The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-10-23
Dame Ursula's Treasure.

If unkept walks. trailing, neglected
,reepers, and heavy overgrowth of
ivy are the essentials of the picturesque,
Clovis Court presented them all. There
were box trees that had formerly rep
resented pyramids, garden seats and
lively growing cocks; but the hands
that pruned them were gone, and the
spectator now only saw ragged and un-
tidy foliage. The bowling green, once
like velvet, had added nettles
and thistles to its own rank crop.
Could one of the beauties who, GEN.
tury ago bowled there, have seen it,
she would have picked up her dainty
skirts and fled.
A beauty of century later stands
among the desolation. What picture
is the auburn haired maiden, leaning
against an old, weather-beaten sun.
dali Simply clad in dark gray dress,
abunch of pale yellow chrysanthemums
carelessly fixed near the throat, her
white little hands clasped before her,
Ursula Barring looked sadly over the
waste.
True loyeliness seldom rests long un-
seen, and large rift in the brick dis
played our heroine to the gaze Of a
young man who was riding slowly
past. 1t was but minutes work to
dismount, secure the bride to con-
venient tree and scale the broken wall.
With heightened color and quick steps,
which caused the fair maiden to turn
with startled blush, Guy Norman
reached the sun-dial.
"Mr. Normanl why are you here?"
Because you are here" replied the
young man, coolly, and at the same time
firmly securing one of the little white
hands.
"But," demurred Ursula, feeb]y try
ing to re-possess herself of her hand,
"we are forbidden to meet. Your
uncle"
'Is an old reptile. Ursie, be sensi-
BILE. They keep us apart, Heaven
knows, cleverly enough. Let us be
happy, my darling. while we have the
chance"
The girls face paled-she trembled
and looked down.
"Guy, 1 love you-oh, indeed, 1 love
you!-but my mother trusts me. She
said your uncle had told her he could
not hear Of anything between us; and
we are very proud, Guy"
The young man dropped her hand
hastily.
"You don't love as 1 do, or uncles
and mothers would be nothing to you,''
he said, haughtily.
Ursula looked up with her lovely,
tremulous gaze of love.
"Uncles, perhaps not; but mother,
Guy! What are girls good for who
do not love and honor mothers like
mine?"
A handsome, winning face stopped
to her own. and begged forgiveness.
They had been plighted lovers week
and the break which prudent counsels
had made was SO recent, L will beg you
to forgive my Ursula who yielded her
lovely lips to kiss those waiting for
them. 1t was brief bliss, though, for
she heard voice calling her.
"Good-by, my darling" murmurel
the lover, 1--WE will surmount our trou-
bles yet"
"Oh, for Dame Ursula's treasurer
sighed the modern Ursula, as, half
laughing, she sped away to the cottage
across the road.
For to live in Clovis Court without
a retinue of servants and huge bill
for repairs were impossibilities; SO the
widowed Mrs. Barring, her lovely
Ursula and younger daughter, help
less through spinal disease, lived with
one old servant in little cottage
which overlooked their ruined inheri-
tance.
Tea was over and Ursula knelt by
the invalid's sofa. "Nora, darling, it
D. so hard, so hardl" she sobbed, leaning
her head against her sisters hand.
How tenderly that gentle hand caress-
ed her!
Take heart, my dearest, something
will happen yet to help your
Ursula raised her fearful face with
an attempt at a smile.
"Do you mean Dame Ursula's treas