Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-03-20

ly rested. Presently the silence was bro
ken by sigh-a low, long, tremulOus sigh
which irresistibly appealed to his notice
and made him look quickly around toward:
Lily, who had been left in the room by hel
grandmother to "keep him company"
The girl, sitting in low chair opposite tt
his, had let her sewing, which had beer
given her as task, drop in her lap; he1
hands lay idly crossed upon it, and he1
eyes were fixed with sad and absent ex
preston on the floor. Carroll was struck
by the detection of her attitude, the more
so because she had hitherto always seemed
bright and cheerful when in his presence.
"Why, Lily" he said kindly, "what i;
the matter?"
She started at the sound of his voice, and
as she looked up quickly at him, a bright
flood of crimson swept over her face anc
neck; then hurriedly gathering up hel
work, she bent over it and commenced
stitching with nervous rapidity. Some
thing was evidently wrong with the little
maid; perhaps, thought Carroll she hac
been punished for some fault, for he regard
ed her entirely as child, not at all beyond
the age Of occasionally getting into disgrace
He watched her for minute or two with
out saying anything more, until he saw
large tear steal down her cheek, which she
had tried furtively to brush away.
"Lilyw he exclaimed then, 81 don't
like to see you unhappy. Come here ano
talk to me about it,"
She rose obedientIy and came to his side
and stood there hanging her head, almost
like culprit awaiting sentence. She wa:
neither graceful nor we'll hammered; yet
her figure was slight and willoWy, her feat
ures underiably pretty, with the soft inno
cent prettiness of extreme youth, and as she
waited for him to speak, with averted face
her long lashes yelling her blue eyes, ano
her rosebud mouth slightly quivering
while her fingers plucked nervously at the
corner of her apron, he was struck by 8
charm in her air and look that he had new
er observed before.
"Has any one troubled you, Lily"' ne
asked, leaning back in the tall chair, while
his gaze dwelt upon her with languid in
terest, as upon an object which had present
ed itself to divert him from the tedeum o1
his thoughts.
"No," she reluctantly murmured.
"Are you not Well?-have you been tiring
yourself, fetching water in that heavy jug
from the spring? meant to tell you yes
terday not to fetch any more for my room
I don't like to see you toiling under such
load, for me-"
"Oh no, no J.! it doesn't tire me bit
Please don't hinder me from waiting on
you," she exclaimed, with a vehemence that
surprised him.
"Why not ?" he asked.
"Oh, because-because if you say any
thing to Granny she'll let Jacky do it in.
stead, and | should hate that !"
"But boys are stronger than girls, and
Jacky ought to do the heavy work. How
ever, you haven't given me an answer tt
my question. What were you crying for
Just now 2"
'If l tell you," she answered very softly
and hanging her head, "I'm afraid you'll
be angry"
"Angry-no, indeed. Why should I be
angry with you ?"
F'Because you want to go away" mur'
INJURED Lily, abashed.
ANGRY with you because l want to &c
away" , , ,,, .o.,,. ,ooo ,,.,
I don't want you to CO."
'Do you mean that you were crying be-
cause hated to sit here doing nothing, in
stead of fighting the Yanks? Was that
it?" as she turned away without making 8
reply. "Why Lily, didn't mean that
was tired of being with you; you are such
a dear kind little girl, that like you very
much, and / am sure should be ungratetu
if l did not, after all you have done fol
me-you, and your Granny, and Jack, too
you are all my good kind friends, and but
for you I should be lying dead now, some
where out in those woods, unless they had
picked me up and buried me OH the battle
field afterwards. l can never forget thai
you saved my life"
"But you want to go away"
"Well, my child, am tired of being idle
of course. Don't you know such a long
Ion l,,nc no firaS ont hn1U 4
soul? But you wont get rid of me for some
time vet, never fear. / don't believe these
good d-for-nothing, bony hands of mine coulC
even hold musket. See them" and he
stretched his thin fingers out to the light
showing how transparent they were. Then
taking one of her little hands, he held il
lightly in his.
7'How plump and firm yours is-so small
and yet so strong" he said, smiling. "AnC
it likes to wait upon me, does it, Lily? A
good, willing, clever little hand"
The girl stood mute and bushing for {
minute. Then with a swift movement she
drew his hand to her lips, pressed sudden
eager kiss upon it, and before he could re-
cover from his astonishment, was gone:
''Strange child ~ he unused, half smiling
to himself at her freak. II had no idea she
had taken such /, fancy to me-"
and Lily and her oddity passed quite out o
his mind.
But it came to his perception afterwards
during their intercourse, which of necessity
had become a familiar one, that the cir
somehow was changed. Her gay, needles:
manner had softened down into something
almost like melancholy. She was no Longer
the merry companion of her brother, bu
when not engaged in performing any duty
would sit apart, and seem disinclined tt
talk or be sociable. Especially when lef
to wait on the invalid, was she silent and
subdued and more than once, looking to-
wards her unexpectedly, he found her eyes
fixed on him with a sorroWful and earnest
expression, that seemed to speak Of some
hidden anxiety or trouble. If he addressed
her suddenly, she would blush violently
and sometimes appear so confused as hardly
to know what to answer. Often enough, ne
was too preoccupied to notice these signs O.
disturbance or if he did, they merely struck
him with a passing wonder, or a feeling
half of amusement, half Of veXatiOn, at the
idea that anythinghe might, unconsciously
have said or done, had been the cause Of hel
embarrassment.
Poor little Lily in spite of her childish
looks, she was old enough to have a Wo
mans heart; and the fate which haG
thrown Carroll in her way had proved the
turning point of her life. She had never
seen any one like him before, and even if he
had been less handsome and heroic in hel
eyes, her constant attendance upon him
would have created tenderness in her re-
gard, which could easily have been devel
Oped with a little encouragement into some
thing deeper and stronger than mere sym
pathy. AS it was, this irresistible attrac
ton, delicious yet painful, which seemed tt
draw her secretly nearer and nearer to him
continually, needed no fostering on his par