The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-10

thinking of me. He is behaving very well He
| is listening to Aunt Maria"
II suppose, he was saying TO himself, II am
more Objectionable fellow than thought my
self What have they hearda What IS the
| matter9 Oh the deuce I'm in a rage. and
what's the use of it2 Is the brand of Cain on my
| forehead?D
He had, in fact a dangerous temper which ne
| had learned to realize the perilousness OF, ana
| 1t almost got the better of him when. the Ino-
ment the reading was over Miss Huntington
| spoke to her mother rising from her seat:
Il promised Aunt Maria to pour out the
tea for her." she said. 'She is looking for me
now
| Mrs Maria was really coming in search Of her
and approached to bear her away.
Wait a moment" she said. Mr.. Hamilton
will come too. He is to help you"
| A slight quick smile irradiated Mr. Hamiltons
| dark countenance. He bestowed rpon his mus
| taehe that light involuntary. masculine caress
which means, according to circumstances, JOY
rage amusement, embarrassment or sentiments
OF a murderous nature.
Il shall be delighted" he said. Il am very
strong"
| 1.-The tea is not" said Mrs. Maria. II have
some respect for peoples nerves"
| So it was he who stood at Nell's right hand as
| she poured out cups of the harmless beverage re-
ferred to. Her color and her eyes seemed to
brighten each moment. She did not seem to
make an effort to avoid addressing him directly,
| and yet almost every remark she made was
shared by some other than himself. The men
who came for cups of tea exhibited a vivacity
which he objected to with that masculine sense
Or justice which is the finest quality of the sex.
Some OF them were repusively witty. and made
clever remarks which be felt to be entirely out of
place. He would have felt blunders, or silence
and gloom to be better taste. He hated and
condemned especially long, fair man with
hooking eyes and a loathsomely attractive de-
meanor. This obtrusive and degraded idiot and
criminal kept coming back for cups of tea, aud
non rs
ciousiy neat joke at which Miss Huntingdon
| laughed delghtedly, and each time she saw him
approach, her great, lovely, laughing eyes well
coined him. He came back ten or fifteen times.
Hamilton felt sure that the low craft and base
ness OF his nature were such that he poured the
cnps of tea out of window and brought them
back empty for the mere sake of having them
filled. 1t was plain to the most impartial OBJ
server that he was creature deep dyed in crime.
tits what should do myself-the conceited
fool" he exclaimed mentally with artess fervor,
and then suddenly he broke into a laugh-a
laugh SO unexpected that Nell started and looked
up at him.
II am not insane" he said, II am laughing at
myself Insane people never do that" And his
eyes sparkled with such gay good humor that
Nell was obliged to admit again that he looked
very much more attractive than was his right
She resented his good looks more than ever,
when little later his cousin came to tho table.
The gentle, innocent little blonde face sunk into
such insignifcance by contrast with the others
spendor of dark, rich cooring, the slim, neat
frame seemed almost unmanly
oh" she thought with spasm of her warm,
earnest young heart. how cruel that he should
be the one to look so. How cruel, too, that I
should think it for an instant"
And in her contrition she turned so sweet and
brilliant a look OF the young man that his rela-
tive almost staggered under il. The recipient
himself-perhaps through sensitive shyness
seemed little embarrassed when she began
to speak to him of her brother, and because he
seemed SO, she redoubled her efforts to place
him at his ease. Nothing could have been pref
tier than these efforts, they were so kind, so
frank. He recovered himself rapidly and in
few minutes they were talking and laughing to-
gether gayly that even the man with the
mocking eyes was rather neglected and Mr. Jack
Hamilton stood by like man in dream, pull
ing his mustache and looking more darkling
than ever.
There was, after ALL something little inter
esting in this blonde little Hamiltop-something
suggestive and elusive-as if perhaps he was
more clever than he looked At all events, he
had evidently quiet, rather sly, sense of humor.
He made some rather neat remarks, and Nell
noticed that his blue eyes had queer little look
of fun in them. as If he enjoyed himself and was
we'll entertained His cousin looked up with
singular expression, his glance rested first on
one and then on the other, then he looked down
at the carpet, and knitted his brow and bit his
lips Nell saw that he was restless and i'll at
ease and was perturbed herself because she saw
intense and strong willed kind of person whose
moods are invariably felt by those near him. and
she could not enjoy feeling herself even vaguely
conscious of one of them. She was quite sure that
he was angry and excited, because ne was not ac-
customed to seeing himself set aside. even for
moment, for his cousin. He was like spoiled
child who is really bad at heart. He waited for
a few moments as the two talked. He might
have turned and talked himself to other people
who were near, but he did not. 1t seemed almost
as if he waited to be spoken to and taken into
the conversation, but they were talking of Don
aid, and there was nothing to say to him.
He looked down at the carpet,
and then he lifted his eyes to Nell's face:
my cousin will help you to pour out the tea"
he said in rather odd. low voice. and bowed
and turned away and left them.
1t appeared incredible to Nell that she should
feel, when he spoke and looked at her, a curious
something actually touching about him-as if
she had been cruel or unknd-as If something
was wrong.
Everybody thinks him the handsomest fellow
alive" said her companions gentle voice. He
| is, and the luckiest. envy him every hour of
my lfe It isn't only the beauty; it's the at
effectiveness. He couldn't look at IA tea-kette
without being effective. He has eyes like a
| stays. He has everything"
.'Oh, no. not everything!' exclaimed Nell in
voluntarily, and then, feeling the remark more
significant than she had intended, added, THAT
would be too much"
''Oh he has too much, said his cousin; ''that's
the trouble"
When her duties at the tea-table were ended
he went with her in search of her mother and
when they found her Mrs. Huntingdon was kind
ness itself. Her cordiaity was like Neli's. all
the warmer because he was not the one who had
eyes like stays If he had been taller and
more beautiful she would not have thought it
matter of principle that she should be very good
to him. but as it was, she was very good to him,
indeed Mr. Jack Hamilton saw that she was,
from his side of the room-and saw. too that
even when group of men surrounded Miss
Huntingdon's chair, even though the man with
the knocking eyes led the van, his cousin was not
the least neglected, and, indeed, seemed very
well placed.
1t was Mr.. William Hamilton who accompa-
MED them to their carriage and it was when