Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-25

the-snow music. Still the grandaunt
droned her monotone about marriages,
gave me minute narratives of all her
family's in the past, and, when my jeal-
GUS spite was rapidly yielding to sleepi-
ness, came back to her pet theme of the
White Mouse. | had gone through all
the variations of the fact that she, yield
ing to the ancients will, had become
contracted in formal engagement to
the man of twenty thousand year,
but now l heard for the first time
that the marriage was to take place the
week after Christmas!
'And there is serious reason, my
dear sir, to outweigh all sentimental
nonsense in Annals case. AS you say,
sir, so justly, there can be no happiness
without an income-none, sir!' The old
one laid her hand upon my arm; she was
becoming so confidential she absolutely
yelled, What becomes Of love and SEN
timent and all that trash, should like
to know, when bakers and butchers bills
begin to come in?'
''You are right, madam-a thousand
times right" grew fervid; l glanced
at Jones' The engravings had ceased to
turn over now; his eyes were fixed full
upon his cousins, and his lips moved,
but inaudibly to me. His gesture,
though, was strong and impassioned,
and even as 1 looked those faces came
very close together. At the moment his
was turned from me, but hers assumed
deep earnestness, the eyes filed and
gazed beseechingly into his: then his
hand pressed moment the rose tipped
one that rested Oh the pictures.
God forgive me the bitterness that
crept into my heart then; but it were
hard to sjifff,ar. more than did at that
glance. When spoke my voice sound
ed, through the dead silence of the room
harsh and grating even to my own ears
Eyes, it is more than madness, it is
crime Tor any man to drag a woman
down to divide less than one could
starve upon with decency."
Tom had not one penny beyond his
pay, and that stipend from the fostering
government he was permitted to fight,
bleed and die for amounted to nearly
seventy dollars per month. l did not
stop at the moment to consider that my
income from legal pursuits at the bar of
Pil1eton was an average of some sixty
five dollars less than his. But why should
l? | could never have plead to the in
dictment as to any old mans daughter,
as he and Othello might. But my shaft
fell harmless. He did not even hear me,
and perdition! the fellow hand to the
one he pressed came to the front and
rested on top Of his.
Meanwhile the ancient gal by me
grew more and more concentrated from
my sympathy, and of course more and
more hopeless in her effort to whisper
1T is u priceless treasure" she
screamed, ''to have a child like mine-a
little self willcd sometimes, perhaps,
but combining affection with prudence
in a remarkable degree. She will be
picture of perfect happiness after her
marriage with Mr.. Goodwin Moon
light Sonata stealing from behind the
piano top was cut short in mid bar
''but fear, l fear"--the eyes of the old
Argus peered over her specs III the
direction from which could not draw
mine-'my old friend Blythe is very i'm
prudent, very, indeed. Those cousins
sir, are too much together"
They heard this time. Dame Eleanor
Spearing would have heard.
Tom looked up. His face wore that
expression Of mixed feeling and anxiety
his broken conference had left; but yet
the eyes that shot a glance at mine were
full Of arch amusement. AS l dropped
my gaze and crimsoned to my ear tips
they again sought his cousins. THAT
oval face was demure even to primness.
Its expression never changed as Tom
muttered something of which l only
caught deaf as BEETLE" and ''expect
her to be blind as q batv' The express
sion never changed, but the black eyes
glittered and danced in that madness Of
mer1iment had never seen in those of
any one else.
Anna, dear" she said, moving quiet
ly to the piano, lit is very late, and we
are keeping aunty up"
Then, as it were, she extracted the
blonde from behind the instrument and
moved toward us as we stood around the
fire. We all said good night, but ap-
parently in very different mood, and
certainly in very different manner. Tom
was peculiarly demure, but there was
all odd twinkle in his eye as he wished
the spinster pleasant dreams. l felt an
awkward consciousness that l had not
acted too handsomely, and Bette Blythe,
with what considered palpable effront-
cry, offered me her hand. Had been
the ice tiend, she would have fro
zen at the touch of my fin
gers: but she only smiled and
kissed the Ancient Finally, the White
Mouse clung about the withered neck Of
her relative-who remained in biissful
ignorance of having taken the whole
party into her confideuce-with what
appeared to me most unnecessary fervor
CHAPTER ".
ODD Condolences.
pressed my forehead close against
the diamond pane Of the old fashioned
chamber allotted to Tom and myself,
and tried hard to think But cold as
the glass was my brow grew hotter and
hotter; my brain refused to grasp but
one idea, that had been BETRAYED. that