Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-11-12
MISS CHURCHILL'S SUITORS.
A Romance of Beechwood Chase.
CHAPTER /.

Beechwood Chase was we'll named.
The house was nothing but roomy and
comfortable-"a substantial stone man
sion without architectural pretension, 4"
the county guide-book called it-but
the trees around it were the wonder
and delight of the neighborhood and
the pride of Lord Darley's heart. They
were nearly all beeches, those fairest
of forest trees, beside which oaks are
clumsy and elms are stiff. The great
smooth boles reached to magnificent
girth the drooplng branches, all broid-
cred with half-ripened nuts that glowed
like beads of amber in the sun, spread
themselves far and wide, and made
great stretches of shadow on the soft
grass below. Here deer couched, and
squirrels ran about the laden boughs
rejoicing, and shy, timorous birds, that
Stunned the haunts of men, built their
nests in peace. The park was large,
with slope to little stream that ran
noisily over its pebbles, and mingled its
baby brawling with the rustic of the
trees, and the cry of the wood-pigeon,
and the song of linnet and thrush.
1t was seldom that the solitude was
broken by anything but the tread of a
gamekeeper or wood-reeve, except in
the shooting season, but this year Lady
barley had been recommended country
air and quiet, and had brought with
her train of distinguished guests, at
whose appearance in the park the
squirrels hid themselves, and the rab-
bits disappeared in their holes, and
the browsing deer lifted startled heads,
and scudded away into sylvan retreats,
where no stray feet would either follow
or find them.
With Lady barley had come, as q
matter of course, her special friend,
Della Churchill, sole daughter and
heiress of the late Sir John Churchill,
banker and financier and reputed mil
lionaire, and more young men than are
prone to bury themselves in the coun-
try in June. "But where Miss
Churchill is, there will the gallants be
gathered together" said Coventry
Smith, who wrote for society papers,
and affected wit Of a more or less de-
graded quality. Della looke5 at him
with the cold scorn her admirers knew
so we'll.
Il don't think parodies like that are
quite-reverent, she said, and then
returned to the book from which her
dark eyes had been for just moment
raised.
"Don't crush him quiet, Della" said
Lady barley, languidly. But Mr..
Smith did not look crushed. He smiled
jauntily and kissed his hand as he dis
appeared through the open window.
"Crushed? A mangle wouldn't do
it !" said Della. Il do dislike that man,
self-suflicient, conceited coxcomb that
he isl"
II wonder if you will ever see any
one you will like, my dearl 1t will not
be for want of aspirants."
NO." said Della, bitterly, and there
was 80 much pain in her voice that
Lady barley looked at her inquiringly.
ado you think / do not know whyP"
cried Della, with sparkling eyes. They
were quite alone now, and she got up
and began to walk about with an ex-
citement that would have astonished
those who only knew the proud and re-
served Miss Churchill in society. "Ahp
she cried, "you cannot understand it,
Bella-you, who were poor, who were
loved for yourself Ahl how 1 loathe
these creatures who fawn and fatter
and cringe, like that abiect thing that
crawled away just nowl"
Della, do you know, ! think you
are little unjust, even to Coventry
Smith,"
"Unjustl Very likely" said Miss
Churchhill. "What chance have 1 of
being justP How can men do them
selves justice when they are seeking
not love but gold?"
"It is not fair to class them all to-
gether," said Lady barley, who had
her favorites among the aspirants, as
she called them. "There is young
Horner, for instance. He does not
care about your money; or, at least, no
more than is reasonable"
~NO; it is good little boy, and has
an honest fit of calf-lcve, 1 believe,
said Della. smiling with gentleness
that quite changed the expression of
her face; "but, all the same, am not
the plum he will pull out of life's
pie"
"You may we'll say plum--I begin
to think your heart is nothing better
than stone," said Lady barley, laugh
inO