Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-03-22

4
Mr.. Van Antwerp 10 see her and 10 urgs
his suit.
They were TO have gone to warreneI
Immediately after the holidays, but Jan
uary came and Nellie had not surren
6ered. Another week In the city, q long
talk with the devoted old mother who's
heart was 10 wrapped up In her SON,
happiness, and whose arms seemed yearn
ing TO enfold the lovely girl, and Nellie
was conquered. II not fully convinced
Of her love for Mr.. Van Antwerp, she
was more than half In love with his
mother. Her promise was given, and
then she seemed eager to get back to the
frontier which she had known and loved
~ . child. II want to see the noun.
tains, the snow peaks. the great rolling
prairies, once more" she said, and he
had 10 consent. Man never urged mors
importunatcly than he that the wedding
should come of that very winter; bat
Nellie once more said no. She could not
and would not listen to an earlier date
than the summer TO come.
No one on earth knew with what sore
forcboding and misery he let her 60. II
Wtho boIsttuluk tttWS 0hIbs 1hayucI COuIu
not help remarking--his unconquerable
aversion to every mention OF the army
and of his own slight experience on the
frontier. He would not talk Of II even
with Nellie, who was an enthusiast and
had spent two yearr Of her girlhood al.
most under the shadow OF Laramie Peak
and loved tho mere mention Of the Wyo-
ming streams and valleys. In her hus-
bands name Mrs. Rayner had urged him
10 drop his business early In the spring
and come to them for visit. lie declared
II was utterly impossible. Every moment
Of his time must he given to the settling
Of estate affairs, 80 that he could be free
man in the summer. He meant TO tako
his bride abroad Immediately and spend
year or more In Europe. These were
details which were industrioiisly circu-
lated by Mrs. Rayner> and speedily be-
came garrison properly. 1t seemed to
the men that In bringing her sister there
engaged she had violated all precedent TO
begin with, and In this instance, at least,
there was general complaint.
Mr.. Blake said II reminded him of his
early boyhood, when they used to take
him to the great toy stores at Christmas:
"Look all you like, long for II as much
as you please, but don't touch" Merton
and Royce, OF the cavalry, said 1t was
simply challenge TO any better fellow
TO cut in and cut out the Knickerbocker;
and, to do them justice, they did their
best to carry out their theory. Both
they and their comrades Of the Rihers
1,atr a.
Travers, and other ladies', less favored,
made acrimonious comment in conse-
quence. A maiden sister Of one Of the
veteran captains in the ---th, damsel
whose stern asceticism Of character was
reflected in her features and grimly illus
trated in her dress, was moved to Gen.
sure Of her more attractive neighbor.
III had given my heart to gentle
man." said she, and her manner was in
dicative Of the long struggle which such
bcstowal would cost both him and her,
nothing on earth would induce me to
accept attentions from any one else, not
even IL he were millions Of miles away"
But Nellie Travers was accepting at
tentions" with laughing grace and cr-
joying tho society Of these young fellows
immensely. The house would have been
gloomy without her and "the boys"
Rayner was prompt to admit, for he was
i'll ut ease and sorely worried, whilo his
infammable Kate was fuming over the
situation Of her husbands affairs. Un-
der ordinary circumstances she would
have seen very little to object to so long
ns Nellio showed no preference for any
ono Of her admirers ut Warrener, and
unless peevish or perturbed in spirit
would have made little allusion to it.
As matters stood, however, she was in
most guerulous and excitable mood; che
could not rail at the real cause Of her
misery, and so, womanlike. she was
thankful for pretext for uncorking the
vials of her wrath on somebody or some-
thing else.
II the young matrons in garrison who,
with tho two or three visiting maidens,
were disposed to rebel at Miss Nell's ap-
parent absorption of all the available
cavaliers at the post, and call her too
lucky girl, could but have heard Mrs.
Rayner's nightly Trades and hourly re-
Dukes, they might have realized that
here, as elsewhere, the rose had its
singing thorns. As for Miss Travers,
she confounded her sister by taking It all
very submissively and attempting no de.
fense. Possibly conscience was telling
her that she deserved more than she was
getting, or than she would be likely to
get until her sister heard Of the adven-
ture with Mr.. Hayne.
''By the way" said Mr.. Royce one
evening rs they were stamping of the
snow and removing their heavy wraps in
Rayner's hallway after series OF garri-
son calls, "Mrs. Waldron says she ex-
poets you to play for her tomorrow
afternoon, Miss Travers. OF course it
will be my luck to be at stables"
"You hear better music every after
noon than can give you, Mr.. Royce"
"Where, pray?' asked Mrs. Rayner,
turning quickly upon them. =
Mr.. Royce hesitated, and--with shame
be it said-allowed Miss Travers to meet
the questions:
"At Mr. Haynes, Kate"
There was the same awkward silence
that always followed tho mention Of
Haynes name. Mrs. Rayner looked an
noyed. 1t was evident that she wanted
more information--wanted to ask, but
was restrained. Royce determined to he
outspoken.
Several of US have got quite in the
way Of stopping there on our way from
afternoon stables" he said, very quietly.
"Mr. Hayne has his piano now, and has
nearly recovered the full use Of his eyes,
He plays WELL"
Mrs. Rayner turned about once more,
and without saying so much as good
night, went heavily upstairs, leaving
her escort TO share with Mr.. Royce such
welcome as the captain was ready to