The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-05-09

tfll-tlnltu onthf lpoktu Will no pculRu
expression on the tall stranger.
az have brought the boats" said Bid
dulph, smiling, as he shook hands with
| Nora.
"It is so good OF YOU" she answered.
She looked very bright. The day was
beautiful, for one thing; for another, an
| indescribable feeling OF pleasure and ex-
citcment filled her heart.
"The weather is perfect, isn't it?" she
said 10 Biddulph.
at looks good all round" he answered /;
and his eyes rested on her face as he spoke.
"Miss Nora Stewart has bribed the
clerk OF the weather-olice TO give us one
good day, / believe" said Alick Fraser,
with his hard smile
"llow have | 5ribed him, Mr.. Fraser2'
aslsed Nora, laughing.
Perhaps YOU smiled at him" answered
Alick "and, unless ho was hard
hearted fellow, he could not resist that"
II did not know you ever said pretty
things" said Nora gaily.
when / find any one pretty enough 20
say them 20, you see do"
''Lhcrc, my dearw cried Jock Frazer,
who had been an amused listener 10 his
brothers complimonts "after that you
must make Alick come out of his shell u
Bit Come. Alick, what do you say 10
giving the, 5oung. ladies a dance in your
bran new houscP
But Alick only smiled. II was one
thing TO make pretty speeches which cost
nothing, and another TO give dances which
might cost n good deal.
But just Mt this moment the last guest
that Nora expected drove up in n dog-cart
TO the hall door, and q tall, very slender
man, with dark pale iace-an unmistak-
able O-Indian-appeared.
This was Lord Glendoyne, the impOver-
ishcd heir of q long line, who had been out
in India in the civil service for many years.
He was a graceful man with a languid
manner and smile, and large, wearied-
looking, rather pathetic eyes.
81 am afraid | have kept you waiting"
he said 10 Nora.
81 was just wondering whether you had
forgotten all about our picnic" she an
swered brightly.
'Oh no! but-shall / confess ?-I am n
frightiully lazy man, and II was all could
do 10 get here so early"
81 am very pleased 10 see you. Allow
me to introduce you TO some of your neigh
bors," and Nora presented Lord Glendoyne
to Mrs. Jock Fraser and her husband, to
MIR. Biddulph and Alick Fraser.
81 have had some correspondence with
you already, my lord, think?' said Alick
Fraser.
"Ah-are you the-ah-gentleman from
Glasgow who bought Inismore?" said
Lord Glendoyne, fixing his languid dark
eyes on the man who had purchased the
old ancestral acres of his house.
IL an" answered Alick, with some
pride.
"Ah-I knew it was some one from
Glasgow" said Glendoyne; and he turned
IL ~ IL E,1N
jured, for had not many OF his hard
earned thousands gone into this mans
pocket?
II think we had better go down 10 the
boats nOw," proposed NOra and uncOn-
sciously she looked at Biddulph as she said
this, who at once came TO her side.
ALLOW me, then" he said, ''to carry
your. shawl, and see you safely down the
"Deuced cool fellow, l must say, that"
muttered Alick Fraser.
"a gentlemanly man." thought Glen
doyne, now turning his languid gaze on
Biddulph's face.
But the next moment his eyes rested on
Minnie Fraser, whose extreme fairness
and beauty of complexion at once attracted
his attention.
"Who is that fair girl?" he asked of
Nora.
''That is my half-cousin, Minnie Fraser.
Shall introduce.you to herr"
Thanks; l shall be very pleased"
1t must be admitted that this was rather
cruel of Nora, as her friend Maud Lee had
intended to monOpolize Lord Glendoyne,
and had also openly announced her inten-
ton. But Lord GlendOyne had seen many
Maud Lees out in India, and this fair High
land flower was more to his taste.
He attached himself, therefore, to Min
nie's side, and the young girl was natural
ly flattered by his attentions. And Maude
Lee knew the world too well to show any
annoyance at this; and even when,
later on in the day, Mrs Conway-Hope-
who, after all, had declined to be left at
home-took the opportunity OF whisper
ing in Maude's ear that Lord Glendoyne
seemed evidently to admire Minnie Fra
ser, Maude answered gaily-
"Yes isn't it sad, when hoped he would
admire mel" and she laughed, and Mrs
Conway-Hope felt disappointed that the
clever girl did not show any.
In the meantime Biddulph was walking
by Leonora's side down the steep avenue
which led to the house at Rossmore, be-
meath the falling leaves.
"How fast they are coming down" said
LeOnora, glanCing up at her trees.
81 fancy the touch of frost in the air last
night has sent them more quickly to their
messy graves" answered Biddulph.
"Poor little leaves It's sad to die on a
bright day like this"
"And would you rather die in gloom
and darkness ?-linger on and see your
friends fall one by one-which must be
the fate of the last leaf on the tree, you
knOw?" LeOnora laughed softly.
~ cannot make up my mind, she said.
(which would you rather do?"
"Do you mean live long, sad life alone,
or a short one full of JOY and love?"
'YesP and Leonora's dark eyes fell,
and Biddulph saw wave of color steal to
her fair cheeks.
"My choice is quickly made" answered
Biddulph-"a brief life of love. But" he
added, as If sudden thought had struck
him, "we cannot choose; the thread Of
our destiny is mostly warped for us before
we realize the bitter truth"
Nora did not speak, and the next min
ute Biddulph changed the conversation.
"At picnic we are permitted, and ex-
pected, are we not" he said, turning to
Nora with a smile, "each to bring some
small contribution to the feast?'
"0h, no; / never thought OF such a
thingw she answered, smiling also.
'Well, | have brought myself and my
boats"
"Your boats were invited" said Nora,
amused