The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-09-07
WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY HERALp,
Among the Scarlet Runners.
BY j. Z. KING.

Dulce stood on the west porch watching two
figures come up the dusty road. She was asweet-
looking morse standing there with her white
dress fitting perfectly the rounded lines of her
plump little figure and the rings of her shining
black hair blowing almost into her blacker eyes,
Although the day was sultry, a slight breeze rus
tied through the old appletrees beside the porch,
and the vines of scarlet beans with their bright
green leaves and vivid blossoms waved lovingly
against her curly head. She raised herself on
tiptoe as the figures came nearer the gate, and
hastily breaking off bit of the gorgeous color
ing pushed it quickly into her belt as she ran
down to welcome her visitors.
The newcomers were strong contrasts to her.
the girl, Gertrude Kent, slight, graceful, and will
lowy, with deep, dusky eyes, and a proud, petu-
liant expression on her oval face; the man stall
wart, tall, with broad shoulders and merry,
laughing eyes, Dulce held out both her hands to
them. turning her bird-like head now on one side
now on the other as she ratified on in the happy,
light hearted way that Philip Renolds remem-
ssr sersd Is @ M0w a DID dit that they S
trude have nice time in Boston? Did Philip
pine efor Germany again? Didn't they both think
Hedgeheld duller than eyer ? And so on, until
her breath gave out and she threw herselflaugh-
ingly beside the other two on the grass to wait
for the answers to her questions.
The man leaned indolenty back against tree
and let his companion reply to the small nterro-
word now and then to brighten up the rather un-
interesting ACCOUNT, So Dulce soon knew the
grown up, had left Germany for his native VII
lage one month before, had arrived in Boston,
met Gertrude Kent, whose father was the owner
OF the Hedgeheld factory, and had come to the
village on the same train with her. That was all,
and really, Dulce said with pout. it wasn't half
as interesting as she had thought it would be
when she saw them coming up the road.
Dulce had always worshiped Gertrude Kent.
for she adored beauty and admired Gertrude's
many little elegant ways. but she was not blind
to her faults, and saw the dormant selfishness,
that had never yet had occasion to come to the
q q fine n
craving. She liked Gertrudes home, with its
and flower beds; the great house, with its grand
rooms, roo iS It's soft carpets, magnifcent paintings
@ and the abundance a e Of iu5uriousness @ that Aft filled
cold, fashionable man, Gertrude's father, who
brought his motherless daughter to Hedgefeld
her grandfathers small white house. How Dulce
loved that house! A long, low building, with one
open to the west. the eastern one covered with
honeysuckle and climbing roses, the western one
those far better than any of the flowers in the
garden beds or1n the conservatory at Gertrude's.
be ee M % deefb nae M pro her to
mother she had felt sympathy for the bright
scarlet flowers. They seemed, like her, out of
place in the quiet home of that dear old Baptist
minister. Ever since she could talk she had
drawn down the sweet flowers to her lips aud had
nesses. Almost the first name the flowers had
heard had been Philip. Little pouting lips of
kind to her doll or her kitten, how much she
loved Philip. Later shy girlsh lips pressed close
out of all the rest in the games how he was to 20
to college, how he had come home and then gone
back to go IN turn still further away.
Dulce felt strange pang at her heart as she
watched Philip and Gertrude talking together
when they left the parsonage gate, but she had
analyze the strange, dull feeling. She put aside
the vines YEARLY. and went into her grand:
man with the sensitive face that so many men
S.,l who have not been fully understood possess,
ing and said as he read the question in her eyes.
Yes, dear, notice about the mortgage from
meet it.. We must co." and the old man leaned
his aching head upon his trembling hands
4Sdt Ruiee fofgot or o. her own disappointment in the
grandfather She kissed his white head, twined
ner arms about his neck, and told him in her
simple way how much she loved him. OF course
she could not help him in any material way, but
her sympathy entered the old mans heart, and
he left her at last and went to tell the to his
wife, who received it in the stole manner that he
had learned to dread Mrs. Mason was the re-
New England daec Her Sharp ar IN
took in all the imperfections at the first glance.
She was a model housekeeper her pantry shelves
were always stored with all the delicacies that
her hands knew how to prepare; her linen was
grew in the little garden under the apple trees
When Mrs. Mason read the note concerning the
mortgage she handed it back to her husband
turned and called "Duice!" Dulce ran in.
"Dulce, she said, in her usual calm tone, ''go up
the hall closet. Your grandfather thinks we
must move ina month, and it would be well to
have them ready to pack" Dulce went; she saw
the look Of distressed grief on her grandfather's
line old face. the look of scorn on her grand
mothers, that said as plainly as words, IF your
grandfather had not gone bOndsman for your
father, my Step-sOn, this would never have hap
pened!" Dulce flew out of the house, her heart
filled with anger at the thought OF her grand.
mothers calm insults, and running down the
road she flung herself under low red maple
She had scarcely thrown herself down before she
felt that some one was gazing at her, and peeping
up from between her hands she saw Philip Rem.
olds bending over her. Instantly her mood
changed. She tried to feel for her grandfather,
side her one whom she had loved so faithfully
was SO great, and she listened with delight to his
stories of his life during the past four years, and
heard him praise the beauty and grace of Ger
trude Kent without the slightest jealousy-she
felt so surel
After the arrival of Philip Renolds and Ger.
trude Kent the village woke into lfe picnicE
were arranged; dances, much to the disgust OF
the older heads of the community, were held al
the largest houses, and everywhere people were
beginning to enjoy themselves as they never had
before To all these places Dulce went, and sang
and danced as happily as the rest; for did she moi
love Philip Renolds, and did he not seem to care
for her? To be sure, there was the mortgage Il
worry her, but there was her grandmother, who
seemed to resent her ever thinking of that excep
when she reminded her of il by asking her help
in packing some box to be moved.
During all this time Philip Renolds had been II
aquandary. He felt himself to be in love will
two women; which he loved best he could no
tell. Sometimes he thought IL was Gertrude
with her sweet, dusky eyes and her willowy
figure. Then he was sure il was Dulce, with hel
pewltching dimples, her merry eyes and the lit
little curl she gave him when he went away tC
college, ana strolled in the direction of the par
sonage meaning to show it to her, and ask her il
sle nag forgotten IT. Dulce was standing in the
FIf a N..g 1H,el el,s.., Ill.