Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1886-09-04
him as so mellow her own. Tlat

} him as so mellow her own. TIL
very morning, under that very tree
: there hal been in his looks and il
his tones touches Of tendarne \
that had filed her he.lrt with Subtl
happiness. But now it was al
over; in an instant shn had lost him
; Rose Porter hal taken him ;lwav
and though he might come hack, h.
would never, never he the $ TINT
Ralph again. She felt Il girlish Ger
tainty of that. The little brigh
dream W Us over.
! At first she did not blame r ,se
Very probably she had lo'el hin
two years ago, and had b.,en infu
enced to give him up Oil account o.
his poverty, and now. regrettins
the step, had come to reclaim him
"WelI, can take my turn, and
give him up too," thought Rhetta
with great hot telrs springng to
her eyes. "Only 1 never ca drive
after him and bring him back in a
phaeton.
And at that she threw herself
upon the tlewyy grass and wept un.
Erestrainedly. She was too young
to be capable of the terrible, tear
less sorrow with which an older wo
man may meet bereavement and
heart-break. She oaly knew that
everything hal changed since
morning, that Ralph had gone away.
that she was very, very wretchad,
and that no one must know of it,
The fire flies hashe in the
grass, the flowers were heavy with
dew the air was full Of the fra
GRANGE of mignonnette, h .lio5rope
and roses, but Rlet5;t did not heed
them. She only felt that u ght w;ls
kind TO make Snch darkness ami
solitude in the garden that no one
could see her or hear har. poo mis-
cradle little Rhetta WoM, crying
for d lost happiness that had really
never been hers. Aud now it seem
ed to her that Rose was cruel, from
the midst of her wealth. her luxury
and her dozens OF lovers, TO Come
swuoping down upon this one
chance of bliss in Il lifetime. For
Rhetta was sure that in all the years
to come she should never, never
marry. That was all over from
this time forth.
The crickets hummed about her,
the nightInoths brushed by her un
needed; the moon rose, but she did
not know it. She was thinking how
she should live all her life long in
the little old house. After awhile
her aunt D0rc;lS would die, and she
would be left alone with her father.
Then after awhile he too would die,
and she would live OIL there, an old
lonely woman.
From this reverie she was arouS-
ed by the stopping of wheels, and
cheerful voices at the gate.
"Rhetta! Rhett;l!" shouted some
body in joyous, manly tones
She rose to her feet in the moon
light, bewildered and uncertain
Was she dreaming, or was it really
Ralph calling her9
'.RletGa is that you under the
plum tree! Come here for Il mo-
ment to the gate"
Yes, that was Ralph calling her.
With girlisll celebrity she smoothed
back her disordered hair, and ran
to the gate. There he stood, his
arms filled with flowers, which hr
loaded upon her, while Colonel Por
ter's coachnan, who had brought
him home, WAS almost staggering
under the weight Of all immense
basket, full ofbloom and fragrance,
which he made haste to deposit on
the garden walk.
"llverythiny is here," said Ralph,
gayly - the geraniums, the day
lilies, the tea-rose bushes, and the
double violets. Boots, slips, cut
tings, all you wanted, you have
them now, and I'll set them every
one out for you.
ooh, how beautiful! how beau.i-
full! murmured Rhetta, very softly
and gently. She was wholly over
come by this strange ending Of her
passionate grief.
Tile coachman departed, leaving
the two lovers alone in the moon.
lit garden. Lovers they we're, for
Ralph drew Rhetta close to his
lreart, while he placed upon her fin
ger the ring that had waited hidden
Ill his pocket.
"You know what this means dar
lug" he said, fervently. "My way
is clear before me now. Colonel
Porter has given me a chance in
his own business, beyond anything
| dared to hope. You don't know
how hard it has beeu for me to
wait till had a right to ask you to
be my own little Rhetta, always
always"
Happy Rhetta! The moou ought
to have laughed right out to see
how her face had changed, it WAS
so full now ofsmiles and bushes.
Aunt Dorcas, hurrying home all
hour later, eager to explain how
she had gone to sit awhile with
poor old Mrs Davis, who had sciat-
lea, was taken all abacll by hearing