, 1886-08-28
HER OWN ENEMY.

Dut NOT sucu 10 ntT ntuIl pThytu LOT. Ono
by one the poor curates were given their
congo, likewise the struggling authon and
erratic artists. @When poverty comes In at
the door love flies out OF the window" was .
maxim in which Desiree Lo Strange very
stanchly believed.
IF cannot marry q rich man / will not
marry at all!7 this country wears daughter
told herself with a deep drawn sigh; this
girl who wns utterly sick Of cold shoulder OF
mutton ind plain boiled rice and ~treacle,
who had to wear her gowns till they wore
threadbare and her shoes till they would
mend no more.
1t was pure accident, of course, merest
chance, that just Us she reached the old stone
bridge ON the left Of the moor-the pictur-
esque, lichen-robed bridge, beneath which
the river danced and rippled as smoothly
often as u limpid woodland stream-Daniel
Vessels should suddenly appear.
"Oh, how you startInd mel' cried the girl,
whereat the young man laughed and offered
her a penny for her thoughts. well, II you
must know, 1 was thinking OF you" she re-
turned candidly.
Thinking OF mefr he echoed, and a deep
flush covered his honest, handsome face.
Something pleasant, Ihope, Miss lie Strangei
Don't you remember the ancient adage,
Talk of the old gentleman etc, and l sup
pose talking holds good for t~hinkingf'
II thought it WIS Talk OF the angels and
you'll hear their wings" said Desiree, shyly.
"Oh, NO ! an a white-winged angel, am II
Well, l could scarcely be anything bcttcr."
And then, Involuntary it seemed, they
both halted and looked down at the river
with its edge of fallen caves and whitening
bracken, with its little wavelets all rosy dim
pied and amber-crested beneath the sun's dy-
ing smile.
aHow pretty those flowers are!r remarked
Daniel presently. THE oxeyed daisies arc
particularly fine
"Do you think sol Perhaps Annie might
take them for her parlor vases" and she held
the little bunch up carelessly for acceptance.
he took them with a quiet THANK you" but
he did not say he should give them to Anne,
his landlady's red-haired granddaughter. In
Daniel Vessels eyes there was no girl so
beautiful as Desiree LIE Strange; to him she
was just perfect, with her crown OF ripping
hair, almost the color OF the Furnished au-
tumn leaves, with her scarlet thread Of q
mouth and wild-ross tinted cheeks and eyes
deep and blue.
when l met you just now he said diff
IDENTIFY, you said you were thinking Of me.
Desiree, " in a half-timid whisper, "my dar-
ling, l think of you a~lwaysl" And now, the
Ice broken, he told her how there was no
room In his heart for aught but her, his soft
syes dark with intense feeling. Eloquently
he pleaded-passionately: "You will not
throw away a love like mine; no man will
ever love you as I love you, Desiree!p And
he moved a step forward as though 10 clasp
her to him, but the girl shrank back terrified.
'Oh, how could you mistake my meaning ~
she exclaimed II never thought-can't you
understand / was but turning over in my
mind the probability OF your eventually COM
ing to care for Jane or Muriel.r
Il could not marry your step-sisters," de-
clared Daniel, emphatically. Then, in a low,
earnest tone, so tender, so gentle, so plead
Ing, that the words seemed to find their way
to Desiree's heart: "You, dearest, are my
ideal woman don't you think you could
learn to care for me a httlei / am a very
young barrister, II is true, but not wholly de-
pendent on my profession for a lodging and
crust; besides, Desiree darling, 1 do not mean
to be always a briehess barrister. l nave
gone through the usual examining, my father
is ambitious for me, nd-w knowsg- err
haps some day ] may rise to eminence. Oh,
don't blight my future"
He opened his arms as though he would
clasp her to his throbbing heart, and keep her
forever, for all time. But the next moment
he had checked himself, his hands dropped
heavily TO his side; for there was no answer
ing love in Desiree's face, only a stony, fixed
stare.
How handsome he isl' the girl could not
but think The perfect face and the form OF
splendid mnnhood were his. oh, what a
thousand pities he had none of this worlds
wealth. Had he been only moderately rich
Desiree lie Strange would have suffered him
20 tol,. bar u,,an hand In hi. H-~J ,.Io.
and they would have been eventually
married, and, like the legends OF nursery
days, lived happily ever after. But Desiree
lie Strange did not SEQ fit so to do. Il could
not marry a poor man" she said, softly but
firmly. "a barrister's career Is so full of dis
appointments and struggles; Jane and Mu-
riel have their grandmother's little fortune,
which makes them In n measure independent.
/ have nothing"
"Only your beautiful face-yours loving,
gentle heartl" he whispered tenderly. But she
broke in with:
"Oh, do not say my more. The kindest
thing you can do is TO forget me. l hnvc never
cared for you-neverl Forgive me IL I nave
seemed to encourage YOU
Forgive your he passionately CALCULATED,
and the genuine misery In his voice went to
her heart. Forgive you'll" he repeated in a
hoarse, low tone, his face at a white heat, the
words coming through lips like set iron. "If
j could promise you riches, would you care
for me then, Desiree lie Strangel Answer me
truly
III you were rich as a merchant prince, or
Indian nabob, l would not marry your she
cried with startling vehemence; but her voice
tremhled at the close Of the sentence, as
though the heart were denying what the lips
uttered. .a.|M
With a sad smile he turned from her, and
looked down into the waters hat were no
longer gold or crimson fecked.
Desiree instinctively moved away. She felt
she had no strength to prolong the scene.
Presently thick rain drops fell with a mel
nncholy, monotonous thud, on the tangle of
fallen leaves; but Daniel Vessels did not
move.
Long after Desirce's footsteps had died
away In the lane he remained standing where
she had abruptly left him, with his arms
folded over the old stone bridge, thereby un-
consciously crushing n wealth OF beautiful
lichens and fairy fronds.
Down into the angry, frothy waters he
gazed hxedly. paying no heed to the rain
drops which fell more heavily every moment
The shortest way from the common to the
vicarage was by following the beaten path
on the outskirts OF Bramble Hall, and along
here Desiree hurried while the sad autumn
rain battered dismnlly around on the slend-
erly ROBBED trees, on the wilted harcbells, on
the dying bracken- Pie wind piped shrilly
through the reeds and rushes thanking the
river, and whistled %mournfully 'mids the
underground In low, sad notes
A restless deer peeped shyly over the
palings at her; a pheasant whirred In the
dark trees above her head. From the far
depth OF the woodland sounded the solitary
"tap-tapv Of a lonely woodpecker and the
half -muffied bay OF a ~deep-moutbed hound
Tho world seemed suddenly to have grown
for Dcsiree very cherries, very eerie.
Years passed on, bringing no merchant