Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-07-22
Coniston's Courtship.

| JOnn UOTuOu hDHeSloy, EaIl Ol NUH
iston, sat In the cabin of the Brighton
boat, reading his evening paper. III
had just folded and put in his pocket &
long letter from his friend and partner
Sir Campbell Frazer, in which the gen.
tleman announced that affairs ut tht
Ranch of San Rosalie were going OF
perfectly, but that he must beg hi,
dear old jack to put off his sailing
date just a fortnight, as he now found
that he could not be in New York pos
sibly before the close OF the month (Oc'
tober) or later.
Coniston was in the midst of a frown
over this piece Of intelligence as he
glanced over the paper. lie hated
America and Americans ; he longed to
put The sea between himself and this
displeasing nation he yearned for
shooting and the Highlands he
scorned the gayeties of all the Ameri-
can watering places, and stopped at the
Pavillion-solely, as he openly ayowed,
because Brighton was an English name
for a place, and for the other reason
that here he was within an hour of
Pier 3S North River, and could step on
board q Guoin boat at almost a mo
ment's warning. Coniston, therefore,
chaffed under the aflliction of an addi-
tional fortnight in the land of loathing.
Albeit the Ranch of San Resale was
adding a considerable number of thous-
ands to his income, he still-just at
this particular moment-wished it at
bottom of the Red Sea.
Perhaps. too, he mingled with the
Affections of the exile some memories
of Lady Cicely Howard, and the
strange penehant he had for her dur
ing the last London season.
However this may he, Coniston's va
cant eye at this juncture took in a very
neat little figure as it advanced in the
cabin it was followed by another-a
plump, middle-aged lady's figure, much
burdened with shawls and wraps, and
evidently in deadly peril of a draught,
for before seating itself, both the neat
little figure and the plump duenna ex-
amined carefully the fastening of all
adjacent windows.
This one seems tightly closed, Aunt
Dorinda," the girl SAID, in her clear,
light voice.
Horrible American tone, calculated
to lacerate fog y mentally comment
ed his lordship.
NO, Polly, no ; am sure
Polly ye gods y soliloquized the
earl. Suggestive only of comic opera,
milkmaids aid parrots. And she has
short hair he never could abide a
shoI t-haired woman. And she was
small. Small women had always. from
youth up, constituted his pet aversion !
Dressed in brown brown rs color
was distressing, in fact it was no color
at all y Coniston had all his nations
prejudice in favor of brilliant hues.
She is alert, bright, viyacious all
that a woman should not be what a
contrast to Cicely, who was the perfec-
tion of languor, dreaminess and reposel
and yet Cicely was sometimes rather
of a bore.
He wondered if this young person
was a bore ? Now that he inspected
her, he observed that she had certain
reticence of face and manner that was
wholly un-American. She had seen
him looking at her, Of cousre. BY
Joye where was his paper ? on the
floor and yet for some inscrutable rea-
son she did not return his gaze square.
ly out of those large eyes of hers. 1t
was strange 1t struck Coniston as a
remarkable fact, worth recording, that
he had encountered one American girl
who declined to reciprocate the delicate
attentions of his eyes.
Why there came Bradford such
capital fellow for an American.
Bradford knew her.
She smiled at Bradford, and allowed
him to sit beside her, and gaYe him her
wrap.to hold.
To be sure, Coniston remembered
that he had always thought Bradford
very much OF a cad, and not nice fell
low by any means.
And Bradford held her wrap, and
they all went off the boat together in
the iriendliest sort of fashion, with
the maid trotting after them with the
satchels and dogs.
No, he had always had special a
version 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 Ian.
guage.
Nevertheless, as Coniston willy ar.
gued with himself, "a man must fill up
his time > so, in an off hand way he
| Just intimidated to Bradford that he
didn't care-if the opportunity offered
If be did introduce him to Mrs. Wad-
die and her niece, Miss Grey.
4 l.