The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-08
lFriassd b. Special arrangement Copyrighted 1856.
tDIANA'S STORY.
BY LUCY G. LILLE.
Author Of "Naa." "B-lf House," "Jo's Opportunity,
Music and Musicians 'De Barbadossa's
Little Hour" Etc.

The picture hangs in one bend of the wide hall
at Blake House, so that the other day, when my
cousin Dorothea Blake was married to her En-
glish lover, the eyes and lips Of our great aunt
seemed to be smiling wistful sort Of assent;
brilliant eyes they were, dark and lustrous, and
with fringe of curling lashes, which lay on such
cheek One hears of q smooth ovaT-one can
See it in the portrait of Aunt Dolly's girlhood
Smooth, and fair, and peachlike; the dainty red
lips, proud and smiling, bring just suspicion
Of dimple into each cheek; the head is trife
on one side-but Mistress Dorethea Leigh is
looking at you quite fearlessly-meeting the
glances of all posterity with bewitching air,
and as it were, constantly asserting the superb
ority Of her loneliness over that of her descend
ants. When the ceremony was over Dolly-our
Dolly--nodded prettily at the picture and said to
as in her little daring way:
II WONDER il she approved but then she hai
an English lover-and didn't grandmamma al
ways think she came very near loving himY'
The eyes in the picture seemed to smile back.
Mistress Leigh wears a dress Of pale yellow silk
brocade; the Leigh diamonds are in little cir
clet around her slim white throat and besides
there is fine gold chain from which hangs
CtoS50 AOCkS& w Heu OF low Wo gOb VIC uObiOu
do not know, but even as children we used to say
the locket held the portrait of ''the English Cap
tain" Our Dolly told her husband about it be-
fore they left u.s. and he said there was definite
poetical justice in the second Dorothea giving
her heart to England; and then Dolly, who was
growing bit mournful over the thought of sail
ing away the next day, proposed our getting
out an old manuscript-the story our
great-great grandfather had written of his
first love. He was one Robert Blake, Gent,
who lived in this very house in the year of our
Lord, 1889. Mistress Blake, his wife, was not
only noted for her beauty, but as well, for the
wide tenderness of her charity; everywhere
there are evidences Of it, and she was woman
who lived well in all ways fancy; whether she
prayed or sang, or ate or drank, there was
touch of doing what she did in the best way and
for the love of God, and patriotic though she
was. and no woman in all Berkshire was more
so. every one knew that she hated to hear the
English talked against curious fancy of her
life was this On the annual Fourth of-July
dinner given at Blake House, after all the toasts
were given, lovely Mrs. Blake would rise, and
looking at her husband with those tender. shin
ing eyes of hers she would say, "SEall we drink
TO the health of our English cousins now, Rob-
ert9"
And the toast was given and drank with hearty
fervor in spite of Robert Blake's revolutionary
fame. and there were those who said that at such
times Mrs. Blake had wistfulness in her beauty
not always seen there, but if her husband saw it
he adored her and understood every pulsation of
her heart, and loved her, doubt not, the better
for it.
We found the box easily enough. with the lit
tie faded manuscript in 1t, and read it aloud by
the library fire. which now and then cast a
CLEAN across the picture in the hall, touching
the ole-time beauty Of our ancestress with new
bewitchment. Here is the story, just as our
UrOa udfa thar vvrota Il