Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-07-25
toned. "One is tempted to become per-

toned. "One is tempted to become per-
sonal when such remarks come from one
who is said to count his conquests with
cruel pride, and to whom the world gives
no higher aim than to fascinate-and re-
main careless. Am too plain? Forgive
me-"
81 forgive you freely-as I would for,
give you all things, Miss Annes but
neither you nor the world fully under
stands me. / may seem a trit1er; but
were the woman love to love me in re-
turn no smile would be so sweet as hers,
no presence half so dear"
Mollie had been watching the couple on
the sands going slowly back and forth,
in the moonlight; now she lifted he sweet
young face and looked at him with sort
of wondering pity.
"Do we all wrong you, then ?" she ask
ed, gently. "Have you failed in your
wooing? Can you not win where you
love?"
His face flushed little at her words,
and she watching it, was struck by its
strength and beauty. How did it chance
that she had never noticed it before?
II am not left the chance to WOO or win
her." he said, slowly 'she is another's
promised wife,"
"Ah," she said, pityingly; and she gave
him her hand in sweet, womanly sympa-
thy, never for an instant connecting his
words with herself. He lifted the small
hand reyerently to his lips, and drawing
it through his arm turned toward the
beach. AS he did so he found himself
facing Ned Tremaine and Laura Lovel,
who were coming in from the moonlight,
and he noticed that the young mans face
was quite white, where there was a half
scornful smile on the lips Of the fair belle
of the seaside. But the two couples pass
ed each other in silence, the one going
! down to the stretch of the glittering sand,
the other going in to the dancers:
A week later, and Mollie had just come
in from long hour peaceful and calm,
spent with Lee in quiet nook among the
rocks that overhung the ocean. He had
been reading to her there some of the
sweetest poems given to the world by ge-
MUS. Her heart had thrilled as he read,
and new, strange feelings had stirred It,:
When he closed the book he had looked
up and found her eyes filled with tears.
And now in her own room she was asking
herself how it was that what she had
commenced but for the purpose of annoy
ing Ned had in one brief week slain all
her old resentment against Miss Lovel and
made her thoughts turn constantly, not to
Ned Tremaine, who was sher affanced hus-
band, but to Lee Stone, who was termed
the greatest firt at the beach. What was
changing in her life? When she now met
Ned and Laura it did not pain her as it
used. Was it because handsomer face, a
stronger and nobler face than Ned's was
constantly near, ready to turn to her with
devotion, ready to light if she smiled?
A servant broke her ponderings by bring
ing her two messages-one boquet OF
white flowers with few feathery sprays
of fern among their whiteness and one
crimson rose cleaning red from their cen
tre, and in it was note from Lee asking
her to go for drive with him by moon
light; the other was few angry lines
from Ned, asking if she remembered
that she was betrothed to him while she
allowed every gossip at the hotel to chat
ter of her filtration with Lee Stone.
II have been patient, waiting an oppor-
tunity of speaking to you, he wrote, but
you will not give me one, so l write to
ask if you wish our engagement broken !;
to all it would seem So"
She trembled little as she read, and
her sweet face changed color; but she
went to her desk, drew from it every letter
he had ever sent her, formed them and
his ring in package, and wrote him the
following note:
1t was who first taught patience while my
existence was forgotten for one who was what
YOU bade me becOme-"a society character
Why should fancy that you wish an interview
with me of late? 1t is not so long since you
could not spare moment for me from Miss
Lovel. Do | wish our engagement broken? ?
Perhaps we both wish it, Ned at least let us
break it, since so displease you. send your
letters and ring.
Then, although a choking sensation was
in her throat, she penned brief note to
Lee:
"I shall be pleased to go with YOU"
that was. all; and in the staright-the
moon rose late-she went with him out
over the beach and far along the country.
Was it strange that he noticed she no
longer wore Ned's ring? Was it strange
he told her of his love, and that she lis
tened silently, believingly, with q strange
flutter at her heart? Was it strange that
when they drove back, lingering beside
the sobbing ocean, another ring should
deck her finger and another bond should
lie upon her life? Well, two others walk
ed upon the strand, two whom the gossips
called lovers; and yet when it was told
that Mollie Annes was to place her happi-
ness in the keeping of the "flirt of the
beach," one man who heard it turned as
| white as death and shrank from the sight Of
the beautiful woman beside him, although
men called her fair, and many said she
had won him from his faith; yet Mollie
was too happy to regret, although she
sometimes Observation-Disclosures Blade.