The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-16
CONISTON'S COURTSHIP.


ton, sat in the cabin Of the BriSh-"n
boat, reading his evening paper, lie
had just folded and put in his pocket q
long letter from his friend and partner,
Sir Campbell Frazer in which that gen.
tleman announced that affairs at the
Ranch of San Rosalic were going on per-
fecty, but that he must beg his "dear
old Ja k to put oil his sailing date just
fortnight, as he now found that he
could not be in New York possibly be-
fore the clos4 of the month (Octobcr) or
later.
Conston was in the midst of frown
over this piece of intelligence rs he
glanced over the paper. lie hated
America and the Americans; he longed
to put the sea between himself and this
displeasing nation; he yearncd for
"shoo;ingn and the Highlands: he
scorned The gaye'ics of all the American
watering places, and stopped at the Pa
viion-solely, rs hc openly avowcd, be-
cause Brighton was al English name for
place, and for the other reason that
here he was within IN hour of Pier IS
North River, and could step on board Il
GuiUn boat at almost moments warn
ing. Coni,ton. therefore, chafrd under
the inliction of All additional fortnight
in the land of his loalhing. Albeit the
Ranch Of San liosaiic was adding con-
siderable number OF thousands to his in
come, he still-just ut this particular mo-
mcnt-.wiShed it 1T the bottom of the
Rcd Sea.
Perhaps, too, he mingled with the af-
Fiction of the exile some memories Of
Lady Ciccly Howard, and the strange
penchant he had had for her during the
last London season.
fowevcrthis may be- Coni>ton's vacant
eyes at this juncture took in very neat
little figure Us it advanced in the cabin;
it was followed by anothcr-a plump,
midd!e-aged lady's figure, much bur
dcncd with shawls and wraps. and evil
IDENTIFY in deadly peril of aiiraught. for
before SEATING itself, both the neat little
figure and the plump ducnna examined
carefully the fastcn!ngs of all adjacent
windows.
This one seems tightly closed, Aunt
Dorinda," the girl said, i'll her clear,
light voice.
Horrible American tone. calculated to
laccratc fog" mentally commented his
lordship.
'.No, Polly, no; am sure"
"Polly! We gods" soliloquizcd the
earl. Suggestive only of comic opera,
milkmaids and parrots. And she has
short hair! he never coIld abide 4 short
haired woman. And she was small.
Small women had always, from youth
up, constituted his pet aversion, Dressed
in brown; brown as color was dis
treSsing, in fact it was no color at ail!'
Coaiston had all his nations prejudice in
favor of brilliant hucs.
She is alert. bright, vivacious; all that
woman should not be; what contrast
to Ciccly, who was the perfection of
languor, dreamincss and repose!-a
yet Ciccly was sometimes rather of a
bore.
He wond rcd if this young person was
bore2 Now that he inspected her. he
observed that she had certain rct!ccnce
of face and manner that was wholly un
American. She had see him looking at
her, of course. BY Jovc. where was his
paper2 on the floor! and yet for some in
scrutabc reason she did not return his
gaze sIuarely out of those large eyes OF
hers. 1t was strange! 1t struck Conis-
ton as remarkable fact, worth record
ing, that he had encountered one Amcri-
can girl who declined to reciprocate the
delicate attentions of his eyes.
Why, there came Bradford! such a
capital fellow for IN American.
Bradford knew her.
She smiled at Bradford, and allowed
him to sit beside her, and gave him her
wrap to hold.
TO he sure, Coniston remembered that
he had always thought Bradford very
much of cad, and not nice fellow by
any means.
And Bradford held her wrap, and they
all went off the boat together in the
friendlicst sort of fashion, with the maid
trotting after them with the satchels and
dogs.
No. he had always had a special aver
sion for that Bradford. And as for small
women, with short hair, dressed in brown
well, his disgust for them was not to
be measured by any language.
Nevertheless, as Coniston willy argued
with himself, "a man must fill up his
time;" so, in an of-hand way he just in
timatcd 10 Bradford that he didn't care
if the opportunity offered--if he did in
troducc him to Mrs. Waddle and her
niece, Miss Grey.
Bradford was apparently magnanimous;
besides, he had never presented an carl
to Miss Grey beforehand he did the
deed with satisfaction to himself at
least.
Miss Grey bowed slowly to Coniston,
and then she turned her attention to
group of lady friends sitting near, leav-
ing Coni>ton to the agreeable knowledge
that he Was at liberty to salute her the
next tine he met her on the piazza or the
corri or
1t diln't satisfy him.
He went off and smoked cigar. and
coni"red up Cicely in the fragrance OF
the Havana
Even Cicely did not seem to BE- as COM
plete boon as he had fanc:ed she ought
to be.
For five days he wandered up and
down, and round and round the hotel,
"loun@ing," he called it; but the more
correct term to describe these pcgcgrina-
tioni would be--poli:eiy chasing Polly
Grey.
Finally he behcld her alone. Neither
au3t nor Bradford nor fricnds-hcavcn
be r.alse1-werc anywhere about.
lie drew near the big rocker, where she
Sat with book in her lap, and suddenly
Coniston remembered that he should