The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-01-26

S1tte-d-ntdnger at breakfast next day,
81 hope you don't feel any the worse
for the chilly air last evening""
/ bowed slightly. "sYou seem
to have some difficulty in re-
membering my full name, Miss Est
court, | said, suggestively. Suppose
you call me simply Mr.. Payne. I've
been accustomed to it until quite lately,
and to tell you the truth, I don't alto
gether relish the new addition"
II should think not, indeed Ruby
answered, frankly. II never heard
such ridiculous combination in all my
life before. I'm sure your uncle must
have been a perfect old bear to impose
it upon you" .rr
at was certainly rather cruel of
him, replied, as carelessly as could,
''or at least rather thoughtless. dare
say, though, the absurdity of the two
names put together never struck him.
What are you going to do with your
selves to-day, Mr.. Shackleford? Every
body at Cannes has nothing to do but
to amuse themselves, | suppose
Mr.. Shackleford answered that they
were going to drive over in the morning
to Vallauris, and that if cared TO share
carriage with them, he would be happy
to let me accompany his party. Moth
ing could have suited my book better.
| was alone, | wanted society and
amusement, and | had never seen
lpretties girl than Ruby Estcourt. Here
was che very thing needed, ready cut
out to my hand by propitious fortune.
| found out as time went on that
Mr.. Shackelford. beng per-
son of limited income, and bad
walker, had only one desire in life,
which was to get somebody else to pay
half his carriage fares for him by ar
rangement. We went to a great many
places together, and he always divided
the expenses equally between us, al
though l ought only to have paid a
quarter, as his party consisted of three
people, while was one solitary bach
elor. This apparent anomaly he got
over on the ingenious ground that if |
had taken a carriage by myself it would
have cost me just twice as much. How
ever, as was already decidedly anxious
for pretty little Ruby Estcourt's socie-
ty, this question of financial detail did
not weigh heavily upon me. Besides,
man who has just come into twelve
hundred a year can afford to be gener-
Gus in the matter of hackney carriages.
We had delightful drive along the
shore of that beautiful blue gulf to Val
lauris, and another delightful drive
back again over the hills to the Para
dis. True, old Mr.. Shackleford proved
rather bore through his anxiety to in
struct me in the history and technical
nature of keramic ware in general,
and of the Vallauris pottery in particu-
lar, when [ wanted rather to be admir-
ing the glimpses of Bordighera and the
Cap St. Martin, and the snow-clad
SUBMITS Of the Maritime Alps with
Ruby Estcourt. But in spite of all
Northumberland old Mr. Shackle-
ford with his universal in
formation really aCas a serious draw
back-I thoroughly enjoyed that first
morning by the lovely Mediterranean.
Ruby herself was absolutely charming.
Such light, bright, fairy-like little
person, moving among the priceless
vases and tazzas at Clement Master S
as if she were an embodied zephyr, too
gentle even to knock them over with q
Whit of her little Rampoor shawl-but
there, | can t describe her, and won't
attempt it. Ruby, looking over my
shoulder at this moment, says | always
was an old stupid; so that, you see,
closes the question.
An old stupid | certainly was for the
next fortnight. Old Mr.. Shackleford,
only too glad to have got hold of u
,-ioti,,, in hn Oh,
fraud, dragged me about the country
to every available point of view or OBJ
ject of curiosity within ten miles of the
Square Brougham. Ruby usually ac-
companied us; and as the two old peo-
pie naturally occupied the seat of honor
at the back of the carriage, why, of
course Ruby and | had to sit together
with our backs to the horses-a mode
of progression which | had never be-
fore known to be so agreeable. Every
evening Ruby and [ walked out on the
terrace in the moonlight; and l need
hardly say that the moon, in spite of
her pretended GOODNESS, is really the
most romantic and sentimental satellite
in the whole solar system. To cut q
long story short, by the end of the fort
night was very distinctly in love with
Ruby; and if you won't think the avowal
conceited one, venture to Judge by
the sequel that Ruby was almost equal
ly in love with me.
One afternoon, toward the close of
my second week at Cannes, Ruby and 7
were sitting together on the retired seat
in the grounds beside the pond with the
goldfish. 1t was delicious sunny af-
ternoon, with the last touch of southern
summer in the air, and Ruby was look
ing even prettier than usual, in her bro
cade pattern print dress and her little
straw hat with the scarlet peoples.
| (Ruby always dressed-I may say
dresses the very simplest yet most
charming fashion.) There was some-
thing in the time and place that moved
me to make a confession had for some
time been meditating; SO | looked
straight in her face, and not being
given to long speeches, | said to her
just this: "Ruby, you are the sweetest
girl ever saw in my life. viii you
marry me?"
Ruby only looked at me with face
full of merriment and burst out laugh
ing. "Why, Mr.. Payne" she said (she
had dropped that hideous prefix long
ago), you've hardly known me yet a
fortnight, and here you come to me
with regular declaration. How can |