Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-08-28
HER DIAMONDS.

"You know, dear, we are not the least bit
in love witheach other" Lucy Bassett said,
reaching up to pull my whiskers and laying
a coaxing cheek against my shoulder. 1t
would be very foolish for you and me to fan
in love with each other, and we just won't
-there"
And to emphasize the declaration, the soft
est little fingers in the world being stall
twisted in my whiskers, pulled my face down
to level with hers and this girl, who was
not the least bit in love with me, kissed me.
There's great many different ways of
kissing, you know. There sre cold lips and
dry lips, ana oily lips, and lips that glide
past your face like ghosts, and lips that you'd
rather have a blow than kisses from; but
Lucy's kisses were half-opened rosebuds at
o'clock of q June morning
Lucy herself was q whole garden of roses
dew, color, fragrance and all. When she
looked at yCu, you felt as if your whole heart
was exhaling at your eyes; and when she
smiled upoI you, it did MT matter whatsort
Of thunder and lightning there was inany
other part Of the globe, it Was distilled,sun-
shine where you were. don't know if Lucy
were pretty, but she hid lot of pretty char.
acteristcs She was all q;ality, like
golden wine thai is better tue longer you
keep it, and that gets q new favor every
time you taste it-a more molten sparkle
every time it drips over the beaker's rim.
The beauty Of her eyes waE in their expires.
sion; of her iair, in it, brightness. Her face
was Llosssm, her hands birds; and if the
white wings of her fingers huttered across
your horizon, you might as well be blind for
all seeing anything else but her. In short,
you see was in love with Lucy, if Lucy was
not in love with me; and it is my private
opinion that We were very much in love with
each other, il spite Of Mrs. Anstruther's
parting admonition, that we were on ne &C
count to commit SO absurd a blunder.
Lucy and were both orphans. Lucy waa
own neice to Mrs. Anstruther, whom she
called Aunt Doria, and whose prospective
heiress she was supposed to be- provided al
ways she married to please her.
l was nephew to Mrs Anstrrther's has
band, who was dead. and heir to nothing hut
my wits-a rather slender property, Lucy
derisively assure me, and scarcely likely to
yield an income Squal to the probable de-
mand of a pair SO eextravagantly inclined as
we.
YOU See lJ wUull never, HeRtT uu
Lucy would say with a no ghish pout of her
rosy lips at me- and Aunt Doria needn't be
one bit afraid, so far as am concerned"
Aunt Doria had been absent from the
Grove some three wseks now, summoned
away by the illness of q friend just as had
got myself comfortably bestowed in her best
chamber, with a dislocated shoulder, which
injury had been received in a struggle with
q refractory steed which had tried to run
away with Miss Lucy.
Mrs. Anstruther was warranted in consid-
ering the incidents as dangerously romantic
in its tendencies, and she left us together at
the Grove with manifest reluctance She
had, however, great confidence in Lucy, and
she gave her distinctly to understand, in my
presence, that if we two made such ninnies
of ourselves as to turn lovers while she was
gone, we should never see the color of her
money, either of us.
Well, for some days I, for one, felt like
little else but groaning; and then gradually
l became conscious of velvet touch that
swallowed pain, Of lowering face that
might have been an angels, of voice de-
hciously attuned, that chorused all sorts of
soothing and coaxing speeches, with Hdear,"
was petted and babied and pitied to an
extent that l don't mind confessing here,
and it was the means of my pretending
sick trifle longer than was really neces-
sary; but l don't think many would have
blamed me, under the circumstances The
consequence was, that was only fairly es-
tablished down stairs again when Mrs
Anstruther returned. She eyed Lucy and
me very sharply, and we two bore the in
spection with great occurrences till, CHANGING
to>encourter glances, spark from Lucy's
roguishment lit on me, and we went off into
explosions Of laughter, that nearly took Mrs.
Anstruther off her feet with amazement.
However, she laughed, too, presently, and
in the same breath announced that company
was coming to the Grove the following week.
"Shall go, Mrs. Anstruther?" asked. Il
am sufficiently recovered, think"
"Certainly not" she answered, sharply.
"Whatever mischief is done can't be made
any worse by your staying; and it might be
as well, besides, for Lucy to have an op-
portunity for comparing you with other peo-
pie. If am not mistaken, she will know a
gentleman when she sees him."
"If don't, aunt it won't be the fault of
Felix here" spoke Lucy, coming swiftly be-
side me, and pinching my arm.
"Ta- ia, miss! Impertinence, Felix, is very
gell but wait till next week."
II presume I SHALL and considerably
longer" Lucy answered saucily.
"Miss Lucy Basset, should like to know
what this means?" demanded Mrs Ans.
truther, loftiy.
"Nothing very serious-does it, Felixw
laughed Lucy. "We are too well warned,
aunty, dear"
II don't know about that" said Mrs. An
struther sailing from the room in a very evi.
dent passion, and sending for ME to hSr apart
,~no,1t b,J =, bo,,r fto.