Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-02-01
Bernardina's Lover.

ed his arms, as though to brace him
self for the reply.
mot much" said a very pretty
young lady, as she closed her book
with delightful little yawn, and with
both ruthless hands rumpled her
blonde bangs out of all their smooth
symmetry. with the thermometer
at ninety" she murmured, sleepily,
"the gifted heroine was trife fatigu-
ing: we are informed she is epigram-
matte without hearing any of her
smart speeches: then the hero
evidently he is the long-haired poet
of the future-but with none of his
poetry on exhibition. BY the way,
jack suddenly turning upon him
eyes that were like blue flowers,
what interest had you in the book ?"
"None in the world" said Mr..
Maunder, morosely, except that |
wrote it,"
"Why, you clever old boy" ex-
claimed the young lady, rousing into
animation at this announcement.
"Then there must be something in it,"
she said, cheeringly, "else they would
not have published it, would they I
You didn't have to pay them to print
it, did you, Jack? ?"
But Mr.. Maunder, under this sooth-
ing criticism, was rapidly packing up
his artists paraphernalia. with an ac-
cession of gloom, patent to Bernardo
mas blue eyes-"clear windows where
observation sat laughingly."
81 think you are not very polite,
Mr.. Maunder," she said, with pointed
formality, "to leave my question un-
answered, when / have made myself
quite stiff. posing for 'Titania' all the
morning"
"You are always laughing at me-
Dina" demonstrated the young fellow
in tone of sulky complaint, which
produced an exaggerated appearance
of penitence in the incorrigible Miss
Ray.
"On the contrary" she said, with a
wicked little CLEAN of the blue eyes,
II feel sort of reflected glory in
having the honor of your acquaint-
ance, you delightful dilettante young
man."
So Mr.. Maunder pulled at his
moustach in a wrathful state of indie
cision, and swallowed his resentment
as best as he might. He waSa tall
slender young gentleman, with suffi-
cient shape of masculine good looks to
supjugate the average feminine fancy
"a course of conquest he had been
wont to pursue, until Bernardina Ray
had revolutionized all his past expert
ence. She was SO entirely unlike
every other young lady he had hither-
to encountered, with her delicious, tor
menting frankness, and gay spirit of
mischief. That she lived in differ
ent world from his own, was only an
added allurement to the already in
fatuated Mr.. Maunder.
What moments of Intoxicating
bliss he had spent within that little
vine-covered cottage, where dwelt
Bernardina and her widowed mother
or better still, the hours passed upon
the grassy slopes outside, while he
painted Bernardina as Titania among
the fairies, but in reality she resem.
bled more Dresden shepherdess in
bisque, with her intense blue eyes
and finely-grained complexion.
Already Mrs. Maunder, willing
away the summer days at Newport,
had received faint limitations of her
sons latest infatuation, and appre-
hension became confirmation strong as
proofs of Holy Writ, when Jack bold
ly expressed his request that Miss
Ray should receive all invitation to
his mothers garden fete.
On the whole, Mrs. Maunder, with
all her exclusive patrician pride, con-
cluded to concede this card to Miss
Ray, if only as All expedient by which
she might be enabled to criticise this
rustic beauty.
Her son was undoubtedly an emo
tional young man, with an artistic
tendency, and a susceptibility to the
charms of young maidenhood, par
ticularly alarming to the mother who
adored him.
And if her maternal solicitude was
of a somewhat worldly character, she
had proved her confidence in her
only son by an allowance so liberal,
that obviously nothing more practical
could have been expected of him in
the way of achievement, than few