Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-07-31
truth is we are partners In misfortune. q

sharply. Mordle locked the picture of sur.
prise He held his hand out to his visitor.
s'Hang it! ' said Frank. 'Idon't want pity.
II you bore it, suppose can"
''Our cases are different You felt certain
II success"
ibid II If so, it was only one of the delu-
sions natural to man Of my age"
Explain"
1.-THE older you grow the more liable you
are to decisions. A man between thirty and ?
forty more easily deludes himself into be-
Geving that woman loves him than boy of
twenty does"
''Hal" said Mordle. "All new to me, this.
Let me think it over" The curate loved an
argument of this sort. Presently he looked
up. .
"That's all rotr' he said. "Boy of
twenty-modest and good-can't see any
reason for woman's loving him. Man of
thirty or forty-successful in life, say
measured his strength against his fellows
can't help feeling he's quite worth being
loved. See how fallacious your arguments"
"Never mind" said Frank; sit doesn't
matter which way you take it.'
'Isay," continued Mordle, laying his hand
on Franks shoulder. ''Listen to my advice.
Don't you take NO for an answer"
| 'I'n ask no woman twice to be my wife,
said Frank, with conclusion number three
| fresh in his mind.
"You might ask this one twenty times and
feel happy if you got her then. But twenty
times won't be needed. She loves you now,
| Carruthers"
"What folly you talkl"
81 don't-I never talk folly. I have seen
| you together. have watched her as closely
as I watch one of my flock who leans towards
| dissent l have seen what you haven't seen,
and again I say, don't take NO for an an
swer.'
"Let us talk of something else, !" said Frank.
All the same the old proverb about the locker
on and the game came to his mind Under
| some circumstances there is much solace to be
| got out of proverbs.
They talked of something else, but as it always
does when man is in love, that something
else veered round ever to the one thing. At
last Frank threw the end of his cigar away
and babe the curate goodnight. Mordle's
emphatic CHEEKY assertion that he ought not
to despair had done him good although he
still swore he would not grovel and ask
again.
His guest having left him Sylvanus drew
himself up and patted his chest approvingly.
SIT was magnanimous, very magnanimous,"
he said, ito help a rival like that. But
am thoroughly cured, so could afford to
do it."
He always told himself he was cured. Per-
haps he was. All the same the Rev. Sylvanus
Mordle is a bachelor to this day.
Frank went back to Hazlewood House, and
apologized for his strange absence as best he
could He had been seized with splitting
headache and compelled to seek fresh air.
Strange to say a splitting headache had also
driven Miss Clauson, not into the fresh air,
| 1,,,+. ,,+o h -
doubt, " said Herbert, the most unsuspicious
| of men.
About half-past eleven the last Of the
guests departed. Mr.. Turner, believing Lord
Kelston's friend to be an aristocratic Chris
tian of the most orthodox type, babe him an
ELUSIVE goodnight little dreaming of the
insults he had been heaping upon his head.
Horace and Herbert gave a sigh of relief as
their hating guest left the house. They
had too much sense to think Of apologizing
for tho mishap-they merely doubled their
| civiity to the ar1ImenL isroolita At last
every one had said goodbye, and the shut
ting up began.
Frank in a moody, sullen way, watched
| Horace and Herbert as they went from win
dow to window trying shutters and bars and
! bolts. He did not smile even when Horace
graveIy and deliberately counted the forks
and spoons in Whittaker's basket-the extra
plate given out for dinner-parties while
Herbert blended two half -emptied bottles of
sherry and made one full one. The domestic
| duties were at last finished; the bottles locked
up, the spoons and forks snugly tucked up in
little channels leather bags, ready to be put
to rest in the safe until again wanted
Horace and Herbert looked at Frank.
'Shan we go to bed now, OF would you
like to stay up longers'
Frank started out of his reverie He did
not feel in the least inclined for bed.
eff you don't mind, he said, IT will go
into the library and write some letters The
fresh air has made me so wide awake that /
sha'n't be able to sleep for long time"
They did mind, of course; but were too
polite to say so. Whitaker was ordered to
take the lamp into the library, and Frank
babe his cousins good night.
"Please turn the wick down low before you
blow it out" said Horace.
"And,n entreated Herbert, ''would you
mind turning the hearthrug upside down when
YOU leave the room? 1t makes it last so
much longer"
Frank promised, wondering the while why
the constitution of hearthrug was such that
the night and early morning air impaired it.
Then he sought the library, closed the door,
and was alone with his own thoughts.
There is no occasion to recapitulate these.
We have had them all before, and they grew
no more cheerful. Even Mr. Carruthers got
tired of them at last, and to break the mon
otony made pretence of writing a letter to
friend. But the sight of pen and paper
woke strong temptation to say again by
their aid all he had already said to Beatrice,
as well as all he meant to say when cut SO
suddenly short. But his pride would not
Ill l.. III
number three.
Then he tried to read. Naturally he turned
to poetry. All lovers turn to it as inevitably
as duck does to water. He took Tennyson
from the shelf, and for the first time in his
life sympathized with the in-used, egotistical
hero of Locksley Hall. After this he CHANGED
upon volume of Mrs Brownings, and read
all about the poet who, although SO passion
ately in love with Lady Geraldine, was thick
headed enough not to be able to detect the
existence of a corresponding sentiment on the
part of her ladyship.
And just as Mr.. Carruthers reached the part
where the lovely lady comes by night passes
through the poets window, and in rather a
forward way does all the wooing, he heard a
light, faint fnger-tap on the library door. A
wild but not altogether unnatural thought
ran through hins. Was a second Lady Ger
| dlulno eplSouo dp9hR W pop": SouAA ~ NC
that Beatrice
He ran to the door and threw it OPEN On
the threshold stood, not Beatrice, but-terri-
BILE disappointment-the black-robed figure Of
Mrs. Miller, the nurse. What in the world
could this somhre, embarrassing woman want
with him at this hour of the nights
s'You-Mrs. MillerI" he exclaimed. 'Is
anything the matterw
'sMay I come in, sir?' she asked
Certainly; what can I do for you?"
She entered the room and carefully closed
the door. Franks wonderment grew. He
could not help picturing the dismay which
would fall upon Horace and Herbert had they
known that at o'clock in the morning he
was conversing with female member OF
their establishment.
Mrs. Miller drew near to him. "May spea
a few words to you, hlr. Carruthcrsw S
asked the favor respectfully, but as one W
fully expected it would be granted.
"Speak away" said Frank, good-natur5
"Bnt is there anything wrong i
housaM
Nothing more than you know of, sir"
| 1c hon rxhio iii NOT