The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-08-05
A QUIX0TIC FANCY.
How It Was at Last Quite Dis
PEELED.

Thought her the most beautiful woman
In the world. l worShiped her with
passionate girlish alteration that can only
be comprehended by those who have had a
like experience to my own. How it came
about that an intimacy should have sprung
upbetween the fashionable Mrs. Dalyel, of
Dalyel Court, Warnshire-a Frenchwoman
by birth, but now the widow of a wealthy
Englishman-and my small Insignificant
self, will be seen by the conversation which
took place the morning after arrived on a
visit to her at Bath. We were sitting in a
private room of the Grand Hotel, overlook
ing the busy thOroughfare of Stall street,
and were watching with a melancholy in
terest the numerous Bath chairs with their
sad-eyed occupants passing in endless sue
cession to and fro. Contrasting the lot of
these poor sufferers with NV own, nv heart
overlooked at the thought of all Mrs. Dalyel
had done for me, and turning to her tried
to express in a few broken words some of
the gratitude | felt. She silenced me at
once. Dear Lucy" she said in her musical
voice, with the slight touch of foreign &C
cent which gave to her speaking such a
charm; dear Lucy, after all what is il
that have done! Why, truly nothing.
You exaggerate the facts, my child. was
In London for the season, and, like others
of my friends, took the pottery craza, and
Joined class at Powell and Storms You
taught that class, and took a wonderful
liking to my charming little teacher. The
other day a celebrated physician spoke to
me extollingly of Bath. decided at once
to come here-aS a preventive rather than
q cure, for, thank heaven, my health is
excellent / came, but found il dull: oh
so dull. Then suddenly remembering that
your holidays were now going on, wrote
inviting you to join me here. In short, l
wanted you to amuSe me, Lucy. You owe
me no thanks for that"
MY poor father" began.
"He was i'll, blind, dying, when | knew
sou first. That accounted for your poor
little white face and oft-times fearful ewes
You had to toll and slave to earn money,
that he might not want for necessaries.
When l learned this my heart blei for
your trouble, and WHO had more money
than could spend upon myself-gave you
some of it for him. l sent also a little fruit,
n little wine, a doctor. All! / believe he
was little doctor too! Say, was it not
Ior'
''Dear Mrs. Dalyel, do you count it moth
ing that you made my fathers last DAYS
happier. that you gave him what all my
loving toll could not procure. My graft
tude-r
''Pshaw! Child, speak not of gratitude.
1t consists but in the name 1t is the
rareSt-"
But mine" | protested.
"Ah, yours will doubtless bear fruit such
as the world has never known. 1t will en-
able you to move mountains-to give up
kingdoms for my sake
why do you Taught" / asked. much
panied. 'Since / can remember any thing
have lived only for my father-and nv
art From to-day l shall live for some
thing more; to prove to you that there is
such thing as gratitude
Dear little enthusiasm exclaimed Mrs.
Dalyel, with a laugh. Then be it so. Con
vert me TO your belief as quickly as YOU
will. But see how the morning passes. /
must go and drink the water"
A few moments later we crossed the
street and passed under the colonuade to
the pump-room where Mrs. Dalyel took her
glass. of water from an attendant aud sat
down at one of the small tables within the
Gordon, signing to me to do the same
Though every thing was new to me, L
glanced butcareleSSly about the ROOM at
the well known statue of Beau Nash the
King OF Bath, at the anxious faces of thu
water drinkers. / sought for som.thing
else, and found it soon in the shape of a
white board bearing in large black char
acters the words: ITO the Roman Baths"
on which also was hand with index finger
pointing out the route. 1t was there had
promised to meet Horace, but what excuse
could l frame for leaving Mrs Dilvel!
Happily none was needed, for at that mo-
ment she happened to look up, and her
eyes following mine, she said:
mo need to sit here all the time with me,
dear child. Go down and see the newly
discovered Roman Baths. L have seen them
once; for me that was enough. In half an
hour you can rejoin me here"
1 thanked her with q somewhat guilty
conscience and left her lingeringly. On
passing out of the pump-room found my
self in a narrow passage with doors on
either side. Presently / came to a small
spiral staircase which bought me TO a
vaulted corridor hot with the fumes of
baths; then, descending a steep wooden
ladder | emerged suddenly into the open
air on to the scene of the recent excava-
tions- The hot August sun poured down
his intensest RAYS from a heaven unlocked
by cloud Around lay heaped, in pictur-