tell the TRUTH said John Cor
don, 81 don't quite know what should
do. It.would depend, perhaps, on what
somebody else would join me in doing.
My life was very lonely at Kimberley,
and do not love being alone"
'fIhen why don't you take wife?"
said Montagu Blake, very loudly, as
though he had hit the target right in
the bull s-eye. He sospoke as to bring
the conversation to an abrupt end. EIr.
Whittlestaff Immediately looked con-
scious. He was a man who, on such
an occasion. could not look otherwise
than conscious. And the five girls, with
all of whom the question of the loves
of John Gordon and Mary Lawrie had
been fully discussed, looked conscious.
Mary Lawrie was painfully conscious
but endeavored to hide it, not unsuc-
cessfully. But in her endeavor she had
to 1ook unnaturally stern-and was con-
scious, too, that she did that. Mr..
Hall, whose feelings of romance were
not, perhaps, of the highest order,
looked round on Mr.. Whittlestaff and
Mary Lawrie. Montagu Blake felt that
he had achieved a triumph. Yes"
said he, eff those are your feelings, why
don't you take a wife?''
"One man may not be so happy as
another" said Gordon, laughing. "You
have suited yourself admirably, and
seem to think it quite easy for man to
make a selection"
mot quite such a selection as mine,
perhaps" said Blake.
Then think of the difficulty. Do
you suppose that any second Miss For
roster would dream of gong to the dia-
mond-fields with me ?''
perhaps not" said Blake. '.Not a
second Miss Forrester-but somebody
else.'
Something inferior?''
..Weil-yes; inferior to my Miss For
roster, certainly"
.sYcu are the most conceited young
man that ever came across said the
young lady herself.
'.And 1 am not inclined to put up
with anything that is very inferior"
said John Gordon. He could not help
his eye from glancing for a moment
round upon Mary Lawrie. She was
aware of it, though no one else noticed
it in the room. She was aware of 1t,
though any one watching her would
have said that she had never looked at
him.
ga man may always find woman to
suit, if he looks well about him. said
Mr.. Hall, sententiously. ''Don't you
think so, Whittlestaff?''
II dare say he may" said Mr. Whit
tlestaff, very fatty. And as he. said so
he made up his mind that he would, for
that day, postpone the task OF telling
Mr. Hall Of his intended marriage.
The evening passed by, and the time
came for Mr.. Whittlestaff to drive Miss
Lawrie back to Croker's Hall. She had
certainly spent most uneventful
period. as far as action or even words
of her own was concerned. But the
afternoon was one which she would
never forget She had been quite, quite
sure, when she came into the house;
but she was more chan sure now. At
every word that had been spoken she
had thought of herself and of him.
Would he not have known how to have
chosen fit companion,-only for this
great misfortuneP And would she have
been SO much inferior to Miss Forester?
Would he have thought her inferior to
any oneP Would he not have preferred
her to any other female whom the world
had at the present moment produced?
Oh. the pity of it; the pity of it!
Then came the bidding of adieux.
Gordon was to sleep at Little Arlesford
that night, and to take his departure
by early train on the next morning. Of
the 'adieux spoken the next morning
we need take no notice, but only of the
word or two uttered that night. ''Good-
bye, Mr.. Gordon" said Mr. Whittle-
staff, having taken courage for the oc-
casion, and having thought even of the
necessary syllables to be spoken.
"Good-bye, Mr.. Whittlestaff, and he
gave his rival his hand Il apparently
friendly grasp. To those burning ques-
tons he had asked he had received no
word of reply; but they were questions
which he would not repeat again.
"Good-bye. Mr.. Gordon" said Mary.
She had thought of the moment much,
but had determined at last that she
would trust herself to nothing further.
He took her hand. but did mot say a
word. He took it and pressed it for a
moment, and then turned his face
away, and went in from the hall back
to the door. leading to the drawing
room. Mr.. Whittlestaff was at the mo-
ment putting on his great-coat, and
Mary stood with her bonnet and cloak
on at the open front-door, listening to
| a word or two from Katie Forester
and Evelina Hail. s.Oh, 1 wish, wish
it might have beenr" said Katie For
roster.
land so do l." said Evelina. Cant
it be?"
Goodnight. said Mary, boldly.
stepping out rapidly into the moon
light, and mounting without assistance
to her place in the open carriage. "a
II beg your PARDON" said Mr.. Hall,
following her; but there came not a
word from her.
Mr. Whittlestaff had gone back after
John Gordon. ''By-the-bye,'' he said.