The Southern herald., 1886-08-14

Benefal 'get-up that evening, and |
paused a moment before opening the
door Of the drawing room, from which !
came low murmur of voices.
"Wonder what she's likep" he
thought, turning the knob, and finding
himself submitting to a kiss ON either
cheek from his aunt with laughing
protest.
~ sayT he exclaimed, holding her
on; "this is ELUSIVE. But, auntie, you
bloom like midsummer rose, and I'm
awfully glad to see YOU"
"You ought to be, when I've come
hundred miles to let you see me-" his
aunt replied, land l brought young
friend with me. Ditha, my dear, this
is the nephew of whom | told you.
Jack, let me present you to Miss Fitz-
gerald.
"Overjoyed," said Jack, taking the
white hand held out to him, and the
girl gave him laughing, roguish look
from pair of the bluest eyes he had
ever seen.
Recognizable on sight from your
very accurate description of him, Mrs.
Trewson, said sweet, girlish voice,
which, somehow, made Jack feel as
though he had known the owner all his
life.
And then he was leading her in to
dinner, and could quietly take a survey
OF his companion without any danger
of being thought rude.
She had masses of reddish-brown
hair, which was waved and drawn
back in loose, graceful coil at the
back, while few soft ringlets fell over
the white forehead; eyes as blue as
violets, full of laughing light and heav-
lily fringed with reddish-brow lashes;
sweet, spirited lips, red as a cherry; a
complexion fairly dazzling in Its pure
pink and white, and slender, willowy
form, which the simple white dress she
wore set off to good advantage.
Perfectly lovelyr' was Jacks in
ward verdict; aloud, he followed some
thing she had been saying about his
finding it dull living so far from the
city.
"Dullp" he repeated; "not exactly;1 l
read little, you know, boat a little,
fish little and ride a great deal. Do
you rideP"
''Do IP" she began, with enthusiasm;
then, dropping her eyes demurely, "a
little"
"Then we'll try daily canter,"
Jack said, forgetting his uncle's ad-
moniton. "If you are timid we can
furnish you with very gentle piece of
horse flesh"
''Thank you," Ditha said, an amused
sparkle in her eyes, and then she spoke
to Mrs. Trewson, and a general con-
versation ensued, bright and sparkling,
often interrupted by laughter, which
lasted through the whole meal.
"How do you like Jackp" Mrs.
Trewson asked Ditha, when they were
alone in the drawing-room. The girl
laughed merrily.
Every well, indeed" she answered.
ave are to ride tomorrow, and he Of
fered me the gentlest piece Of horse
! flesh in the stableI' and again she
laughed merrily.
"Hushp her companion whispered,
"here they are" as Jack and his uncle
entered. "Now, Ditha," she con-
tinued, Ego and sing for Jack. Iwant
to have a long talk with my brother-in-
law" And Jack offered his arm to
the girl and led her to the other end of
the long room where an elegant piano
stood. And presently he was leaning
over her, turning the sheets, while she
gave him laughing glances from under
her curling lashes, and the lamplight
fell on her Furnished hair, making it
crown of glory.
The days went by and the two young
people spent most of the time in each
others society. 1t was horseback
ride in the early summer morning, be-
fore the older people were out of their
beds; walk through the cool shades
of the pretty grove back Of the house
in the afternoon, or reading to each
other on the wide veranda, or drifting
with the tide on the smooth surface of
the river, that flowed like silver near
the fine old homestead, and Jack
was drifting more rapidly than he
knew into the deep waters of an un-
bounded love for the beautiful laughing
girl, whose blue eyes held so much
merriment and from. whose Furnished
hair the sunlight fell in flashes
At last Aunt Harriet made the start
ling announcement that she would
leave on the morrow, and Jack sud-
denly realized that the world would be
q dreary place to him without Miss
Ditha's smiles, and that evening he
found himself alone with her for a mo-
ment, and managed to tell her, in a
very laundering fashion, which made
her blue eyes sparkle with amusement,
how dear she had become to him.
And then she made him unutterably
happy by telling him that she cared
enough for him to be willing to place
her future in his hands and wait until
he had won way in the world and
could take her to such home as would
be worthy of her. Jack left her with
the memory of her tender words and
fond caresses, and new ring on her
finger, and went directly to his uncle,
who was in the library.
"f have come to tell you, uncle" the
young man commenced, "that if what
you said regarding Judith Anson was
said In seriousness, it is now beyond
my power to oblige you in the matter
of even seeing her with the chance of
finding favor in her eyes which she
never could find in mine"
"What are you talking about, you
young scapegracep" his uncle asked,
the smile in his eyes belieing the frown
on his forehead Harriet tells me
Miss Anton is a lovely girl, and has
numerous admirers, each one, / dare
say, worth a dozen like yourself Her
hair 10 no more red than your own, and
her complexion is called the fairest