The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-03-26
sky grew gray, and the stars began to

the hill they still continued to walk,
hand in hand, and arm in arm, along
the upland road, and through the dewy
fields, slowly and silently, as if they
would have kept the precious moments
by them little longer.
"Ah,' at last said Grace, tn sigh,
'close at home now! And here is
mother beside the gate, and father with
her, looking out forus."
They approached the gate beside
which, indeed, stood Mrs. Massey, her
hand resting on the shoulder of a man
who, leaning upon the gate, looked IN
to her. 1t WAS Grace who, suddenly
snatching her hand from her lover's $
arm, made bound forward, exclain-
ing in stiIled voice, between laughing
and crying: .
Phillip! Oh. Philip
Mabelle stood on the instant, feeling
herself suddenly as cold as ice, fast as
If rooted there by magic, while her heart
beat almost to sufocation. What a
fearful, terrible cOntretemps! What an
unfortunate wretch she was to be
doomed thus to be here, poisoning Phil
ip's meeting with his loved onesl
There was a scene of wild, incoherent
gladness going on by the gate. Grace,
wild with her Joy, questioning, and hav-
ing no time to be answered.; first hug
ging Philip to her heart, and then push
ing him away, that she might the better
look at him and see how much he was
changed.
"You are changed! | am certain YOU
have grown ever SO much bigger and
broader, and SO brown. Oh, [ am
proud Of your Iwish you had been at
church with us ton ght. How every
one would have stared at you! Oh,
| can hardly believe tit is too Joy
fulr'
Don't you think we are almost de
trOp here, Mabelle?" at this moment
said Hermann, as de to her. He spoke
kindly, for he had not failed to see her
look OF utter CONSERVATION, and even
fright, and Grace had made him par
tally acquainted with the ia Is of the
case, so that he thought in his good
natured soul: ''Poor little thingl
Deuced uncomfortable for her. and |
dare say she'd like to get out of it,"
mot YOU" replied Mabelle, in n
rapid, distressed whisper; "but for me /,
Oh, Hermann, what am | to do? Help
me to get out OF the way! 1 can not in
trude myself upon them again to-
night
She thought she perceived chance
of escape, and was going 10 slip by, be-
tween Grace and Mrs. Massey; hut
Grace, in the midst of her transports,
noticed this attempt at flank move
ment, and caught Mabelle by the hand.
"Where are you goingP" she cried.
Come here! Philip, this is Mabelle
Fairfax. l don't expect you would have
known her, would youp"
With which she, as II were, thrust
forward the terrified Mabelle, who
looked up With kind OF desperate cour-
age, and beheld--Philip Massey, indeed,
but not the Philip Massey of old days,
whom she had always liked, with a feel
ing of sisterly regard and sense OF
equality which had left no room for en-
barrassment This Philip Massey was
quite different, aud in contact with him
she felt herself sink into the merest
child. He was so grave and sel:-con-
tained, so entirely man, so utterly re-
moved from boyhood and boyhood's
follies, that she was startled, bewildered.
Not day had passed, since that fatal
morning three years ago, on which
had not thought OF Philip and
the wrong her sister had done him, but
she had always thought OF him as some
thing quite different from this. She
could not imagine this man madly in
love with Angela, but there was some
thing in the air which made her think:
ut would be dreadful to be in his way
when he did not want one! could not
bear II, and must get away as soon as
| can. To think that Angela Tilted him
for Mr.. Fordycel Oh, dearl"
All this had passed through her mind
rs II were in parenthesis, and now she
heard Philip saying:
"This Mabelle Fairfax! Yes, Il
should have recognized her anywhere"
He took her trembling. nerveless
hand, spoke two or three words, asked
her how she was, glanced with sort
Of amused surprise at her evident en-
barrassment, at her blank face and
eyes, and then, as ii he had
hardly seen her, turned to Hermann
Bergbaus with such hearty greeting,
thought Mabelle, who, in efecting her |
escape, did not fail to see Philips hand |
resting on Hermann's shoulder, the pro-
onged hand-clasp, the familiarly alice
.ionate: "Well, old fellow, am right
glad we are TO be brothers after all"
She saw Grace come close up to them,
Ind she stole away TO her room with
uncomfortable tears running down her
ace.
IL can never stay here; can not
bear i" she said again, within herself.
. l can not bear him to look at me rs IL
10 did not see me, and yet | cant ex-
,ect him to look at me In any other
way, for | must be very dissgreeable
pectacle for him."
CHAPTER xxi.
REPUTATION REQUIRED.
II was Tuesday afternoon. two days