The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-13

sume the subject. Abusing the wo-
man who has treated his friend so
shaobily viii not mend matters.
Il came 70 ask YOU if You can spare
time to run down TO "" he saws.
going TO the cupboard to help himself
10 brandy and soda Bessie Is home
from school. and has sent me a letter
ordering me to present myself at head
( quarters on pain of her diSpleasure.
You i come, Won YOU. old fellow p
the change VIII DO YOU ali the good ia
the world.
Basil hesitates for a moment. and
then accepts the invitation. for il will
take him out Of London. and he viii
then avoid meeting Laura. For the
+ present, at least. ne does not feel equal
to the ordeal Of seeing her again. now
that all i at an end between them.
lie remembers Bessie As an over-grown
/ glrl. and decides in his own mind that
her presence viii not add to the com
. fort OF his visit. SILL she NAV not be
I quite so much of a nuisance as he an
ticipates, and after all, it would be
better to put up with a few Tombov
. tricks than remain in London. So he
/ goes with Tom to the cathedral town
where his widowed mother lives with
/ her two younger boys, and the daughter
! before mentioned. who has just return
/ ed from Germany. Toms home Is a
/ very pretty little place. with a smooth
/ lawn, on which a young lady Is stroll
/ ing at the moment of their arrival.
! with her ewes fixed on book. The
| roses that bloom on her cheek and lips
! are lovely. aud her brown hair is chang
/ ed TO gold a. the sunlight rests upon
Z Alf,--..r .l,. ~
I picture OF youthful beauty. and so
/ thinks Basil as he gazes on her. New
/ ertheiess, there Is a look of ANNOYANCE
! on his face as he says:
Tom. | wish YOU had told me that
/ your mother had visitor Ii | had
/ known OF it, | would not on anv ac-
/ count have accepted your invitation"
"A visitor" exclaims Tom. and
bursts into q hearty laugh that reaches
the ears Of the girl on the lawn. why,
that's Besse!
Before Basil can express his surprise
at the transformation Of the awkward
schoolgirl into a graceful woman, Bes- [
sic is at her brothers side.
why, Tom. dear Tom. how good !
OF YOU TO come SO soon. says a fresh, /
young voice. I'VE did not expect you
for week.
Il wanted to give you a surprise
returned Tom And see, l have /
brought Mr.. Cowan with me. You re- /
member him-don't youi'
Bessie does remember him, and col /
orS little as they shake hands. think |
ing of the many tricks played on her /
brother long suffering friend in the /
days gone by.
''What a little wretch / was" She !
says peuitently. Il am sure YOU must
have been afraid of me.
Basil makes some light reioinder.
but tells himself that he was not half
so much afraid OF her then as he is
now. Laura has not improved his
opinion of women. He has made up
his mind that Bessie is tlirt, and her
anxiety to treat her brothers friend
with civility strengthens the idea.
Il hope Tom viii let her know that
| am not an eligible party" he thinks
bitterly, as he enters the house
Mrs. Eden warmly welcomes her
son ; friend. She is a sweet. content
ed-looking woman. fond of al her
children, and very proud of her beauti-
ful daughter. Bessie is a good musi-
clan, fair artist, reads French. Ger
man, and Italian, and her mother is
naturally Nious to show off her ac-
complishments. The girl herself re-
fuses to ''show off. and Basil soon
finds that if he wants her society he
will have to seek it. She never throws
herself in his way. He finds that she
has other admirers, and the discovery
does not please him.
''She IS too good for the idiots that
dangle about her" he tells Tom in
dignantly.
II shall think presently that YOU
want her yourself, observes Tom by
way of a joke.
But the iesting words have more
truth in them than he imagines, for
Basil is beginning to realize that Bessie
is worth a thousand shallow-hearted
Laura's.
II came to the country for peace"
he thinks. The best thing | can do
is to go back to London.
But when he speaks of leaving he
sees Bessie's face change color, and
wild hope springs to life in his
heart.
''Will you come with me-? he asks,
and mis- voice shakes. for be loves Bes-
sic as he never loved Laura.
Bessie's answer was evidently salts
factory, and Basil has reason to be
grateful that he Is not Sir Anthony's
heir. for Sir Anthony's heir would have
married Miss Balfour and regretted it
before the honeymoon was over. He
married for spite, Laura told herself,
when she heard the news. which Is
scarcely as agreeable to her as it ought
to be, seeing that she is engaged to an
elderly baronet.
But when few days later she stands
face to face with the married pair. and
sees the look of proud proprietorship /
in BasiIs eyes, she feels, with a little
pang of envy that the old love is dead. /
and that its ashes can never be rekin-
died. Tom looks at his brother-in-law
anxiOusly. and presently draws him /
aside to whisper:
''Are You quite cured?"
"Quite. Tom. returns Basil. The /
luckest day of my life was when / re- /
ceived that telegram informing me of |
the birth of Sir Anthony's heir
He does not dream that his wife /
knows anything about his former at /
tachment for Miss BaIfour; but her |
first words when they were alone to- /
gether undeeeived him.
Basil she says in a low tone of /
voice, your old love is sweetly pref
ty."
Not half so pretty as my wife,, re-
plies Basil as he draws her nearer to /
him and kisses her; "but it was scarce
ly kind of Tom to tell you.
''It wasn't Tom, returned Bessie. |
at was Miss Balfour herself She said |
-f
Never mind what she said, Bessie"
returns her husband, folding her in a |
warm embrace. You are the only
woman in the world | ever loved. Will
that content you?
Bessie's answer was a kiss. Her
husband fortells her that whatever
Laura Balfour's influence may have
| been in the past, she can never come
/ between them now, for his heart Is all
her own.
| Something to Think About.
At birth the mean length of boys is
| 18I inches. and of girls, 18l inches
/ Growth is most rapid Immediately