The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-02-19

The Message rang out, I felt my very
heart stirred within me.
A great hush fell upon the room as he
finished. One could we'll believe such
voice would "pass through the golden
! gate" saw O strange moved express
sion on Mr.. Hardynge's face, the quiet
old bachelor have mentioned before !;
and rs for Miss Verinder. did not like
to look at her; knew there were tears
in the bright young eyes.
!, And after The Message, he gave us
For Ever and For Ever, and The Dis
tant shore. He would have sung all
night, I think, if the loud clang of the
tea-bell had not sounded out, bringing
us MI back to the world around us.
He dropped his hands from the keys
quite startled.
"Oh it's only the tea-bell. Are we
expected to eat again ? But have in
ficted myself upon you.
81 could listen forever" said the girl,
with that soft, lovely light still on her
face.
am foolish old woman, know
but caught myself hoping he was not
too blind to see it.
Miss Verinder, vii you not let me
get you some tea ?" broke in the Cam
bridge man, Mr.. Hoare, as I found out
his name was. He had been watching
the changes in the girls face all through
| the singing.
Well, he was old enough to be her
father, and he was almost blind, and was
grave and odd-looking beside, while she
was the sweetest, freshest bit of maiden
hood. Young even for her twenty
years. And yet somehow those two,
Mr.. Gorst and Alice Verinder, were
drawn to each other that very first night,
think. Perhaps it was Jack, perhaps
it was the music, or that the child's
sweet womanly cart was moved to pity
the lonely afflicted man. She was so
watchful of him at meal times, would
try in her pretty way to interest him, to
drive the shadows from his face would
always quiet, always silent and reserved.
1t did not seem to me he took much
notice of what would have raised
young man into the seventh heaven of
happiness came on them one morn
ing out amongst the fowers--he walking
up and down slowly and carefully, as
an almost blind man does, she spring
ing out in her joyous way, fresh as the
morning itself, in dark blue gown all
rufiied with embroidery a wide hat shad-
ing her sweet face, the sunlight ON the
mass of crisp hair beneath. They said
eood-morning to each other, and then
she spoke to the dog.
Between her two admirers, Miss YER
Under ought to have acquired much USE
full information during that sweet sum-
mer holiday. Young Hoare took pos
session of her at once. / heard her
blithe laugh as she answered some
remark of his. They made handsome
couple, I thought; she so fair and slim.
he SO tall and dark and broad-shouldered,
and both with that wonderful light of
youth on their faces.
HE is andsome fellow" Mr..
Gorst said, and 1 knew he had OWNED
my thought; he was wonderfully sharp,
for all his blindness.
I scarcely knew how long had been
writing 1t was letter to a dear old
friend of mine, and had for little
while forgotten my surroundings, when
Mrs. Colquhoun's wearisome voice forced
itself on my attention.
She had exhausted her newspaper,
and Mrs. Verinder having just come in,
she had thrilling piece of gossip to
unfold to her.
"Quite shocking. Mrs. Verinder I
was so frightened I could not sleep
again. Mr.. Gorst, you know. he came
down the corridor last night perfectly
drunk, stumbling over everything. He
tried to burst into my room, but fortu-
nately I always keep the door locked;
and he felt about his room and talked
to himself half the night. Quite shock
ing, is it not? The professional sort of
people are always unsteady, and being
blind seems to make it so much worse
Really, Mrs. Terinder, don't you think
we ladies ought to take some steps to
show what we think of such conduct ?"
Mrs Var;ndor rooda eo,,,a footJo