Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1886-07-15


twenty. home for his Ion eve. Nr
vernay encouraged hi nore tia
any of the others. psrh. hsine sac
q boy she looked upon = = ! sal
gaae. I knew that stoIs hi
heart with the first glan of her VIC
let eyes. and that he ! never r
covered from her iniluez
We were sitting togett oae after
noon in the I.ambert's sf4sin0-roou
when Kenneth walkes Torre
month was not more tAzn tsa mile
from his retreat, and hs .salksl
over, not 20 paw his ,as ~ e;isl .uisl
! $50 .ss,i---s n. 3 asy'
Did any mother ever refuse {.
receive her eldest son? How tn,
girls laughed at him declaring
their prophecies true and saying b.
was weary Of solitude. | felt littl,
surprised at him. Only one persor
preserved her faith in him, this wa.
Grace Cheslyn, the girls friend. al
most like another sister. She wa
staying with them, and upheld Ken.
meth whatever we might say.
Mrs. Vsrnay dined that night with
the Lamberts, coming in like some
beautiful being from another world,
jewels glinting in her dress and in her
hair a snake that glittered with dia.
monds and rubies.
We all came and paid court TO her.
Kenneth included. She looked with
interest at him, saying:
"Ah! The hermit brother. Ihaye
so wanted to see you. Have you left
your seclusion?"
"Yes, We all knew he would," quoth
Marie Lambert. "The cold weather
on that moor could not be endured. -
MY sister is mistaken" said Ken
meth, 81 left for other reasons, and
did not particularly like coming away
from my solitude"
I'VE will teach yen the pleasures
Of society,"" Mrs. Vernay cried. "Sol-
itude is horrible. Man was not made
to live alone"
Did see Kenneth vince? I could
not tell.
nay to write in her birthday book.
And the beauty inscribed "Lilly Yer.
nay" in a clear beautiful writing,
matchless as herself.
Kenneth read it over Grace's shoul.
der. "Your name is Lilith," he said
to Mrs. Vernay.
Who told you that ?" she asked,
and he replied:
81 know it," without Offering any
explanation.
"Lilith horrid!" murmured Grace,
as with Frank, Mrs. Vernay moved
toward the piano.
Il think it pretty; why horrid o.
Marie asked.
"Do you know about Lilith ?" her
friend replied. "She was Adam 3
first wife. and for transgression was
turned ont Of Paradise. She is the
enemy of all little children, and when
Jewish babies are born the nurses
write "Lilith avauntr against the
wall, lest she should come and kill
the child. And tradition says that
she still haunts the world as bsauti.
ful woman, who entices men to marry
her, and strangles them in her golden
hair"
"a tradition" said 1, something
like the legends of the Greek Lamia.
"How do you know that there i.
not truth in traditions and folly in
rejecting them ?" Kenneth asked.
Meanwhile Mrs. Vernay was sing
ing song after song and with every
note stealing away q bit of Frank
heart. Aud her music won Kenneth
to her side, for he took his brother,
place at the piano. and stood ther,
turning over her pages-I believe il
all the wrong places, for he looked
more in her face than at the music.
l confess that in those days / wa
vexed with Kenneth, for he seemed Il
have taken a sudden and inexplica
bic plunge into the society which |.
few months previously he had abiur
ed forever. There seemed only on,
explanation-his ideal life had prove,
dull and irksome. Everywhere
met him, chiefly with Mrs. vernay
often Frank was with them. a woe
begone. undesired third party. An,
the girls declared &c was O sham,
Kenneth. who rallied against marriage
should come and steal her away from
his brother.
A few women there were WIN die