Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-02-12

'No but to tell you truth, the girls face
has awakened some puzzling thoughts in
my mind, ," said Dartmoor. liam possessed
with the idea that, somewhere or other, I
have met her before"
"It must have been in your dreams,
then-except once, when we both saw her
in this very place. Isuppose you do not al
lude to that occasion ?"
"Last November, you mean? OF course
not. Even then, in the brief glimpse had
of her, something of this same impression
resulted from our interview; but was in
clined to treat it as mere fancy, and it grad
ually passed from my mind. Now, howev-
er, it has returned with double strength.
tell you her features are perfectly familiar
to me. Either she, or her counterpart, has
been in bodily presence before my eyes, in
some quarter of the globe, and at some pc
riod of time, but where, when or how, l
can't for the life of me determine"
every interesting," remarked Keith.
idea.'
"Romances are not in my line, Keith. l
am too sober and prosy fellow ever to care
to overstep the boundary line of dull real
SBy the way, Dartmoor, / am going to
ask you an impertinent-or pertinent
question. Were you ever in love?"
Eyes, once," calmly replied Lord Dart,
moor. "But it was-let me see-oh, full
twenty years ago."
"And what happened?"
"My lady-love deserted me, and left me
to pine away my days in solitary bachelor
hood"
"Jilted you, did she?"
"No, not exactly. The fact is, we were
not engaged-I had never summoned cour-
apa tO declare nv feelinpS.b
"And so she slipped away! Well, you
know that proverb, Faint heart etc. You
have lived to exemplify it. l never sus-
pected you before of being faint-hearted,
however"
Dartmoor smiled, shrugged his shoulders
and changed the subject.
Little did Keith imagine how deep and
singular was the impression left on his
friends mind by the face and voice of the
young girl, whom chance had brought in
their way for the second time. They had
knocked at her cabin door without any
knowledge of her being it's inmate. So hur-
ried indeed had been their last visit in this
direction, that on returning, after several
months spent in the East, to Nevada, where
DartmOor was anxious to perfect some OF
his hasty sketches of mOuntain-sce TAX
en- during the previous fall, they had not
even recognized the identity of Bear Camp,
so much did it resemble various others
through which their wanderings had led
them.
The time fixed for their return to England
was at hand, but Dartmoor now felt sud-
den and strong desire to postpone it. He
resolved to make his painting an excuse
for lingering in the Western wilds. And
on the next opportunity which presented
itself to introduce the subject, he remarked
carelessly to Keith that he believed he
would remain a few months longer, as he
was sure there must be great deal still to
see.
"Then I shall have to 60 home without
you," replied his friend. "My people al
ready think that 1 have stayed away an
outrageously long time, and are clamor-
ing for my return"
II have no people to clamor for my re-
turn" said Lord Dartmoor with half sigh,
$50 can do as my fancy prompts me-
In June, Harold Keith took his departure.
Left thus to follow his own devices without
interference, Lord Dartmoor managed to
pay frequent visits to Maud's cottage. Yet
not to her cottage alone, for he soon became
familiar with the families Of the miners,
among whom he made himself welcome by
his genial kindness, and to whom he more
than once rendered such substantial aid as
caused them all to regard him as friend.