Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-11-30

ugly loon, anu III was With shame as
well as grief in his heart that he set
forth on the ensuing Wednesday after
noon to keep the appointment he had
made with Miss Leslie. Now i'm making
that appointment it had occurred to him
that Miss Leslie would be terribly in his
way, and he had wondered how he
should contrive to get her out of the
room Just for few minutes; but now
he desired nothing more ardently than
the presence of this third person, be-
cause, of course, what he had to say
could be much more easily said to the
two ladies together than to one of them
alone.
Surely, however, he might have known
better than TO imagine that no chance of
speaking private word to Dorothy
would be given him. Mothers who give
such chances are usually sneered at; yet
how can the poor things help themselves?
If we ourselves were mothers, and IL we
had reason to suppose that young man
of large means and excellent character
desired TO say something particular to a
daughter of ours, and if there was but
one occasion left on which he could say
it, what would we do. 1t seemed exceed
ingly likely that we should act precisely
rs Mrs. Leslie acted, and arrange to have
an old lady ut tea with us on the arrival
of the young man. The tea table is in
the back drawing room, there is a fold
ing screen between it and the arm chair
in which you have planted the old lady;
you talk TO your guest about her sup
pressed govt or some other topic of
equally absorbing interest, and you
grant the young man his opportunity
without making IL too diSgracefully APP
parent that you are doing so.
So, when Percy Thorold made his ap-
pearance at the house in Elbury street,
there, sure enough, was the requisite
old woman. and five minutes afterward
he was seated beside Miss Leslie in COM
parative SecluSion. Hard was his fate
and hard the task which he was TO per-
| form. 1t was fact, and rather mel
anchOly one-but nobody will deny the
| fact-that love, more than any other of
the passions TO which we are subject, is
| increased by being thwarted. Never
before had Dorothy seemed so charm
ing, never before had he felt in the
same degree the impoSSibility OF saying
even the most commonplace thing to
her without letting her see how he
adored her. He could not help noticing
that her color was a little brighter than
usual, that her speech was somewhat
quicker, and that there was suspicion
of nervousness in her manner. III was
beyond Il doubt that she had guessed
the original object of his visit and flesh
and blood could hardly withstand the
temptation to give her a hint rs TO the
true position of affairs. However, he
was an honorable man, and he knew
that he must not daily with that temp
tation. To place himself beyond reach
of il he said rather suddenly:
Il suppose one won't see you again
for an age, Miss Leslie? am thinking
of betaking myself to the uttermost
ends of the earth until parliament reas-
sembes."
Well, she certainly looked surprised:
but perhaps it may not have been so
much his announcement as the tremu-
louS voice in which he made it that sur
priSed her.
what do you mean by the utter
most ends of the earth?" she inquired,
smiling. Not WeStmoreland, am
afraid. That is where we shall be for a
long time 10 come"
NO" he answered sadly, mot West
moreland | had an idea OF India and
Japan and San Francisco. | shall hate
the voyages and the journeys, and In
deed the whole thing from beginning to
end: but one comfort is that when 1t Is
over one will never be expected TO do IL
again"
..Oh, dare say YOU will enjoy It," she
said careleSSly.
Il think not: but it is the sort OF thing
that has to be done sooner or later.
Everybody goes round the world nova
DAYS" he pleaded, making his desire to
excuse himself trifle too obvious, land
and | think | have rather Knocked
myself up with these night sittingS, and
no doubt | shall be all the better for a
complete change, though the process
may not be altogether pleasant while it
lasts And then, you know, there is one
great advantage of going far away
which is the intense delight of return
ing to ones friends"
But of course he could not better his
position by such speeches rs that. Say
what he would, the facts remained that
he had paid marked attention to this
girl: that he had begged flower from
her on the occasion of their last meet
ing. and that he had made an appoint
ment with her for the OStenSible pur-
pose of saying gOod-by TO her, and the
unmistakable purpose of saying some
thing else. Now, apparently, he had
nothing TO tell her except that he meant
! To run away. Whether she loved him,
or hated him, or did not care Il brass
| farthng for him, such conduct must in
evitably strike her as contemplate.
And that it did So strike her the unfor-
tunate man perceived plainly enough,
although she said nothing worse to him
| than:
Il can't imagine any delight being
/ exactly intense TO you: you would al
ways be thinking of the reverse side of
the shield, even though you couldn't see
/ it,"
Indeed you are quite wrongF he pro-
tested warmly. Every likely | do keep
rather too watchful an eye upon the
seamy side of most things; but that only
gives me keencr JOY in the things
which have no seamy side And one Of
those things" he venturcd to add,
..would be visit to Westmoreland.
viii YOU be there the whole OF next
winter. do you think? In the month of
January, for inStance?'
Il really don't know; but we live
there and we don't often leave home, y
answered Dorothy.
so that if were to turn up at that
time-if happened to be staying for a
few DAYS with my cousin. Sybil Belvoir
i might hope to find YOU in the neigh
borhood? | don't see why | shouldn't
invite myself to stay with Sybil when /
return" he continued musingly Then
something that he saw in DOrOthy'S face