Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-07-15

| one put Il sly warm llttle hand out
of the rugs, and it felt strangely pleas
ant to hold in my own capacious paw.
wished it had been the left; did SO
want to know whether she wore we'd
ding-rlDg.
| Goodbye, she responded. 81 do
hope your friend will be much better
tomorrow. And II hope you will
forget my rudeness."
Please don't say another word abont
that" | broke in hastily. The fault
was mine, if any ones; and | have had
such pleasant drive. May | bring
my mother TO call upon your"
''Oh, yes, if you like! Good night,
Mr.. Shirley"
Good night, Miss | could not
finish; did not even know if she was
Miss OF Mrs.
The carriage door shut, and she was
taken away quickly from me, while
walked To the house thinking-tO my
shame, be il confesSed-more of her
than of poor old Jerry. | could not of
course be smitten with girl whom
had known only for an hour-a girl too
who wore her hair 8sthetically short
and wavy-a fashion always strongly
condemned. How often had praised
Grace Castlemaine's silken dark plaits,
and warned her against "fringes and
other innovations of modern culture +"
Yet Grace had never had the power to
STIR in NE the queer feeling | expert
enced as | stood gazing idly down the
road along which Doctor Fairholme's
brougham had disappeared.
Gerard was better. My heart was
full of praise and thanksgiving as
walked briskly along in the sunshine,
with my dog at my heels, on my way
to the Laburnums-theL Laburnums was
where Doctor Fairholme lived. had
driven my mother over to the Castle
maines' early in the morning, and We
| found Gerard so much better that the
doctor said he would go home and rest
a bit; and presently my mother and
Grace wanted \ something
about medicine-taken to him; and,
with wonderful alacrity, | volunteered
to go.
''Of course she is his sister-she is
too young TO be married." said to my
self. ''Besides, if FairhOlme is a mar
ried man. l call it beastly the way he
behaves to Oracle. | shall make it a
point to find out; but of course she'll be
out. Women always are out when you
want them to be in; and rice rerSa."
So thinking, strolled up the lane to
the Laburnums, pushed open the wicket
gate, walked up the pretty winding
path which led TO the house and caught
sight of a slim girlish figure training
the roses up the porch,
Yes; it was shel She was in white.
| If girls only knew how nIce they look
| 70 white, | believe they would always
wear it. But | suppose it is expensive
at least Grace always says so. My un
known was looking full at me. Her
dress was of some soft material, and
| she wore an amber sash; her hair WAS
rufiied by the wind, and her arms were
raised 10 twine up the tendrlls Of the
roses. Why was II that my first feel
ing was one of disappointment | could
not tell. To begin with, she seemed
rather taller than | had imagined her
to be, also older On the previous night
| should have guessed her to he eigh-
| teen; now she looked two or three and
twenty; and her eyes, which somehow
| had guessed to be only deep, not dark
we're dark brown, almost black, in
| point of fact However, she was sur
prisingly pretty, graceful as willow,
and with a very pretty arm and hand.
L raised my hat with half smile, hop
ing for d CLEAN of recognition. There
was none.
81 hope, quoth l. ''that you don't
feel any the worse for your long drive
last night2"
'-Ob, no." said she, as If suddenly
recollecting herself-''that is, you are
Mr.. Shirley"
Yes. have brought a message for
your-for Doctor Fairholme, and | am
very pleased To be 50 fortunate as To
ihd you at home"
She made me little bow. | suppose
with her foot on her own threshold,
she felt secure; certainly her manner
was more confident than it had been on
the proceeding night She tossed her
gardening scissors into basket and
united her apron.
~ am very pleased to see you Mr..
Shirley wont you come into the draw
ing-room? Yes, we had quite an ad-
venture last night had we nOt?"
She laughed brightly. Her laugh
and her voice was quite unchanged by
the transion from moonlight to sun
light. Erect and handsome, she led
the way into tiny cosy little drawing
room from which the sunlight was al
most excluded. 1t was sweet with the
fragrance of roses, my feet sank noise
leSsly into the carpet, and the big wick
Ell chair into which she motioned me
was the most comfortable ever sat in.
| sat, feeling awkward and shy; she,
on the contrary, was perfectly cool and
| could not help thinking, rather anus
ed. made few remarks, to which
she replied appropriately and demurely;
then she made few remarks, to which
answered blunderingly and at random
and in few minutes rose to go. She
held out her hand to me, standing the
while by tall prie- Dieu chair on which
her left hand rested. Quick As
thought glanced down at. it. Yes
the third finger was encircled by plain
thick band of gold protected by a pearl
hOopl She was married.
Goodbye" ] faltered. "You will
remember to give my message TO the
doctor, Mrs.-is it Mrs. Fairholme?"
She bowed a smiling acquiescence;
and | found myself once more out In
the sunshine with Roswal at my heels.
What different place the world
seemed! felt like a man just waken
ed from delicious dreaml Who would
have thought that one drive in the dark
together would have been enough to so
thoroughly upset meme, Hal Shirley,
who had lived six-and-twenty irrespOn-
sible years without having been once
In lover And now had fallen despe-
rately in love with another mans wifel
1t was preposterous; the idea must be
forcibly put out of my great stupid
headl
Fortunately Jerry was too ill for me
10 confide in him. must keep it quiet,
But was not the doctor attempting to
make love to Graciep The idea made
me tingle with Indignation. j half
np bar my DrODarfV and L