Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-06-26
beauti- now the room was fast filling with shad-

now the room was fast filling with shad-
oWs.
"Isn't that sad?" whispered Conny, cling
ing to me little, not liking the silence, and
secretly afraid of the dark.
every sad"
s'It doesn't do to mind it, though" she
said, trying to combine consolation with
sense "because it's only story, and not
really true, you know, I don'tsuppose there
ever was beautiful young lady with one
bad and one good and, you know, there
were two ends, and mean to believe the
happy one. Won't you ?"
"Dinner, Jack ~ said beautiful young
lady in a gray silk dress; and [ rose at the
sound of her voice.
The dinner was perfection all my favor
ite dishes had been thought of. Never had
olized Mr.. Flutters, and rarely approached
the silk dress. Madeleine and I had it all to
ourselves. And, charming as she always
was, she was more than ever so on this eve
ming; happy, suppose, in the conscious
ness of her singular beauty, set off to so
much advantage by the gray gown, the fall
ing lace of which showed her white shoul-
ders and pretty round arms uncovered: =,
"Papa," said Madeleine, when dinner
was half over, taking rose from a vase
and fastening it into her belt, and looking
Splutters was the family's only boy, so call
ed by facetious uncle. .;.
SIS Master Tom in, John?"
"Just in SIR" said the butler, grinning q
little; but he's all over green paint: He
must have knocked up against something, l
think. was to tell you, miss; and he'll
come into dessert with Miss Constance"
dessert! =" said Prior. II know very
little of Tom, if dessert will do for him"
And Madeleine piled up plate with SOL
ids for Splutters.
Presently the door of the room opened
with rush, and the hope of the house walk
ed in, followed by the second Miss Flutters,
without her pinafore.
Conny pushed chair between me and
her sister Splutters planted himself beside
me, and stared at Prior.
"Late again, Splutters," said his father.
''Take your elbows off the table, sir, and
don't stare"
"Cold ~ observed Splutters discontented-
ly, making digs at the solids with his fork.
"Cold green's and lukewarm pie {! Who's
going to eat that, I wonder ?" =
"I'm glad it is cold," returned his father.
eff you can't come in, in time for dinner,
you don't deserve to get any. No, Mac :
leine, he shan't have it warmed )" for Mad
eleine was looking piteous, and commencing
It'll not hurt him, Miss Flutters," said
Prior. "I've often gone without a dinner
myself before this it'll do him no HARM"
20, won't it ?" burst out Splutters, de-
lighted to have some one to pitch into.
"How doyou know? Who are you, should
like to know, putting in your oar? You
think yourself very grand, dare say. No.
body else does"
"If you're going to be impertinent, Splut-
ters, leave the room," said Mr.. Flutters.
"He's so precious cheeky" Splutters ex-
claimed, coming bothering here every day,
and ordering me about! I've had about
enough of him. What does he mean by it i?
Madeleine don't want his books, nor him
neither. Stevens is worth three of him."
'sBe quiet, Tom, this minute" flashed
| Madeleine, turning as red as the rose in her
belt:
"Tom's very naughty boy, isn't he,
pet ?" asked Mr.. Flutters of his youngest
daughter, who had listened to this edifying
scene with praiseworthy attention, and had
brought her whole intellect to bear upon it,
| "Very," returned Conny. II don't like
Mr.. Prior myself, but Splutters shouldn't
talk 3d."
And Conny swept herself and her sister
out of the room.
All this was damping. We were 50 very
dull that Prior, who was easily bored, pre-
ferred the society of the ladies, and abscond.
ed to the drawing room, whittier 1 should
certainly have followed him had not Mr..
| Flutters (Who had as much tact is could
have been expected from the father of such
boy as Tom) been so very anxious to know
the exact point to which stupidity could
carry me on the subject of "Reform," that,
| without positive incivility, found it i'm
possible to leave him. When, however, it
had been clearly proved what fool was,
there seemed nothing further for which to
remain, and left my future father-in-law
| to discuss the affairs of the nation with his
son.
The evening passed quietly enough, en-
| livened by snatches of song from Madeleine,
who seemed too restless to 60 steadily
through anything, but made the room sweet
with beginnings and ends.
Tea was placed on the table, and COM
pletely swamped myself in that liquid,
Madeleine holding the uncomfortable theo-
ry that the more domestic a man was the
more tea he would necessarily take into his
system So Prior and I ran a race for repu-
tation, and Prior won by a cup.
"Going my way ?" said that hero at
length, admiring his hands in lavender
kids, and then generously offering them all
around.
Iassured him I was not so, looking sur
prised, he took his departure.
"Mr. Stevens" said Madeleine, in a low
chair, quiet and grave, like the hero of Con-
ny's story, when she had madeup her mind,
it would be very pleasant to have beautiful
things for her own; 81 have made mis-
take"
thought the assertion so very likely to
be correct that made no attempt at con-
tradiction.
"While you have been away" said Mad
eleine, telling story I had heard before,
"Mr. Prior made love to me, as told you.
I tried at first to prevent him, and, indeed,
he knew was engaged to you, but he went
on all the same: He brought me all the last
new novels, and"
'fAnd gave you paint-box, and dog
with collar, and took you at night to hear
music 2"
The words were Madeleine's, and she rec
ognized them at once for her own.
'You know all !" she said. And there
was silence between us. "Can you forgive
me ?" she said at length, nesting up to my
arms, and laying her bright head down on
my coat. "I'm so sorry, Jack I can't
think what made me do so, for knew all
along he could never make me happy, for l
love you"
"Better than you could ever, ever, ever
love him ~ I said. "Conny told me so. O,
Madeleine, darling, this is much the pret-
tier ending of the two !"
Madeleine seemed to think so also. She
smiled through her tears, and looked up at
| g.. l,or 1nc6n