Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-03-13
The Schoo|ma' ans Lovers
BY ANNABFL DWIGHT.

Nearly everybody at North Ridge
kept boarders in the summer, for at
that season crowds OF people locked
there To enjoy the picturesque scenery
aud salubrious mountain air, and The
two or three great hotels could not ac-
commodate them all.
But Mrs. Hunter kept boarders the
year round, aud in this winter of which
/ write she had, besides DIR. Souther,
who was an Old standby, the district
sch rol teacher and the carpenter who
had been sent up from Fiichburg 10 do
some finishing work on the new house
which Mr.. Parton Was building on the
very top OF the new mountain. The
season being an open ono IL was posi-
BILE for young Jourdan to make this trip
to and fro every day, leaving his team
at the foot of the mountain, and climb
ing the narrow path through the shell
ter of the woods TO the sum unit.
The long, lonely days spent in the
clouds rendered Mrs. Hunters home
like establishment doubly pleasant to
the young man When he returned at
night, and pretty Meg, Mrs, Hunters
seventeen year old daughter, WAS an
agreeable addition 10 the household.
The old doctor could plainly see the
attraction betwe the two young peo
pie, and an Meg was q pet OF his, and
he had already taken fancy to jour
dan, be looked on With comfortable
| enjoy ment of the little love affair In
progress before him.
But after the schOol-taacher, Miss
| Austin, came, she speedily broke up
| this happy state OF thiEgs.
She was also from Pittsburg she
| seemed to have been particularly &C
| quainted with Alvin Jourdan, and she
! planted some seeds of bitter pain and
f.! distrust In poor little Meg's honest
| heart.
| She was quite dashing young lady
not nearly 80 pretty AZ Meg, but with u
style and glitter about her that quite
| bew ildered one ut first AT least 1t did
Meg, who admired her and locked upon
her as o superior sort Of being, and
| who never doubted her assertion tina,
Jourdan was an old lover Of he's.
He was a great flrt, she said, and
had nearly broken her heart by hii
conduct but she hoped, when he had
grown weary of rowing from flower u
flower, that he would return to his tru,
love, who had borne with his caprice'
10 patiently.
This and q lot more In sentimenta
strain, which impressed Meg with thu
belief that The was q martyr, and tina
Jourdan had been cruel TO the las
degree.
And poor little Meg, who had beRul
to think o great deal of the stalwar
young carpenter, now made hersel
perfectly wretched In her struggle :
annihilate every atom OF tenderness
for him.
| 49, o-on;nr ,,hgl Ia ~. N a o,tor lnur. , o.
in great cha before the sitting-rooI
fire, apparently DOING behind hi
paper, and Jourdan watched with grea
Interest the growth of piece of worste
work in Meg's slim fingers, Miss Aus
tin came sweeping into the room 1
the slow and rather languid fashio
which she considered a. best suited
her style, and casting u look of gent
, reproach at Jourdan, seated herself
the piano and began 70 run her finger
over the keys.
"Sing something. please" said Meg
try to be cool and Indifferent undo
' the young mans admiring gaze.
Accordingly, Miss Austin, in ath'
swe, but affected voice, began
sing:
Take back the heart that thou garest. ="
Even her affected manner Of singir
, could not quite spoil the pretty, pathe
ic little love song, and Meg's eyes we
quite sorrowful when Miss Austin rus
led out of the room with her handke
chief before her face.
II she had any hope of Jourdan
: following her, she was doomed to di
o appointment, for he only raised b
eyebrows and look after her in some a
? Constituent as he said
What on earth Is the matter wi
Kate Austin?"
e Meg looked at him responsibility.
Il "You know" she said.
Il upon my soul, l do not" he retur
ed laughinRly.