Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-12-04
l VICTOR VANQUISHED.

A VICTOR VANQUISHED.
'Ten TO one you'll fall in love with
her. said Fred Edgerly, emphatically.
Il won't take the wager. 1 don't
want to rob you, Edgerly."
"You think you are proof against
any amount of attractions after bear
ing assault and battery from West
Point bellies for five years and up
ward" Edgerly answered, laughingly,
as he glanced at the handsome bronzed
face Of his friend as they drove over
the high road leading from Carmen
Station to Hurlton Top, where the two
men were expected to join Mrs. Hurl-
tons gay party. But you have not
seen Miss ViIer yet; when you do pre-
pare to surrender Internationally"
'You seem TO forget that am not
an impressionable school boy" Lieu
tenant Fleetwell answered, with a
scornful smile curling his lip under his
heavy mustache. 81 have seen hun
dreds OF women handsomer and more
charming than Miss Viner, 1 dare say,
and have escaped heart whole, for
tunately," he added, with a sarcastic
curl Of the lip. which escaped his
friends notice.
Fortunately and why fortunately? I?
Surely when a man is good looking,
wealthy and in the army he ought to
marry and give hostages to fortune -
"Perhaps lie ought, if he can,n SAID
Lieutenant Fleetwell, carelessly.
s'If he can! That can't apply to you,
Fleetwen. There is hardly a woman in
Eve hundred who would refuse you. :"
sis there not? Why?
because you are rich and handsome,
in tie army. and-eligible- =
Excellent reasons for woman to
marry me-" said Lieutenant Fleetwell,
trlfe bitterly, land equally excellent
ones to keep me from matrimony," he
added, as they turned in at the park
gates and drove up the avenue leading
to the old Hurlton mansion. 1t was a
fine day, toward the latter part of Sep
tember, bright and cheerful and sun
shiny, and the grand, stately old brown
stone building was looking its best in
the haze of golden sunlight.
! 1t was upward of five years since
/ Lieutenant Fleetwell had seen his
Cousins stately old mansion, and his
, handsome dark eyes frightened YET
more as they fell upon a lady in a
picturesque tea gown who came out OF
the wide stone steps with her eager
hands outstretched and her dark eyes
aglow with pleasure.
my dear Jerome, how glad am, D
she said, as Lieutenant Fleetwell took
the little hands in his, and bending
kissed them with graceful, old World
coyrtesy, which was pleasant TO see.
"Frank is fishing, of course, but he
will he back early. What an age it is
since we meti'
sit is long time, indeed" :" Jerome
answered in his low, rich voice, ''but
looking at you, Florence, am inclined
to think that it is five months, and not
five years. which have elapsed since
went to West Point"
"Wait till you see my boys" she
said, laughing, as she turned to greet
the young collegian with pleasant, cor.
dial courtesy-and the two gentlemen
followed her into the hall, a stately
apartment in keeping with the exterior
of the mansion. ''Most of my lady
guests have driven over to Handy IS
Head" Mrs Hurlton SAID. as she led
the way across the marble pavement
towards one of the many doors which
opened into the hall; Miss Viner and
are alone. Mr.. Edgerly, have good
tomorrow"
( As she spoke she pushed open a door
leading into a pretty, dainty, rather
asthetic-looking room, where tea was
waiting, and which at first seemed 70
be unoccupied, but as the door opened
a lady who was standing by the opeI
window, turned slowly round and came
towards them, holding out her hand
to Mr.. Edgerly with a smile, which did
not blind him TO the sudden CLEAN oi
intense, eager admiration which flashed
into Lieutenant Fleetwell's eyes a:
they rested upon her face.
She was very beautiful-there could
hardly be two opinions upon that point
She was small, though Queeu-like; and
her dress of some soft cream-colored
material, which fell around her in soft
folds, showed the beauty of a figure
f, which was nothing less than perfect.
Lieutenant FIeetwell-Miss Viner. ,
said Mrs. Hurlton quietly, and Miss
Viner bowed slightly, while the faIntest
tinge of pink rose in her fair face as she
met Lieutenant Eleetwell's eager, dark
admiring eyes.
Hurlton Top was one of the very
pleasantest houses in the country tC
stay at, for the hostess exercised the
greatest discretion and judgment il
the choice of her guests, and spared nC
pains to make their visit an enjoyable
one. Mrs. Hurlton was, Ike another
happy wife, a matchmaker at heart.
1t very soon became apparent tC
some of her lady visitors that theil
pretty hostess had designs against The
peace of mind of her husbands cousir
and Fred Edgerly smiled to himself
as he saw how hopelessly and irretriev
ably In love his friend had fallen Will
Miss Viner before many days haC
elapsed.
September drifted into October. Or
a smooth lake some little distance from
the house, an idle boat with idle oar
was floating down with the current
The moonlight played at will on tbs
placed breast of the lake.
Such the picture had one been me:'
SPECTATOR to the mimic scene-but &
the two actors surroundings were los
sight of-they thought only of them
selves.
Mocking the silver moon. when thel
glanced upward, they could see acros
the lake and through the trees th'
twinklIng lights OF Hurlton Top aLt
hear the merry voices and gay laughte
of the group on the bank from whlcl
they had Just escaped. Arch smiles
had passed between its members a
they had seen Dorothy Viner and Je