Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-08-08

turn. 1t may not be for several weeks.
Poor fellow! he was greatly worried about
something or other. l tried to make him
tell me what it was; but he would not"
Natalie's countenance became grave in a
moment. {Ah, MIR. Fairfax, your plan was
~effectual, none could have been more effect
ual. He who secures woman's sympathy
and pity without causing her to suspectthat
he is e~ndeavoring S to do, or even that he
is aware Of the existence of this sympathy
and pity is on the highway to win her love.
Your shaft was well aimed, and vent home
TO the mark)
After Miss Strong had left, Dolores ap-
preached Natalie with the question:
HLittle mamma, where is Mr.. Arthur
Fox2''
"He has gone away, my dear, and perhaps
will not come back for a long time"
Without her being aware of it, Natalie's
voice was tinged with sadness, and whether
it was that the child was affected by the
lugubrious tone, or by the news, she began
to weep.
ssWon't my Mr.. Fox come back for a long
timel Why did he go always Max, he's
gone away, and he didn't come to say good
bye to us, either. Isn't he naughty"
Natalie thought so, too.
She found sfStella Mea'' "a copy of which
she had furtiyely made for HERSELF, and
sang it.
She began to question who this Mr.. Fox
was. He had said Fox was not his real
name. and that he was DESTROYS of privacy.
This little musical composition Of his pos
sessed q certain amount of merit; yet she
felt sure that he was not a professional
musician. There was something, too, about
the man that continually reminded her of
some former acquaintance, or some n
whom she had seen at some previous time.
Who it was she was sorely puzzled to dis
cover.
Natalie returned the call of Miss Strong.
The latter informed her that she was really
quite worried about the absent nephew.
He had not written her ever once since his
departure. She had not the slightest no
ton as to his whereabouts.
All that evening Natalie was singularly
distracted. She could not rid her mind
(nor did she care TOD Of thoughts about
this man.
Do not imagine, good friends, that she
was in love with Fairfax, or even supposed
she was. Had a cannon been suddenly
fired off beside her, it could not have
startled her more than b statement that
she was in love.
She was a sim~ple-minded, unaffected and
sincere girl. She liked Mr.. Fox; thought
their respective tastes were sympathetic,
and believed that each could understand
the other. Her interest went out toward
him in o purely friendly manner. But, IL
Iustrious reader, it must be admitted that
this interest was of such a nature that
some trivial occurrences, some accidental
news, some carelessly uttered word OR un-
guarded tone of voice, might suddenly cause
her to wake up to, and be almost stunned by
its hitherto hidden and unsupported depth.
The factor love was, at present, an unseen
quantity in the calculations of the Princess
Natalie Radziwiil, worthy daughter of the
race of the Hohenzollerns.
One morning, a day or two after her
visit to Miss Strong, Natalie was reading to
herself in the mushroom and Dolores play
ing with the clumsy, patient Max.
A light, quick step was heard upon the
| walk, outside. Max, in an instant, pricked
up his ears and listened anxiously. A
| tenor voice was heard humming the air of a
lively song. Max leaped up, oyerset
Dolores in his eager haste; rushed through
the hall; sprang over the door, the upper
half of which was opeI and, IN his wild Joy,
| almost knocked over the new conner, who
was heard speaking affectionately to the
animal and calling him by name. Dolores,
| too, had recognized the voice and, quickly
picking herself up, ran out and grasped
Fairfax hand, crying gladly:
"My Mr.. Arnold Fox has come back!
Come, little mamma; here he isl"
Natalie, with sparkling eyes n a bright
color in her cheeks came quickly and eager
" forward and took the o~utstretched hand
of her visitor, who held Dolores upon his
| shoulder with the other.
Fairfax had never seen her looking moro
lovely. She was radiantly beautiful. 1t
required all the will hat he could summon
to carry out the part he had decided to play,
and not to assume the natural role of the
lover.
"Oh, Mr.. Fox, your aunt and all of us''-
who sail of us'i were she didn't explain
shave been so disturbed by your absence"
"Ah2" returned he, with a slight rising
infection. II am very sorry to have made
| such n disturbance. When / returned I re-
eeived orders to proceed directly v to
Eld-Field, and make ample apologies for my
sins and deIinquencies. l hope L AVE Miss
Rochefort's forgiveuess"-this last with q
graceful bow n frank pleasant smile.
Natalie replied In the same merry vein:
Certainly, if Mr.. Fox will promise never
to do 50 again.
~ promise, and faithfully will fulfill" he
seturned, again bowling with mock chivalry.
ALIAS. iACs hA1hS q 4oAk "a
music from his pocket, fare several songs
that I have just received, compositions Of
an old friend of mine, a college chum, John
Castro, and a most charming fellow. am
anxious to hear them. VIII you not sing
them for mes;'
She sang the songs, that ~proved-one Of
them especially-unusually good.
Like almost every other action of his in
connection with his prisoner, this little meet
ing was entirely prearranged- He had re-
turned that morning to Glen Gore, and i'm
mediately written a note to Blanche
One sentence in this note ran thus:
"W hen your mistress and Dolores, with
Max, are all together this morning in the
MUSHROOM, and likely to remain so for a
half hour or more, throw open the blinds OF
he windows Of the north chamber, toward
my cottage; then go down stairs and open
the upper half of the hall deor.n
His instructions had been followed to the
letter, u he was again successful.
It was nearly an impossibility to him to be
natural, and no one better than he himself
knew this frailts. Il grieved him. Spring
ing originally from q morbid selfconscious-
ness, il became one of those unfortunate
circumstances connected with his life and
character over which he seemed to possess
no control. At last it grew to such an ex-
tent that he was quite at q loss to know his
own natural tendencies and ~inciinations.
He had fitted himself to so many roles that
he could not detect tho true from the false
those peculiar to bis nature from those for
l eign toit.
He had for some time been debating with
himself which was h best course to pur-
sue in seeking 10 win the Princess affec-
tons.
Should he work upon her pityt Appear
as tho unhappy, inbittered. disappointed
misanthrope, fighting against fates Or
should he adopt the character Of q sincere,
~ngsnnous, sunny and light-hearted mani