The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1889-10-17

hOOd!-that you fail to note that to
Ef1ie's cheek comes neither paleness
nor color when you address her? She
is sweet. Bingo, and very gentle; but
her sweetness is not to be your portion.
Many miles away there is certain
Prussian officer who won the girls
heart while she was still at school in
Germany. and if Effie were not such a
pitiful little coward she would tell you
quietly one day, in her half-frightened
tone, that that long-legged Uhlan's
photograph is stitched inside her dress
and worn there from morn till night.
But Ellie is rare coward, aid like all
such. she temporizes. She draws out
the photograph at night when she is
alone and talks to it and cries over it,
tells it with piteous culver of her UNI
| derllp that she is so. SO unhappy. and
oh, why does he not come here at once
and tell her for the hundredth time
that he loves her? She is sure that if
only he gets chance of tackling Aunt
Maitland, that lady will be worsted.
and will flee away before the all-con-
quering invader.
II can not tell Mr.. Bingo," she con-
tesses to the photograph with many
sobs. He is 50 nice, but if I tell him
about you, Wolfrath, he will go away,
and will never walk again in the
meadow with me. And then Aunt
Maitland will find out at once that |
have sent him away. Oh! Wolfrath
| dear, she would be SO dreadful! She
has never seen you. so she can not be-
lieve how noble and perfect you are
you always admired me, always-and
so she says that she will never let me
marry foreigner. She drags me about
with her from place to place, and she
| says that it l ever mention your name
again to her she will make me marry
that horrid Mr. Trelawney, whom
can not encwlre. She has left me in
peace the last month because she thinks
that Mr.. Bingo likes me. And l do
feel so unhappy ABOUT it all. Wolfrath.
come to me! do come to me"'
This is all very we'll, Miss Effie! All
the world knows that when two young
people determine that in spite of all
opposition they will marry each other,
they are sure to obtain their hearts
desire. Therefore, in spite Of all your
present woes, l say that is all very we'll
for you, and also for the long-legged
Chlan, though at this moment he is
existing in a state of deepest gloom
because he can not obtain foreign leave.
But how about Bingo? Has he not
also his hearts desire? Is he too old
to indulge in that blissful pastime en-
titled castle-building? And is it not
hard that his fabric should be shattered
in order that you may mount little
higher by aid of his goodly pile of ru-
ms? 1t is not too late even now to
confess all to him. and you know that
he will forgive you for the pain you
have caused him.
But at these prickings of conscience
Eftie only buries her face little deeper
in the pillows and cries yet more,
moved thereto by an overwhelming
and enervating sense of self-pity.
The summer days pass by, and
autumn frosts set the woods on fire-a
| fire of color without heat. Still Bingo
builds his airy castle. adding tower
upon tower in the golden light Of H.
fusion. And still Mrs. Maitland blows
the loud trumpet Of her own great
and good deeds, turning the while a
deaf ear upon the low, piteous sobs
which echo each night in her neice's
room and refusing to be touched by the
mute unhappiness of the white little
face that is turned each morning so
pleadingly toward her at the advent of
the post-bag.
Johnny and Alicia still adore and
renounce each other on alternate days,
taking small notice of Bingo and Effie,
too wrapt up in themselves to notice
the feverish intensity which burrows
Bingo's face, and lends unnatural
brilliancy to his eyes. And the seven
small MacTavishes still skirmish round
their elders, eat, drink, sleep and fight
from sunrise to sunrise.
At last there comes glorious Octo.
Der afternoon, the air crisp and bright,
the sunshine flashing through the
crimson leaves, and across the meadows
steps Btngo. his good-tempered mouth
set firmly, and with a resolution in his
gait that shows itself even in the car
riage of his shoulders.
"Chivalry's pearl is going a-wooing,
| says Tammy in an awed tone. Five of
the children are perched on q rail in
the sunlight, four of them are eating
sugar monsters with red and yellow
wings and tails, while Tammy is nib
bling meditatively at chocolate tor
toise. ale has got on his best nat,
and l heard nurse say to cook this
morning that Miss Vivian might go
down on her Bonded knees every day
of her life to think that she had got
such nice young man.
"Nurse is vulgar" says Joe, tersely.
And again silence falls on the quin-
tet as thev continue to enjoy the sugar
monsters.
Then suddenly the five children sit
very still, and forget to go on eating,
| for three figures appear in sight upon
the ridge against the horizon-a girl
in dark serge dress clinging to the
arm of a tall, thin young fellow. her
golden hair flying in confusion over
his shoulder-the tall, thin young man
expostulating and gesticulating wildly
with his unencumbered arm, and a few
feet off them a shorter. squarer figure
with bent head, standing listening,
motionless as statue, against the
evening sky-just standing, listening.
For a moment the tableau is accent
uated by the dull glow in the West.
Then the warm flush fades. The short,
square figure moves slowly away across
the darkening meadow, still with bent
head and resolute, logged shoulders,
but with curious unevenness of gait
and then Ta1nmy bursts out crying,
and clinching her fist shakes it furi-
l