Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-03-15
CHAPTER XII.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

In spite of the pains and trouble at which
Beautiful Jim had been in order to secure
quiet half hour with Nancy Earle, they
were not long left undisturbed under the
shadow of tho wide spreading tree he.
meath which they had taken refuge For
hardly had they settled themselves there
In comfort before little Violet Leslie, fol-
lowed by the incorrigible Tommy, pushed
aside the branches and invaded their re.
treat; and the incorrigible Tommy, it
must be understood, was quito too full
and overlooking with his own importance
to dream for q moment of betaking him.
self out of tho way for the convenience
and pleasure of his senior officer.
And that happened to be tho very last
chance he had of q quiet quarter Of IN
hour with Nancy Earle before she left
Blankhampton. For no sooner did they
emerge from the shelter Of the branches
than they were seized upon by two of the
Leslie girls, who demanded in their
friendliest tones what was the state of
business At Lady Margaret's stall.
Now, in Beautiful Jims opinion, Us In
that of many another man, the Leslie
sisters were quite the most brilliant and
attractive girls In the town, but. as .
truthful chronicler of Blankhampton life.
| must own that. at that moment, As
found himself wondering what in the
wide world he could ever have seen a..
tractive about any one Of them. Pen
Jim! From that moment until they were
summoned into the Deanery for supper,
he did not get rid Of them, and by that
time his last chance Of quiet talk with
Nancy was gone.
The Leslies did not 20 into the Deanery.
having little festivity Of their own that
night; but q they parted from Nancy at
the door some suspicion Of the truth
dawned upon Sarah.
"Norrie. she exclaimed, as soon -
they were out Of ear shot. did you no.
t 5;c,e anything a1aE unusual about Beautiful
Il thought he seemed uncommonly
dat-for him. that Is" returned Norah,
promptly.
Its that Miss Earle. exclaimed Sarah:
land he is as gone ON her q possible.
What joke-and obi poor old fellow,
what q shame we couldn't leave them to-
gether; she's going sway on Monday"
'Oh. there's the parish Tomorrow"
said Norah. easily.
"Oh. but he il on duty tomorrow,
Sarah cried. Young Towers told me so,
because Jim wanted him to do it, and he
wouldn't. He said old Jim was in an
awful way about 1t"
Then think he might have taken it,
nasty little wretchr said Norah, who had
but little love for Towers LET us snub
him all we know tomorrow"
But all the snubbing In the world didn't
alter the fact that Beautiful Jim had
found no one willing to do his duty, or
that he was eating his very heart out in
barracks on Nancy Earleis last day in
Northampton.
As for Nancy. all the sweetness and
light OF the place seemed to have gone
out. and out Of her life too. so far as that
went She sat long time beside the
open window Of her bedroom that night
thinking - thinking - thinkingl First,
how savage he had been when Violet Les
lie and Stuart came under the treas II
poor dear Stuart would ever dream that
they had gone there for more than i've
minutes rest from the noise and turmoil
Of the fair. And how, when he had es-
pied his servant in the crowd, he had
gwen that hideous cushion to him, and
bede him take it back to bsrracks with
great care. Then how he had sat beside
her ct supper, and how tender and gentle
hand ct parting and locked at her-why.
positively. her cheeks were burning Is
she thought Of it. And then another
thought rose up in her mind, . thought
Of which. owing to her training and the
traditions Of her house, she felt more than
half ashamed.
'If only Stuart had not chosen Just that
spot and just that moment to take little
Violet Leslie out Of the crowd-ahl how
different all might have been"-and then
her eyes fell upon the child's little velvet
pelisse which Jim had won and left be-
hind him.