The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-12-25

chased 1t In a musical peal. But the
sunlight on the snow looked black to me
now; the bells only tolled a requiem for
my dead hopes. and the wind, in its
backward rush, only Kissed. .'She loves
him. She loves him!'
Though the horses were freshened BY
their rest and pulled like steam tugs,
Tom still found q way to turn and keep
up . running talk with bis cousin. But
rs he turned on the side away from me,
and the words were swept back on the
wind, only a confused murmur and none
Of their sense reached me.
don't imagine any tumbril passen-
ger. ticketed through for the guillotine,
ever jolted along more miserably than
did those six miles. That morning had
loved Tom Jones as q brother. l had
worshiped the very ground on which his
cousins No. Is slipper trod; would
have crawled on my knees to have her
accept the heart that was hers in its
every pulse! Now hated that brevet
second lieutenant with q mortal hate. I
| would sooner have mixed my heart in q
! hot flip and proffered it to the bearded
lip of the overturned than have yielded
it to the tenderest beseechings Of the
false. the perfidious, the shameless Bette
| Blythe.
| All things, however, even tortures,
have an end, and in course of time we
reached "Shadynook." The minated
mistress Of the mansion was on the
porch, in the primmest of caps and most
q, blankety of shawls, as soon as our sleigh
whirled into the circular drive. Miss
Anna flew down the steps and twined
herself around Miss Blythe, still impli-
Gated in the furs. They were wrapped
1 in each others arms should calculate
some twenty seconds-they seemed to
| me as many minutes-and, as they un-
coiled, got the damaged remnant Of u
confidence. l distinctly caught the
whispered words. 1.-The dearest Of fell
lows!' and "all fixed and ready" from
the perfdious lips of Miss Blythe. To
me at that moment the argus eyed spin
ster. panoplied in immaculate cap and
ditto virtue, seemed q pitiful faeot Of
weak precautions. l felt bitterly supe-
rior to her unworldliness. anl thrilled
with unholy satisfaction that under her
SO guarded roof was introduced clam! IS
tine passion none dreamed of save myself.
| AS for Miss Anna, she seemed blonder
and weaker and more white mousey than
ever in the reflection of the snow alb
solutely despised her as the symbol of
J fragility in her sex-as phantom flower
without even the fiber of womanhood.
Tom seemed to share my feelings in this
respect at least. He barely touched the
tips Of her fingers. and passed on to
salute ancient Prudence in the porch.
Who could wonder? The girl looked
like bleached celery after the spice plant
he had just left!
Dinner that day was a cheerful meal.
The old lady sat grimly at the heal Of
the table, with me on her right, Tom
and his cousin opposite and the White
Mouse at my side. Bette, from wild
exuberance Of spirits, suddenly relapsed
into deep quiet that was almost sadness.
Tom. seeming frantically hungry and
| eating doggedly, said no word. Anna
Bolton never talked before her aunt, SO
the burden of conversation devolved on
me. AS l have said, the ancient I'M
welded was very deaf, and, like many
leaf people, she had the special gift of
yelling especially loud when she desired
to be most confidential Less for her
convenience than to feed my new born
grudge, enunciated most emphatically
all said to her, but at the guilty couple
opposite.
spoke most feelingly on the sin Of
deceiving doting parents-philosophic-
ally of the folly Of impecunious mar
riages. This was a stirrup, and using it
ut once, tho old lady mounted her hobby
with agility surprising for her years.
and logged along till dessert. In common
with every very Grabbed spinster l ever
met, she believed herself especially au
fait in the delicate intricacies of the
married state Had her three score
years and ten been passed with a success
sion of inhuman but rapidly removed
husbands she could not have reposed
more implicit confidence in her perfect
knowledge of double infelicity. And
however she might wander from it, she
invariably came back to money as the
sole pivot around which all happiness in
married life revolved.
"Frightful indeed would it be-" was
the peroration of her long lecture, III
young girls were permitted to choose for
themselves without consulting the wis
dom of their elders. What is the use OF
our experience, our sufferings, our mar.
tyrdom, if we may not point out to our
children the true path to happiness?'
What, indeed?" 1 assented in strident
voice. and then added as q spur. "Ah,
how many = poor girl carves o,lt for her.
self miserable future by an iLconsider-
ate choice and hasty plunge into the
lark gulf Of married life!"
| looked full at Miss Blythe, who never
,olored at my words. nor even raised her
yes from the pudding on her plate. Az
ior Tom he ate his in great, absent
poonfuls. and seemed to have Joined
rs. Jellyby in one Of her rambles to
Irica. But my shot was not wasted.
It scattered. and one slug hit the spin
,ter. Dark gulf' was good, and she
bridled up in minated pride as she an
swered:
How many, indeed! But rejoice to
believe that some husbands are 80 well
regulated as to have the will Of theil
mead both for their law and their de-
light" Here the old party raised hel
voice to the confidential pitch, some
where at A above the line My OWE
experience is proof Of my belief. fol
next month my niece will
Miss Bolton turned scarlet, only Il
grow more white and limp than ever.
under. ood t'!c1 that her engagement
must hive bccl arranged and affair
fastened since her return; but the al
fusion seemed peculiarly painful to her.
"Aunty! 7auuty!' she cried, rising
''shall we not order coffee in the parlor!
As we rose from the table the old lady
took my arm and led me to the post o
honor, the corner Of her special sofa be
side the great fireplace. The other
grouped about the room, with the defian
purpose to be agreeable, but it was no
written that the talk that night was I.