Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-12-06

DeD! ne SAID, Softly.
She stirred uneasily in her sleep, and.
with long-drawn sigh, murmured-
Have you come baeh to reproach me?"
Then she opened her eyes, and looked at
him, half dazed and terror-stricken. Her
breath came in quick short gasps, and the
next moment she found herself in his
arms, and her face was being covered with
kisses.
"My poor little darling what brute
have been to YOU"
''But you forgive me now, Dick"
SIT is !, ;" he answered, "who ought to
ask forgiveness.
How Jack had gone to Mrs. Danver's,
how he had met Wyatt and insisted on
speaking TO him, how well he pleaded
Deb's cause, how they left Mrs Danver's
and came straight to Park Lane--all this
Deb heard afterwards. At the time she
was content with the knowledge that Dick
still loved her
Nearly an hour had passed when Jack
entered the drawing-room with much rat
Ting of the door-handle
''Weu," he cried, cheerily, 'and have
you two people come to your senses at
last?"
81 do not know what you have said to
Dick to bring him to his" said Deb, calm
ly
PUT before him the advantages he
would lose if he continued to be lunatic,"
replied Jack laconically. Deb, / hear
your aunts voice in the hall. How early
they have returned Are you not fright
ened, my dear?"
"Oh, what will aunt Catherine say?
Hide me, somebody" cried Deb.
LET me hide your face on my shoulder"
suggested Captain Wyatt.
"Shall go and explain, you little cow
ard?" asked Jack, laughing
"Please do, dear Jack, if you do not
mind.n
eyes, please do, dear Jack" echoed
Wyatt, with a smile.
At this they all laughed. When Jack
did explain, all that Aunt Catherine said
was
"Well, of all the little windmills l ever
met" She did not finish her sentence,
but went off to congratulate her hayward
niece
Felicia had stood silent all the time
that Jack was explaining the state of af
fairs to his aunt, and she did not believe
for a moment that his gaiety was genuine
ne Is SlulplJ uClllS q pdlli Sut
thought, "to hide his misery" therefore,
when Mrs Brooke left the library, and
Jack gave a deep sigh, she felt convinced
that it was a sigh Of regret for Deb. But
Jack had completely forgotten Deb at that
moment, and was anxiously watching Fe
licia unbuttoning her glove. She was
standing beneath the chandelier, and the
gaslight was shining upon her fair hair,
making it look like FURNISHED gold, while
her milk-white throat and arms were set
off in vivid contrast by the soft clouds OF
black net of which her dress was composed
Felicia raised her eyes, and Jack sighed
He was wondering how he could have been
so blind, as the truth suddenly dawned
upon him that he loved her.
81 am an unfortunate fellow" he
thought, "for it would be absurd to ex
pect her to care for me after all that has
passed" But his face expressed nothing
more than friendliness as he turned to her,
holding out his hand, and said
Goodbye, Felicia. l am going away
tomorrow for month to get over itr'-
with smile. II do not suppose / shall
see you again before CO." -
Goodbye" she returned, composedly
and he did not know that her every pulse
quickened as he held her hand for few
moments. eve shall have left London by
the time you return" she went on, raising
her sweet grave eyes to his, "and we shall
probably be at Aunt GATHERINGS place 10
edfordshire-BuXton Hall"
81 have promised to be Wyatt's best
man." said Jack, $50 | shall be back in
time for the wedding-till then, Felicia
Goodbye"
Goodbye" she said again. How crue
of Dick Wyatt to ask Jack to be his best
maI9' she thought TO herself.
One day Jack came down stairs whist
ling, apparently in the best of spirits; but
as he entered the hall, he saw Felicis
warming one foot on the fender and talk.
ing to Colonel Wolverton, who was also 8
guest in the house Without word JacE
seized his hat and opened the hall door
1t was raining hard
"Where are you going in this horrid
weather, Jack9" asked Felicia, turning
round quickly.
out" replied Jack brusquely-almost
rudely. ASK Aunt Catherine not 20 wait
dinner for u.s." and he was gone.
He has never been the same since his
SASeSSLlVh0 WIN NY slStcA Was OIohcH
off, !" said Felicia, with a sigh.
BY the end of the following week all
Mrs Brooke's visitors had departed, ex
"epting Jack. One morning, when Felicia
went into the library to fetch book she
had left there, she found her cousin stand
ing with his hands in his pockets gazing
modify out of the window
81 did not know you were here" she
said, endeavoring to speak composedly.
81 only came for Temple Bar"
She took the magazine from the table
and was going out of the room; but Jack
spoke
Wait a minute, Felicia want to tell
you something. had a letter from Aus
tralia this morning. My old sChoolfellow
and chum whom | lived with out there
has writ n to try to persuade me to 90
back again" He paused, not daring to
look at Felicia for fear he should lose all
control over himself and say something
wild-perhaps tell her that he loved her.
'And-and you think of returning"
Eyes; l have almost made up my mind
TO 90 next month The fact is, he went
4.,Tf -,