The Monmouth inquirer., 1889-05-09
MISS CLARE.
By MARIA L. POOL.
CHAPTER 1.


deserted than did that square old house
when I came in sight of it. Its bare
brown sides stood out against the fall
sunshine without q vine clambering near.
At little distance from its southern end
there rose tree, a dying sycamore that
drew itself together and refused to droop
over blackened and messy well curb
that stood at its roots. That was all one
saw in looking from the hill on whose
s.~nv stopped my horse to rest him and
80 self and to survey the country.
Hills rose all round the house, and the
narrow, grassy road on which l was
travelling was the only sign any one had
approached the building since it was
erected.
So thought, till, descending the slope
Ind trotting slowly down the road by
the house, I startled hen with brood
of little peeping chickens from buckle
berry bush close by the way. In1pelled
by strange impulse which did not
understand nor try to resist, | reined in
my horse and dismounted. The chick
ems ran screaming to their mother as |
walked by them to the door. "Poor
things!' said to myself, chow will they
ever get through the winter?' l felt
like saying that to everything I saw
about the place. 1t was quite long
walk from the highway to the door, and
my feet more than once got entangled
among the faded remains of the tall
weeds that had hourished there all sum-
$50, Cloco b1, tJ,a door r woo octonichad
20 see a plot of heliotrope set out in the
sun for an hour at midday, I supposed.
The air was unusually warm for the late
fall and the sunlight fell revivingly on
the sweet purple flowers.
gave resounding rap on the door
with my riding whip that made the
house echo like a great hollow shell.
Then, before anybody should come,
tried to think what l should say when
some one did appear. A middle aged,
ordinary looking woman came from
somewhere far back, l should think, for
heard her walking a long time before
she opened the door.
''Can you accommodate myself and
horse till tomorrow" l asked. 81 am
tired, and would rather stop here than
ride on to the hotel at the next village"
After moments thought and scru-
tiny of my face and dress she replied:
Eyes, 1 guess SO; if you'll take care of
Jour horse yourself"
I agreed to the condition, and she
called child to show me the stable.
little, toddling 4-year-old girl came and
went before me, down behind q knoll,
where found dilapidated barn, into
which introduced my horse
The presence of the child surprised me.
| had not thought there had been
child on the premises for years. tried
make her talk, but she would not, or
could not, SO walked back to the house.
1t was somewhat past their dinner
hour, and I said l wanted nothing to eat
till supper I saw no one but the woman
and child, and began to think I had
courted fit of ennui in yielding to my
impulse and coming to this quiet place.
thought of the heliotrope at the door,
and wondered if it belonged to this wo-
man. 1 studied her face, and decided
that if she wished to cultivate flowers
she would choose a bright, double mari
gold.
I sauntered out of doors, and round
.nto the front yard; the flower pot was
gone. My hostess had not removed it.
knew. had already woven little plot,
the heroine of which should be sweet,
blue eyed blonde, the owner of the hello
trope. Blondes were my favorites, and
this lady must be Saxon beauty.
c,x,.,1o,. !, e1;o1,t do Yl- erir1 oay,oo and
sat down at table opposite me. She be-
slowed deliberate, inquiring look upon
me, and then ate her supper, never even
.lancing my way again. 1t was very
rovoking: that prolonged look seemed
, satisfy Ter that Twas SO very ordinary
,peariny that there was no need of be-
;, ,wing on me another glance. think
j looked at her during the whole meal;
could not help it. Her dark face drew
~ eyes, and unconsciously challenged
hem to peruse it. Her eyes were large
and dark, the darkness seeming to lie
principally in the great power of expan-
sion in the pupil, which was luminous
and soft; SO it was then, though after
ward learned that it did not always pos
sess that quality.
launched several topics of converse
tioa, watching her meanwhile, hoping
she would favor my fral barks with fair
wind, but she did no such thing; she sat
indifferently, and saw every little con-
versational venture sink down disabled
without saying word to save it. men
toned number of places had visited,
in the forlorn hope that might hit upon
one she had seen, and that she might
manifest it. At last I spoke of hearing
a celebrated lecturer at a certain town.
At the mention of the mans name her
whole countenance darkened like cloud
where one expects to see lightning play
ing, but she did not look up, and saw
no lightning.
Iwon't 80 away from here till have
found you out and made you talk" l
said to myself, when she rose from the
table and left the room without having
articulated single word.
So on the impulse of the moment, be-
cause this woman had wounded my van
ity. made that resolve whose execution