Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-06-07


a dozen fellows TO ones house, and girls
to dance with them, too. But jacks a
capital chap--0ld friend of mne--artlst,
YOU knoW--shall | introduce you TO
hlm2 Sure yOu'll like him." ana he half
| rose.
Hilda had no intention Of letting Spen-
Ger know under what peculiar circum-
/ stances she had already seen his friend,
but it was with difliculty that she hid the
satisfaction she felt at the information
he had given her.
"Nery WE'LL" she said, with well-felgn-
ed indifference, ''you can introduce him;
ne does look rather nice, now l have had
look at him."
Jack was presently brought up, and
formally introduced; though, as usual,
neither heard the others name. lie did
not ask her to dance; but, sitting down in
! Spencer's vacant seat, laughiugly refer
red to having seen her before, at which
she blushed nicely, and admitted some
| dim recollection of him sOmewhere-As-
cot or Lords" she naively suggested.
Jack utterly ignored this transparent
fiction.
"Pm afraid you must have thought me
awfully rude, but rather stare at every
body, 80, of course, l would AT you"
! (Ihe you" emphasized in Jacks best
manner.)
]
she said, presently. II thought | recog-
nized you in the crowd, but am not sure"
she added, still clinging to her obviously
useless fiction in the fear of letting him
/ know she had looked At nobody else.
Yes, | saw you, but / was afraid Of
! you, you looked so charmingly angry, and
at last you frightened me away, as you
did the other men, who, holder than my
self, actually tried to tempt you TO
| dance"
In spite of this unpromising beginning
Jack managed to make himself uncOm-
monty agreeable, as he always could
when he had an object in view. Before
they parted they were the best friends
Imaginable, aud Jack made their farewell!
| quite an affecting little affair. Soon az
ter Jack dined with Mr.. Trevor, which
led naturally TO an intimacy between
Hilda and himself, which seemed mutu-
ally agreeable. lie told her how he first
began painting, his early struggles, and
enlarged, with all the egotism OF an artist,
on his method and its advantages. He
amused her by telling her, in the happiest
way, his many adventures when In search
of those situations which should be, as
nearly as possible, Identical with the sub
! iect he was painting. | won't yield to the
| temptation of becoming prOllX by detail
| ing how they met everywhere, and how
! everybody was talking of Marsden's in
! fatuati0n for that queer Miss Trevor.
! Suffice 1t to say that Jack really seemed
/ smitten with Hilda; and as for Hilda, one
| scarcely ever saw her scOwl now, and in
her own heart she hoped everything from
| the devotion OF her new friend But
though he was always at her side at the
/ various entertainments ut which they
always MANAGED TO meet, he had not said
IA word which could be tortured into any
! thing approaching the serious and matri-
mOnal. Persiilage formed the staple Of
their conversation, and he seemed to take
a neyer-ending pleasure in saying those
little nothings most calculated to pique
her. and at times make her positively
angry. Still, as he always seemed so peni-
tent, Hilda possessed her soul in patience
and waited. One evening they were sit
ting together as usual, at a small s0iree,
and Jack was evidently INDUCING himself
In his faYOrlte amusement, for HIlda's
scowl was on the point OF appearing more
than once. Spencer, who was also there,
walked up to shake hands with both Of
/ them, when Marsden, who had hardly
said a word for some time, suddenly got
up, as il he had come TO a serious resOl1-
ton. He went straight up to a particu-
| larry pretty woman, who was surrounded
by number of gentlemen, and who was
making herself very charming to them
all, to judge by their pleased expressions.
As soon as Marsden Joined them, hOweV-
err, she put her arm in his, and they walk
ed little nearer Hilda, talking in low
tones. Spencer just then passed them on
his way to the door, when Marsden stop
ped him and whispered: "GO and tell
Hilda who this is. She's sure TO ask you,
aud have q particular reason for her
knowing it now" Nobody could refuse
Jack, and Spencer went back to Hilda,
who had been watching these manguvTes
with growing surprise. The moment
Spencer had gone on his unpleasant mis-
sion, Marsden disappeared, or rather
went, and placed himself where he could
see Hilda's face without being seen him
self. AZ he had anticipated. It was not
long before liilda, VainlY trying to appear
Indifferent asked who the lady was Mars
den had just left.
"Don't you know? Why, that's his
wife," said Spencer, as if he were
saying the most important thing in the
world.
otis lie, and you know it is, )" retorted
Hilda, in low, angry hiss, utterly for
getting herself in the suddenness Of the
revelation.
Spencer was naturally taken abaek at
the vehemenoe of this unladylike remark,
but, Immediately understanding the state
OF affairs. and being prudent man, he
ignored her violence, and merely replied
that there was no doubt Of it, and that he
had known her Il long time; and was 10
ing to enlarge on her many attractions
(surely "A want Of tact after beginning 80
well when the sight Of Hilda's face stop
ped him, as II he had been shot.
Despair hate, and impotentrage crossed
her face like black shadows; In an instant
she became hyid, her teeth clinched like "
vice, and a scOwl spread over her face till
she looked like chained devil. She
seemed turned to stone, except that her
ewes glared IN the most horrible manner,
and there was murder, nothing short Of it,
in the fierce look which she liked on the
unconscious Mrs. Marsden. 10 was all
done i'm "A moment, and when Mr.. Trevor
came up 10 say he had seen Marsden hur-
rying out with muttered "important
telegram" all he noticed was the paleness
OF liilda's face.
''Leps 60 home, papa" she said in
a broken voice; II don't know what
is the matter with me, but feel awfully
mo-
] will pass over the paroyysms OF rage
that poor Hilda went through during the
next week, while she Obstinately refused
10 leave her room, or even speak 20 any
body. One day when she seemed calmer,
and as IL were exhausted by the releut-
less bitterness 0f her thoughts, she
was idly looking over. without reading,
one Of the "SOciety Papers," when tho
following paragraph arrested her at