Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-01

4
good-looking men; but nobody looked at
him, and he was well-contented that his
beautiful box-companion diverted all at
| tention from even his tooling, of which he
was somewhat proud, though coaching
men only allowed him second rank as a
whip
But while Valerie laughed and talked
gaily, her quick, far-seeing eyes were
searching half neryously among the crowds
by the railing; and suddenly, while a line
OF coaoies stood waiting, she saw the face
she sought, but scarcely wished to see. 4
light color fitted across her own, as for q
moment she met Louis upward glance
full Of pain and anger; then her eyes sank.
and she bowed and turned away. When
she looked again Louis was gone.
There IS Mr. Beauregard's coach Just
behind us, !" said one of the ladies at the
bacS-pretty Mrs. Leicester; but Thought
the Colonel would drive it."
He isn't here to-day at ALL said Law.
ford. Il saw him last night in Whitehall
Gardens, and he said he would be busy al
the War Office"
Was Valerie relieved, or the opposite:
She could not have told; but Mrs. Leicester
said:
DOiutI INC W al OLl1CC. Why COuIUu
the man do his work there another day."
Lawford smiled
a lady's way of looking at business, he
said But Mrs Leicester was right this
time, though she didn't know it.
By-and-by, when the coaches were NOV
ing on at walking pace, the Iron man"
asked Valerie:
WAS not that Mr.. Charters you bowed
TO a little while ago."
He had heard of Louis from Mrs. Lang
ley, though not Of any engagement between
the young man and Valerie.
'YeS," she answered, nonchalaDtly.
My lady was somewhat offended by the
tone.
HE scarcely looked pleased to see you"
continued Lawford; twas it because you
We're hereby me:"
Valerie opened her great eyes on him
with stare of comical surprise.
"Why should he, or anyone, mind that?''
she said, with that determined nat0ete
which is sometimes very aggravating in Q
lovely woman, but very witching all the
same u might have been with anyone
else The Duke Of - offered me his box.
seat; and poor little Emily almost knelt te
me to 90 on his"
'And yet" said Lawford, lowering his
| tone, you gave me the prefcrencew
simply" with a shrug, because if I
went with the Duke the Duchess would be
| jealous; and l heartily dislike Emily"
Lawford's brow darkened.
Am | only a piS GIlGr, then?" he said.
"Houshould take blessings as they come"
said Valerie, grayely, ''and not inquire too
closely why they come. Mono more,
please. One positively can not be serious
on the bOX-seat of q coach; though [ verify
believe you would be serious at a carnival.'
And you serious at nOthing!' returned
Lawford, almost brusquely lie loved Va
| lerie in a selfish, narrow fashion; or, more
correctly, he was dazzled and infatuated,
and wanted her beauty to crown the ediffce
| of his wealth-and shed. by its fame, a kind
| Of halo over himself
His gentle blood and good-breeding saved
| him from being a snob in the worst and
most vulgar sense; but there is a kind of
snobbery which may be found among
well-bOrn men and women, and is more or
/ less offensive to fine senses; and to this
class Aston LaWfOrd belonged; pride, not
of wealth. but of those things which wealth
procures-his pictures, his horses, his
establishment generally. 1.-The iron enter
ed into his soul, " Max Beauregard said of
him once; and, it may be added, the witty
paraphrase in application, but not of words,
was somehow repeated to Aston Lawford,
and then he never forgave it.
| "Now you are cross said Valerie very
Soolly, and struggling her shoulders; but
| fnWardly she quailed. Was she going too
| far with this man? She had never sup
| posed that he really cared for her. Could
it be that he did-that she was trifIing with
| him?
And you-cruelr" returned Lawford,
! lowering his coIors at once. Valerie would
| have respected him better if he had been
| less ready to yield As it was she answer
! ed by another shrug, and bowed with un.
necessary cnpreSSeRept to Harry Dallas,
who was on horseback among the specta-
| tors.
| Some Of the coaches, amC-<g them Law
| fOrd's and Gerald Beauregard's, drove
| down to the Crystal Palace for luncheon.
and there, as everywhere, Valerie Herbert
! was the centre OF attraction If homage
and fattery could make happiness, she
ought to have been sublimely happy.
| Lady ElinOr remarked to her husband that
| the Girl fjrted outrageously, and he smiled.
"What can be expected he said, when
a girl is SO fascinating and men make such
a fuss with her? But 'outrageousiy' is a
| strong term. Is the Lawford affair set
| tled?'
Her aunt told me yes. Valerie has gone
| almost too far to recede: besides. why
| should she, unless some duke or earl came
| fOrWard-and there are none eligible at
| present"
And when Gerald and his wife returned
| to Whitehall Gardens, Max threw down
| the book he had been holding, but not
! reading, the last ten minutes, and asked
i them, smiling, how the meet had gone Off
"Splendidly!' said Lady Elinor ''Why,
| have you heard nothing about it,"
Il was at the War Office, " he answered,
until three O'Clock, and then had a lot
of letters to write, so came straight home.
| You seem tired, Gerald he added, to his
| brother.
81 am; you know how little [ care for
London life. l shall take myself off to Alb,
bots Leigh very soon, and leave you to
| take care of Nellie.'
Then Lady Elinor began to tell all about
| the meet and the luncheon, and of course
| Valerie came to the front How she look.
! ed, what she wore, how everyone said it
| would be "a match" with Lawford; how
| she flirted, and all the rest of it. To which
| Colonel Beauregard listened with a due
amount of interest, and gave no hint that
| he was on the rack the whole time; and
! Lady Elinor afterward said complacently
| to her husband:
cit is lucky Max doesn't seem to have
| taken fancy to Valerie Herbert. He
wouldn't get over it as most men get over
/ disappointments."
/ If she had seen Max Beauregard when