Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-11-16

ALI OF you--whefe It's good and light"
And lie Hospitality held open the screen
door. Perry had seen the albums dozen
times, but he was for going In with the
others, when he felt little hand press
ure on his arm, and Mrs. Belknap's
great dark eyes were gazing up into his
with niournful, incredulous appeal.
Don't you know want to see your"
she murmured 80 that only he could
hear "Waiti'
And, much bewildered, Mr.. Perry
waited.
through the screen door In the parlof be-
yond, watching furtively until the party
were grouped under the hanging lamps
and absorbed in looking over one an
others shoulders at the famous albums;
then, beckoning to him to follow, she
fitted. like some eerie sprite, on tiptoe
to the southern end Of the veranda,
where clustering vines hid her from
view from the walk along the parade.
Perry began to feel queer, rs he after
wards expressed il, but he stalked along
after her, declining to modulate the
thunder Of his heavy heels upon the re-
sounding gallery. She put her finger to
her lips, and, after nervous glance
around, looked at him warningly, be-
seechingly.
what on carth's tho natter" was all
the perplexed and callow youth could
find to say, and in tone SO utterly de-
void of romance, sentiment, tenderness
anything she wanted to hear-that In
all her sxperience-and she had had not
n little-pretty, bewitching little Mrs.
Belknap could recall nothing so humil-
iating
'How can you be so unkind to me?''
at last she whispered, in the tragic
tremolo she well knew to be effective; it
had done execution over and again. But
big, handsome Ned Perry looked only
like one In a maze; then he bent over
her in genuine concern:
''Why, Mrs. Belknap! What has hap
pened? What has gone wrong? What
do you mean by unkindnessl'
She faced him, Indignantly now: sis
II possible you profess not to knowf'
''By all that's holy, Mrs. Belknap, /
haven't an idea of what you mean to
charge me with. Tell me, and I'll make
every aInenu KNOW now.
He was bending over her in genuine
distress and trouble; he had no thought
but to assure her of his innocence of any
conscious wrong. She was leaning upon
the balcony rail, and he rested one strong
hand upon the post at the shaded corner,
above her head, as ho bowed his own TO
catch her reply.
For a moment she turned her face
away, her bosom heaving, her little
hands clasping nervously, the picture Of
wronged and sorrowing womanhood.
His blunt, ragged honesty was some
thing she had never yet had to deal with.
This indeed was game worth the
candle" but something Of higher order
than the threadbare flirtations she had
found SO palatable heretofore. She had
expected him to be revealed by this time
as the admirer who had only been play.
ing part in his apparent acceptance of
the situation of the last two days; she
expected TO be accused of coquetting
with Dana, of neglect, coldness, insult
tow ards himself; ard this she would
have welcomed: it would have shown
him still victim in her tolls, a mouse
she might toy and play with indefinitely
before bestowing the final coup de grace
But instead of it. or anything like it,
here stood the tall. handsome young fell
low, utterly ignoring the possibility of
her having wronged him, and only beg
ging to be told how he had affronted her,
that he might make immediate amends
1t was simply exasperating. She turned
suddenly upon him, hiding her face in
her hands, almost sobbing:
"And l thought we were such-such
friends!'
Even that suggestive tentative did not
lay him PROSTATE. Fancy the utter in
adequacy of his Responses:
"Why, SO did IL" This was too much.
Down came the hands, and were laid in
frantic appeal upon his breast. He did
not bar the way; she could have slipped
from the corner without difficulty, but
the other method was more dramatic.
LET me go, Mr.. Perry" she pleaded
IL might have known; l might have
known" The accents were stifir,i, heart
rending.
Don't so yet, Mrs. Belknap; don't go
without telling me what--what I've
done" And poor Ned imploringly seized
the little hands in both his and held them
tight. please tell me-" he pleaded.
mo, no! You would not understands;
you do not see what have to bear. Let
me go, | beg, please; cannot stay"
And her great dark eyes, swimming in
tears, We're raised to his face. while with
faint-very faint--struggles she strove
to pull her hands away, relenting in her
purpose to go the moment she felt that
he was relaxing the hold in which they
were clasped, but suddenly wrenching
them from his breast and darting from
his side, leaving Perry in much bewil-
derment to face about and confront the
doctor.
A little opening had been left In the
rai!inG at the south end of the verauda-
the same through which the post surgeon
had passed the night Mrs. Lawrence had
shown to Perry the answering signal
light; it was the doctors short cut" be.
tween the colonels quarters and his own
side door, and soft, undertaking turf lay
there between. Absorbed in her melo-
drama, Mrs Belkpap had failed to note
the coming of the intruder; absorbed in
his own stupefaction and his fair part
ner's apparent depth Of woe. Ned Perry
heard nothing but her soft words and
softer signs, until deep voice at his
shoulder-a voice whose accent betrayed
no apology-gave utterance To this un-
compromising sentiment;
Mrs. Belknap, this is the thirtieth-
no, the iirst-of April"
And what has that to do with your
sudden appearance, DIR, Quin." an
swered the lady, with smiling lips but
flashing eyes. She rallied from the shock
of sudden volley like the veteran she
was. and took the brunt of the fight on