The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-01-24
THEY MEET AGAIN.

ball. Nesting in her gold-brown ha
were rose.tippSd apple blossoms, sn
clustering over her dress were the sam
swcet-scented blooms. Not more fairy
like were iheY, nor more beautiful
tinted than Alene Ellerby herself. So d
least thoaght Raymond Ogere.
But he sighed as he gazsd upon th
pretty vision before him, who had prom
ised herself to anothei only the day be
fore. Promised to mary Robert Willis
a man tor whom Raymond f, i some con
tempt as being superficial apd weak.
II have come to bid you good.by," h
said. Business requires me again il
the city"
'Good-by," was the reply, in low
formal voice, ns she laid Ler slim, coo
fingers in his.
He held them as lie looked at her, an,
then be said, in a wistful tone, a stang
expression growing In Lis eyes: : 1 wisl
you would give me a bunch of thos
flowers YOU wear
She loosened some and laid them il
his hand.
When he left her be smiled bitter
grim smile. Il had quite forgotten tn,
significance ofapple blossoms. "Frefer
ence! What mockery."
So Aiene stayed On for while with
her aunt in Ellerby hall. Alenes moth
er was living. but her father had long
been dead, ami left them but scant in
ccme. Her aunt, Mrs. Ellerby, was also
in moderate circumstances. for the hal
had now heavy mortgage upon it. Sc
Alene was not al heiress, nor even O
young lady with rich relatives.
Her aunt had called Raymond Ogre @
"cultisG'cd gentleman" Again she had
called Rob Willis "a foolish fop." Two
days after OSere's departure Alene as
astoundcd heraunt by saying she wished d
to 60 homo. This announcement sat
Aunt b lerby TO pondering. Rob Willis
had been there only that afternoon, and
she had seen him going down the grav.
eled walk with remarkably csestfalleu
air.
'de is prodigious numbskull, but
his father is worth mint" Aunt Ellcr-
by had said to herself. She said Ia
Alene the next morning at breakfast.
"fou see, dear, nm thinking of sell
ing the hall II have fair offer for il
and going TO live With Bass" Bess was
her daughter, married, and living in
Paris.
why, Aunt Nan, 1 thought you never
meant to sell the place"
"Well, Bess. the care 1 have here is
aging me, 50 think / shall 60. And
you may so aiorg if your mother can
pay the expenses of your voyage. After
that, between us, your mother aud l will
manage 10 keep Toq there season at
10 gst."
So within Gix weeks Al,ne and her
aunt were well of on the sea and almost
the first person they encountered / b,ari
was Bab Willis, Whatever 'set down
Miss Alene had once given him she was
civil to him now, and his esteem for the
young lady seemed in no wise lessened
from the fact that she was en- route for
the old world.
Oae day Mr.. Bob unoonso ously
dropped fEom QUO of his pockets some
plpers. Alene, treading the passage
shortly afterward, picked them up. One
of the papers was flattcned and dust
worn. Certainly Miss Alene kr ew better
than to read what did not belong to her,
yet here she was perusing;
DEAR Bon: You have surprised me,yet
confess | am not wholly Gi pleased at
y1rF proposal, Please call this evening.
Hours eVermore, ALENE ELLERBY.
This was written again and again, all
over the sheet, each copy growing nearer
and nearer to q likeness OF her own hand.
She dropped the paper and thought.
Then she looked again at the date and
drew great sigh. 1t was dated May II,
the day before Raymond Ogere bade her
good by.
Alene neither fainted away nor did she
face Mr.. Willis with scathinc glance
Of scorn, She only LETT the papers where
she found them, retreating into the
ante-room with one clenphed tight in
her little fst.
That night Aleue astonisbed the
worthy relative who accompanied her by
asking If she knew Alr. Raymond Ogere's
address.
NO, my dear" was the reply, and
with the words her last hope of ever
again meeting Ogers vanished. For she
was speeding away over the Atlantic.
every minute bearing her farther and
further from tho man she loved, and
with no means ut her command by
which to communicate with him, and
what things may not happen in year?
A few days before Alene sailed for the
old world Ogare sat upon the balcony of
G hotel in Paris He rad been there
three weeks by his side tonight sat n
lady. who had done much to brighten
his voyage thither and his sojourn in
Paris. This was the Countess Brittole,
who had been visiting some friends
among the Americans. The countess
was poor, and owned nothing but an owl
haunted chateau, where she never went
She was widow, and qsite his own
age, to be sure, but what aid such things
matior 90 long as people agreed aud
were happy ? And then her position
had snch rare opportunities to benefit
an ambitious man. And, uuconsciously
Raymond found himself listening to this
wooing, aud when at par ing fog the
night the countess laid in his hsud tea
rose she bad worn in her hair he actually