The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-04-03

81
stance of souls getting into wrong bodies as
in the case of that girl and her twin broth
er, sir. Phil, my lad, look here. 1t makes
her hopping mad to say it, but-your ear,
boy-he's young milksop. 1t breaks my
heart, sir-it breaks my hearth
The Colonel sat rubbing the knee Of his
uppermost leg with his open palm, and
pursed up his lips as if to whistle, but sud
denly turned and spoke again.
''And the way that child loves him is pos
itively pathetic. Phil-'tis, on my soull To
hear her talk you'd think he was the smart
est, bravest, pluckiest - well-wen- the
boys never been tested, that's fact. I've
hopes of him-yes, hopes of him., said
| the Colonel, who would never have made the
foregoing admission had 1t not been for that
extra glassful of the mysterious beverage,
drunk in Boughton's honor.
Boughton all this time was steadily Won
dering if Judith would give him chance to
make his graceful speech by appearing at
dinner.
The Colonel, who was a mighty hunter
and sportsman generally, always dined late
at this season Of the year. He employed an
| overseer, and spent most of October and
November in fox-nuntlng. SO it came to
pass that they dined as rule by candle
light.
Phil spent round hour in making him.
self presentable. He was a well-looking
young fellow, with long, clean limbs, and
curiously naughty pose of head: His hair
was as abundant and waving much after
the fashion of Judith. Perhaps his mast de-
lightfpl feature was his mouth-well curved
and parting little one-sidedly over uneven
and very white teeth. His luggage had fol-
lowed him in the care of his body servant,
and he eissued from his room finally as de-
liciously and fragrantly fresh as it is only
given to fair men to appear.
When he entered the drawing-room he
found, little to his surprise, that Judith
was there already, engaged in the start
ling feminine employment of knotting.
Boughton only saw that her foot, in its
bronze slipper and silk stocking, was very
slender-slenderer than any he had ever
seen, in fact-with an instep under which
the young man was convinced he could have
rolled good sized marble
She had on nice little frock of some
creamy stuff, that fell about her, gulltless
Of crinoline, and q string of blue Persian
beads around her throat.
The Colonel was revolving slowly before
the fire, with parted coat tails, at the same
time rocking backward and forward on his
toes,
Boughton paused In the hall some time to
watch them. They made such pleasant
picture In the welded light of the wax can
dies and leaping fire. Beyond them was the
handsome desk of the oak-paneled room,
ITS high, carved furniture and big French
mirrors.
As he entered he saw that in one of these
mirrors was another Judith, and another
and another, and another, stretching, like
the kings in Macbeth, to the crack of DOOM
for all he could tell. And they were ali
snotting, and all had delicate feet In bronze
slippers, and wore blue beads, aud not one of
them looked up at him, although the Colonel
came boisterously forward, and hauled him
in by both hands, and he bade his lass give
greeting to her cousin Phil.
Quote she,
siYes, dad, dear, that's all right; we have
met already. My ball, dad, darling; you
are stamping all over 1t. Thanks" as Phil
handed it to her.
Now, the Colonel was a good deal, as he
would express it. ACKNOWLEDGMENT He
said: 'sHeyl what's that9" and looked from
one to the other, and let go of his coat tails
| in sheer amazement. But as Mistress
Judith maintained uubFokep silence,
| and appeared absorbed in her lfnotting,
Roughton was at the palma of explaining
| that be had met his cousin on the high
road, and how they had mutually recog-
nized each other.
As he made these remarks he caught
himself watching the subject of them out of
the tail of his eye, and fell moreover, into
2 strange fancy which liRened tho slim
foot in the gray allk meshes toan iridescent
beetle caught in somewhat bulky SPIDERS
web. Her hair was just about the color Of
her shoe, he observed-a little redder, per-
haps-and bow of blue ribbon fluttered
over her fair bosom like butterfly.
The Colonel laughed good deal, and he
had the rare Accomplishment, or, rather,
faculty, OF laughing we'll He was as hand
some as his daughter, in q more regular
way, and wore hls thick, Fiotously-curling
hair in q queue. He had broad chestnut
eyebrows, that met above his nose, which
had apeanut like but arlstocratic ripple in it,
and his mouth was set between two longish,
curving dimples. like a pleasant sentence
between two brackets. He had deep
cleft in his chin, which was sometimes