Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-08


clam always forgetting l am COVER
ness, am afraid, - said poor Nancy.
''Please continue to forget it, as you
are perfectly unlike one; a governess to
my mind should be a middle-aged
woman, of angular form, a rigid coun-
tenance and wear speotacles-not q lovely
girl-but do not think me rude
81 might wear spectacles, said
Nancy, with soft little laugh, and for
a moment she raised her bright shining
dark eyes to Gilmore's face.
$50 you might, :" he answered laugh
ing also, 'but viii you take them off
please when you talk to me?n
81 must not talk to you any more,
Lord Gilmore. -
fOh! yes, you must, you musti Not
talk to me indeed-If 1 thought you
would be so unkind 1 should do some
thing desperate. -
Nancy suddenly began to feel very I'M
comfortable, and dim shadow of Lady
Blenkensop rose before her mental
vision.
81 really must go in now, - she said.
''Because you think am talking non
sense? It's only my way, Miss Lotus,
and you must not be angry
''But it is getting late.
''Oh, no, it is not; let us go into the
palmhouse and walk under the shadow of
their big leaves.
And Nancy went, and beneath the
green shade of lofty palms and huge
banana trees Nancy found herself talk
ing TO Gilmore of her life in India and
telling him of the beauties and splendors
of that wonderous land.
''And now my poor father s grave is
there she said with simple pathos,
and Gilmore watching her saw in an in
slant her eyes grow dim.
''It was very sad,'' he said, with
ready sympathy.
sit was more than that; we were
looking forward to his coming home
and it nearly killed my mother. -
"You must not talk of it, for Gil
more liked not sad subjects; 1--WE must
try to make your life little brighter
here. -
All this time he was carrying the
gorgeous flowers he had gathered for
her land presently when Nancy perceived
the, increasing gloom outside. she in
sisted on returning to the castle, and
after urging her more than once to re-
main little longer, Gilmore was forced
to submit, and presently the two young
people were passing down the dim walks
of the dusky gardens, for the winter
twilight had already stolen around them.
At length they reached one of the en-
frances and Nancy stopped.
81 must say good evening here, she
said.
Gilmore held out his hand.
''You must tell me what it is?''
''That l shall see you sometime. I
shall not soon forget the pleasant after
noon 1 have spent.
''Well, perhaps-sometimes, an
swered Nancy, pulling her hand from
his; and then excited, flushed, and with
a vague consciousness that she had been
doing something wrong, she hurried to
her own part of the great house, and
when she reached the schoolroom sat
down there, breathless, but feeling hap
pier than she had ever done at Wrothsley.
And her flowers, what was she to do
with them? Nancy now asked herself.
They were sure TO attract the children g
attention if she left them in the school
room, and the maid-servants If she took
them to her own room. At last she car
ried them thither., but could not resist
placing lovely rosebud close to her
shapely throat. And on Miss Dossy s re-
turn she instantly observed this.
''What a splendid blossom - re-
marked Dossy IN her old-fashioned way.
"Where did you get it, Miss Loftus?"
81 have been through the conserva-
tories, :" answered Nancy with q guilty
blush.
land one of the gardeners gave It to
you? I am glad he did for they are very
mean about their flowers.
Nancy allowed this to pass, and then
Dossy, echoed by Flossy, began to tell
of their visit to Goteford Manor House.
"She is an immensely old lady you
know, our grandfather's sister, and
she says such funny things, mother sent
us out of the room that we might not
hear.
The 'funny things'' that Miss Clifford
had been saying to Lady Gilmore had in
the meantime put that lady into state
of extreme agitation and alarm. Lady
Gilmore had not seen her husband IS aunt
since Gilmore's "accident,'' as his
wound was generally called at wroths-
ley, and scarcely had been five minutes
at the Manor house before Miss Clifford
began on the subject.
Well, my LADY, said the old
woman, fixing her bleared eyes on Lady
sallow face, and calling her
"My Lady with a touch of derision
on her ancient tongue. $50 you've had
fine doings at Wrothsley since I saw
you..'
'You mean about Gflmore's dreadful
accident?''
ACCIDENT" sharply replied the old
spinster, I'm told that it was no acci-
dent; that some woman had a finger in
the pie.
$50 out of the room into the gardens,
Dossy and Flossy,' said Lady Gilmore
to her little girls, with suppressed emo
ton, and when they obeyed her she
turned to Miss Clifford in some excite
nent-
"You should not say such things be-
fore the children, - she said, in an sgi-
lated voice; ''it-is mere gossip-GIl<
more was shot by accident, believe by
'ome poscher. -
ga poacher with a petticoat then 1
am told, ehuckled the old lady.
There are fine stories afioat about it,
ian tell you; they say some woman shot
Gilmore in Jealous rage. and then shot
herself. Ay, ay. he's just like his IA
after the women.''
"I-I-cannot sit and listen 20 this, -
laid Lady Gilmore, rising excitedly.
'It's true enough for all that, - went
IN old Miss Clifford ruthlessly, otis in
he blood, even Thomas the old man