The Opelousas courier., 1891-06-20

picked it up, and with an embarrassed lit
tie bow went on.
"Why aunt" he said, as she passed
into the hall, ':she is as plain as a little
nun. From your enthusiastic praises, |
bad expected to see u perfect wild
rose."
"she is a dear little thing" was Mrs.
Sutheriand's reply. "You must know
her we'll to appreciate her thoroughly"
Upstairs in her room, with her chin in
her hands and elbows on the window
sill, Sally was gazing abstractedly out on
the lake. "What glorious eyes he had"
she said to herself, land what a voice.
He is the handsomest man I ever saw"
Naturally klnd-hearted, and one lie
most courteous of men, it was a very
easy thing Tor Sydney Lambert to be
particularly NICE to his aunt's guest.
He was a confirmed cid bachelor, Mrs.
Sutherland told her, over thirty-fve; and
to Sally's eighteen years, that did indeed
seem a great age. He thought of her
only as a child, and exerted himself to
help his aunt give her a good time. He
delighted her with his constant little at
t~entions and eff orts to entertain her.
1t was a part of the new life she could
not grow accustomed to. She told her.
self over and over that it meant nothing.
1t was mere formality that made him
spring up to open a door for her, to offer
her a seat, to fold a shawl around her
when the evenings grew cool. Jonas, in
all his years of devotion, had never been
so observant. He never watched for a
chance to render the little services
which SO gratifed her pride, and won
her regard.
Sometimes q little thorn crept in
among her roses. She felt it when she
sat quietly beside Mrs. Sutherland in the
evenings, listening to the dreamy waltzes,
and watching Mr.. Lambert dancing with
u after another of the graceful girls in
their pretty gowns.
She had never feared to dance. She
felt it again sometimes in the mornings.
when she sat in a cool corner of the long
parlors, with a book, and he turned the
music for some ones white fingers to
play. She looked respectfully at her W
small hands. They were hard and red,
though shapely, and they had no accom-
plishments. She felt it again when she
met him going through the corridors,
racquet in hand, and looking handsomer
than ever in his tennis cap and blazer.
She might have excelled at that game,
but she had no costume like the other
girls. So she missed that pleasure too.
But she forgot about it when he
strolled with her along the beach, or
talked to her on the piazza. Once he
brought her a cluster of pond-lilies, and
once when they had walked down
to the pier in the twilight, he had taken
her for a short row on the lake.
How handsome ne had looked with
his dark head thrown back a little, as he
talked to her, and how his voice rang out
across the water, when he sang a line
from some opera, just to show how it
went.
One morning, as she was about to start
down to the steamer with a little fishing
party: to spend the day across the lake,
a bell-boy brought her a letter. It was
from Jonas. Poor old Jonas!" she
thought regretfully. She had forgotten
her promise to write to him. She had
almost forgotten him. She half wished
she had not promised to write. Then
Mr.. Lambert came up and took her wraps
and she slipped the letter into her pocket,
unread.
One thing stamped that day indelibly
on Sally's memory. Somehow, coming
home, when the steamer stopped at the
pier, she lost her balance in the rush of
the crowd, and slipped. In a moment
she was in the lake, going down, down
in the cold water. It seemed to her ages,
but it was only an instant until Sydney
Lambert's strong arm held her fast,
and he was swimming with her toward
the shore.
She did not go down to dinner that
evening. She leaned back in a great
armchair, lazily slipping the tea Mrs.
Sutherland sent up, and dreaming the
day over again. Dreamed till the stars
came out, and the lights were lit, and
the dancing commenced below. Laughter
and scraps of conversation came up
through the open window. She scarcely
needed them. She was listening to the
music that seemed to give utterance to
her happy thoughts.
ssSydney-Sydney, she whispered I'M
der her breath, just to hear the music of
his name. Then she recalled how her
head had rested on his shoulder, when
he carried her up from the water.
che felt his heart beating close to
The music stopped. A fragrant puff
Of cigar smoke circledin at the window, !
and some one stepped out on the little
balcony which opened off the room adj
hers.
aWell, Lambert" she heard a strange
voice say. 81 understand you made a
lion of yourself to-day. How did it
Who was the fair damsel?"
aPshaw! nothing worth making such
q sensation over. A little girl-some
Maud Muller that aunt picked up among
the hills-walked off into the water, and
] ished her out. That's all. Luckilyit
was near shore"
That voice was the one she had learned
to listen for among all others.
ooh, just a child. was ito" rejoined
the other. II thought possibly that it
develop into an affair that would
be interesting to Mademoselle Amy, when
she hears of it."
aWell. hardly replied the ether
aughingiy. IF you've found that pa
per, Jennings, lets 60 down.