The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-10-24
MIRIAM DOUGLAS.

"fm sorry to interrupt you, sir, but
the lock on your satchel is broken,
making things unsafe, besides being a
very shabby old bag, sir, begging your
pardon" So quoth Eliza, relict of JO-
siah Minis, the sexton, to her ledger,
the Rev. Julius Byron.
What a bore exclaimed this geAtle-
man, "When 1 really haven't the time
to attend to anything except these let
ters."
81 have an errand which takes me
past Piper and Tipson's; l could buy
You a new satchel, if you would trust
me Going among all these fine peo-
pie at the wedding with your lock tied
up with a bit of string wouldn't do at
all, sir"
Thank you, Mrs. Minis; / have great
trust in your Judgment, and should be
obliged if you would attendto this mat
ter for me, and save me going into
town"
As the door closed after his landlady,
the Rev. Julius Byron resumed his
writing with a sigh of relief, AS he sat
leaning his head on his disengaged
hand-a hand beautiful enough to atone
for plainness in all other features had
Nature willed him to be plain-Julius
Byron was an ideal picture of a stu
dent-browu eyes with a fairy, dreamy
look, hair long enough to show a ten
dency to wave loosely back from his
forehead, and a pale, clear complexion,
set off by a golden brown velyeteen coat,
which he wore when In his study.
Twenty.niRe years old, undeniably
handsome, gifted with winning man
ners, and shepherd Of a Cock most will
ing to be gHided, Julius Byron. as ii by
a miracle. had escaped being spoiled
and petted into effeminacy. His safe
guard lay, perhaps, In a pair of soft
eyes which had held him spelIbound for
a few rapturous weeks, and the witch
cry of which had lasted over three
wears OF almost total separation.
Miriam Douglas, dispensing tea and
gingerbread to a horde of charity chill
dren in the park at Mount Edqecombe,
was one of the prettiest and dantiest of
modern Hebes, In a muslin dress In col
or matching forget me-nots and her
eyes equally well, and with roses at her
waist and throat which stole their deli
cate tint from her cheeks. Miriam was
seventeen that day, and the blue muslin
was her irst long dress to this the las
sic paid far more attention than to the
admiring gaze of two dreams brown
eyes. After the feast there were offer
ings of flowers, good wishes and rather
too many kisses aud embraces from the
charity-children, and among her other
trophies Miriam Douglas carried away
the heart 6f the Rev. Julius Byron.
Had she known this it would have al
fected her less than the consciousness
that the Barclay girls. her former play
mates, were ~curiously admiring tbs
grown-np womanish arrangement of her
bright silky hair.
There were a few tennis parties and
i've o'clock teas after this, during which
Mr.. Byron worshiped this diyinitv from
afar. 5he seemed a little IN awe Of him.
and rarely. spoke TO him more than FIVE
minutes at e time. What q delightful
ttask it would be TO chase away the timid-
atty from the soft, fawn-liBe eyes, and
how pleasant to think that the sea-shell
pink stole to her cheeks from Joy at his
approach.
Fate, however. cruelty interfered
with Mr.. Byron's dream OF awakening
loving confidence in the bosom Of this
bashful maiden Of seventeen. In three
short weeks, before he had made any
~perceptible headway Miriam was sam.
moned to the bedside OF adying relative,
and Julius Byron was called to a parish
In q commercial town.
Three long years this idyl had been
IN the past; and through all this time
the memory of Miriam Douglas exclud-
ed any other love from the young cier-
gyman's heart, though many were the
goddesees willing to be therein q
shrined.
He wondered at himself; she hat
slipped completely out Of his materia|
existence; he knew not where she was
81 il she was dead, or worse-married
Still, with 4 this uncertainty he couli
not forget her, anda voice within hin
seemed to whisper that they SHOULD
meet again.
Tho rapid Swimming Of his pen owe
the white page was stay ed for the sec
crd tlxo0 by q heavy footsfep at Til