The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1888-08-11
ALMOST LOST
nY CLYDE RAYMOND.

"To give the whole world up, nor call it lost,
If only thou vert mine
To peril heaven for thee, nor count the cost
'Tis thus love thee dear"
Sang fair Airline Ashton with passionate
meaning in every word that fel. so thrill
ingly from her pretty lips. And as the last
note died away, she whirled suddenly
around upon the stool and looked up into
the handsome dark face which had bent so
Lboughtfuly above her while she sang.
''That is love, indeed-the only loye
worth Lying for, Mr.. Creyeling," she ex-
which her listener might take playfu)ly or
in earnest, according to his fancy. But
| wonder how many who profess it really
understand the passion in all its power and
intensity as expressed in the song? Our
proud, lovely Marian over there, for in
misunderstanding her blue eyes slowly to-
ward the other side of the room where a
girl sat playing chess with fine-looking,
white-haired old gentleman. sob, you
needn't color so violently, Mr.. CreYeling'
with rougish little laugh; "of course
we all know that she has yielded, in her
calm, queenly way, to Cupid's fetters.
But still, when look at her, so cold, so
calm, so passionless, l often find myself
wondering whether she really But
there! thousand pardons" - checking
herself abruptly with most captivating
look Of penitence on her pretty face-"l
should not talk like this TO you, of all
men,"
''Pray don't distress yourself, Miss Ar
line," he hastened to say, with more tender
forgiveness than displeasure in his tone.
"You've done no harm, assure you.
You are mistaken In Miss Erskine's nature,
that is ALL She is not demonstratiye,
grant YOU"
airline sighed very softly as she glanced
up shyly and swee;ly into the young mans
dark eyes.
"No," she said, half questloningly
"that must be why | and others have mis-
judged her so. l confess / cannot under
stand how, If one does love deeply and in
tensely, as-as feel 1t would be my natur,
to do-how one could help showing Il il
every word and look. 1t would be foolish
Of course, to thus let ones heart be read al
if it were an open book: but know coulC
meyer be $3.50 cold and-dssembling-ai
Marian Erskinep'
"Dissemblingp'
1t was word that Wilbur Creyelinl
scarcely liked, applied to his betrothe,
wife; his cheek flushed with sudden warmth
and he had opened his lips to demonstrate
but Airline had whlrled back again to tn
piano with one of her pretty, impulsiv
movements, and was repeating in th
softest and sweetest of accents the las
lines of the impassioned song:
ITO peril heaven for thee, nor count the cost
IT'S thus love the dear"
And the dropping blue eyes were raise
to his with such world of tender meanin
in theil half-yeiled light, that the words h
had meant to say were silenced on his lips
So he leaned upon the instrument, look
ing down upon the fair, expressive tacC
and listening half dreamily to the passion
ate words she sang, almost realizing, fo
the first time, that all her heart was in tn
song and that it was meant for him.
He started, with sensation that wa
half shame, half pleasure, as the though
forced itself upon him.
He glanced swiftly across the room
! Marian, still dutifully amusing her fathC
at the chess table, and then back TO IL
fair, winsome face flushed with an emt
tion, the meaning of which had just dawne
upon his senses.
"Marian is eold," he thought, with SOM
thing like shadow of discomfort on h
handsome face. "Arline has noticed |
/, and so, it seems, have others. l have bee
the object Of their pity, possibly. But
they judged her ineapab true loye,le {
could they have thought-oh, impossible
with a thrill OF manly self-contemp
'Marian's fortune is even greater than N
own. No one would be so wild as TO cred
our betrothal to mercenary influences"
Still the shadow fingered on his broy
and some subtle attraction kept him besi,
! the pretty singer.