Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-12-12


goneral--that she had allowed her fancy to
De taken by man who had passed her over
for another. Even to herself she was care
ful to say her fancy" even to herself she
would not admit that her heart had been
touched at all
IL was marvellous how much better she
felt; her headache had altogether left her
in reality, from the effect Of the excitement
and by the time she reached home she be-
gan to think that, after all she did not care
very much about it
As she had said 10 Hartog. some seopIe
were coming for tea; and very fair num-
Der did come-thers must have been twenty.
hartog arrived in good time and stayed to
the last, though he had not much opportun-
ity OF saying anything Of private nature
70 Olive; he did, however, have a chance Of
asking her if she were going to hear Trebelli
and Edward Lloyd, in the Gaystown town
hall, the following evening.
~Oh, yes, Of course We are" Olive an
swered. ~Are not you goingl"
%To be sure. 1 shall see you there, Them
yes; we sit in the front row"
Il shall do my best to get q seat next
yours" he said, with laugh
Il am afraid you won't be able to do that,
for we took the only three left ON that row"
Olive informed him
SWhat a nuisance! Then | shall sit and
look murderously at the wretched occupant
all the evening / hope you will wear an
extra pretty dress, Just to give me- a chance
Of looking pleasant part OF the time"
Il WILL answered Olive, with quite her
old air of gayety.
Now, when the morning dawned it was
the feast Of ST. Valentine, and when the
post bag reached Copplethwaite there were
dozen or so Of letters addressed to Miss
Weyland. There was a grand white satin
affair from Tom Hotham, the richest coal
owner in Lancashire, who would long ago
gladly have taken Olive away from Copple-
thwaite, to spend the proceeds Of his black
diamond mines as she thought most tit
There were other offerings of the same
kind, and there was one in the shape Of a
packet-a small, square packet, done up in
thick white paper, and containing little
case such as jewellers usa. When Olive
opened this she found that it held a gold
Iocket, bearing on one side the letter D in
sapphires; on the other was cut into the
gold a monogram OF two letters, and the
letters were A II.
For a moment or two the girls heart
seemed to stand still as il it never would GO
ON any more forever. Then, as she began 10
think more coherently, she began to breathe
more freely, and her heart to beat again
with something like regularity.
After all. she had been a stupid, foolish
girl, and had borne q very agony Of pain
without the least cause for having any pain
whatever. OF course it was true that he
al -, 4 fhat ha
would announce the name as soon as every
thing was formally settled; but she would
be the bride, and it would be her name that
by and by he would disclose to the officers
of his regiment and to society at large.
What a little fool sh, Lad ever been to
doubt him, she said, sayagely, to herself; to
dCuot the tenderness, the gentle, kind, pro
iCcting air of ownership, all because he had
not tod his intentions to the word! How
souli he plead guilty 20 al engagement be
orr lie had even asked herl How into,erably
stupid she had beenl She ought to have
known what he meant by leaving the army
the gallant profession which he loved-Sim-
ply because it would be impossible to re-
main in the same regiment with Capt Lucy,
who had not only been in love with her for
years but who had been Ashford Hardness
greatest friend.
But there was a letter Just within the lid
of the casa letter in tho big, careless
handwriting which made her heart throb
just to look at il; and the letter said this:
Il venture to send you an offering for st.
Valentine, with the hope that in accepting
il you VIII take ms also. | snail look for
YOU at the concert tomorrow evening; and
i 7 i. ii 4. -. - MA N
upon earth. Ever yours, \. ii.
Just The letter she woull have expected
/ him to write-short, brief, soldieriy and to
the point! No idle proteS;ations, no need
| less compliments, but straight to the point,
| as he would send his sword to his enemyS
| heart
! Would sac wear it, Ay, that shs would,
/ not only at that evenings concert. Tut al
| ways; for was not this his first gifts Yes,
| she would wear it-as she would wear his
| brave and stalwart image in her heart-for-
/ ever!
| She showed the locket to her mother, not
the letter at first, though atterWard she
| changed her mind and did. She answered
| with blush and a smile, yes when Mrs.
| Weyland asked if she meant to wear 1t.
Aud then Mrs Weyland kissed her fondly,
! not without a sigh for Lucy and his final
dis@p poiutment.
Ali that b;eSssl livelong day did o i've
| tread, as it were upon air. y doz'n times
she took her precious locIct of Its chain
| that she might see it better, kissed it as ten
| dnrlv as if l. had been ! living thing, then
! softly rubl ell its brilliant surface with TIE
| bit Of filIny embroidered camUric which did
/ duty a. handkerchief; for kissing Is not q
process calculated to improve the luster
either Of gold or gems.
Aud then in her thrice blessed and happy
/ heart she went over it all again. That was
why ho had gone up To town; it was to get
| her valentine. OF course he must have or
| dergd it sons time before; bus then, equally
| of course, he had wished to SEQ for himself
that it was all right, and just what he de
sired for his first gift to her-his valentine
| and bis future wife.
| She TOOK initiate pains with her toilet thai
evening, ana tho result was perfection. her
gown was Of dark blue velvet; and round
! the pretty white throat, which was one OF
! her greats st attractions, was row OF line
rearlS. from which hung the lOckot with the
| sapphire initial
They reached tho town hall just before the
| concert began, AMI were almost Immediately
| followed by half dozen officers, who en-
tered in single Gle. and went TO their seats
With that air Of excessive mOdesty never as
sumeI so successfully by any class Of mer
as b. soldiers
First came D'Albiac, most possessed O.
them all, with a smile and a bow for Olive,
| who said "littlc monkey" to herself; thei
| Hardness, strucc ing with an ovcrcoat, Q
| crush hat, book Of words, and what wa.
apparently change for half a crown, all in
cuppers; then Lucy, who looked with his
Wis st ar at his friends struggles; then
| Miles, who looked carefully at nothing, AMI
evidently thought ever 'body was looking
at him; then Hartog, who came with quite
the detected air OF man st the funeral ol
some ono whom he expects has left him
humping legacy.
The glorious TrebalH was IN her best form
that night, ant sang a pretty, fanciful bah
lad, with Fre5ch refrain:
Mon amant. maine un p,u. braucouR