The morning news., 1891-02-01
perhaps you had better ask Miss Sinclair to

The young girl good-naturedly shrugged
her shoulders ct Lady Ennismore's sugges-
ton.
"Ohl Miss Sinclair is such bother p she
said. 'She can't ride, and she walks so
slowly, and really nothing can happen-Pm
sure we don't want Cox, either"
my dear, consider propriety p said Lady
Eunismorre, smiling.
"But there's no one to see propriety,S
laughed Helen. mo one but the grouse
and the blackcocks. Just for once let us
leave propriety behind"
Lady Fnnismore shook her head.
"What do you want in Mortonburyn she
asked.
"Shoestrings,n answered Helen, "blue
shoestrings to wear to my blue stockingsl
You see, Lady Ennismore, l want to look
very smart-as Mr.. Curzon and Mr.. Roche
are comiugl"
"Mr Curzon-and Mr. RocheY repeated
Lady Ennismore. my dear, who told
you Mr.. Curzon and Mr.. Roche were CON-
ingT'
frank, glad laugh. II met my lord half an
hour ago, on his road to admire his fat ami
mails, and he stopped to tell me that two
handsome young men were coming to-day,
SO instantly was struck with the idea Of
possessing the blue shoestrings, and l per-
suaded Judy to ride with me to Mortonbury
that is, if you will give us leave to gop
For a moment Lady Ennismore looked
grave.
"My dear" she said, gently, ''do not put
nonsense into Julia's head about young men.
She's too young-and you are too young,
Helen-to think of them"
Helen gave a comical look with her
bright eyes, aud little shrug Of her pretty
shoulders.
II am is," she said.
Lady Ennismose suppressed sigh, and
then she smiled kindly and laid her hand on
the young girls.
"Eighteen-quite an old woman, Helenn
she said.
She was thinking Of the days when she
was 1S-of the days when she was a girl
wife-perhaps even Of days which had pre-
ceeded her 18th year.
"As Pm an old woman then,n said Helen,
brightly, "may l act propriety to Julia
this morning, and dispense with Miss Sim
clairF
Very we'll" smiled Lady EunismQrs.
"but not without Cox, please, Helen. It's
not safe for girls to ride alone, so take him
with you"
YES" answered Helen, and then she
went up to Lady Ennismore, and kissed her
cheek.
kiss me, please" she said, in her pretty
way. kiss Madame Proprlety."
"You foolish child" said Lady Ennis
more, giving Helen q little playful shake.
But" she added more seriously, take care
of the child, Helen-of Julia"
''Of course, replied Helen, and ten min
utes later the Hon. Julia Bingham, Lord
Ennismore's eldest daughter, and Miss Helen
Drummond were riding along the narrow
winding pathways of the heather clad hills
which entirely surrounded the house at
| Brackenford.
Let us watch the two young girls for a
| moment mounted on their handsome dun
| ponies. Tie chill, misty air of November
had deepened the bloom on Helen Drum
mond's smooth, ra,s<d cheeks, and these two
| girls made pretty pair. Julia Bingham
was the prettiest, perhaps the fairest, and
with the most regular features. but she was
not so handsome as Helen Drummond.
| This girl was type Of bright young wom-
anhood. Her frank eyes met yours with
out fear, and you saw at glance she was
| pure of soul and free of care. There was no
shadow on her face. for in the past only lay
her childhood's years.
"Your mother was so amused, Judy,
about the blue shoestrings," she was saying.
az think she thought was joking. l wOn-
| der if there is biz OF blue ribbon to be had
| in Mortonbury?"
"Oh, should think SO, but. of course, it
| will be common answered Julia.
4 Julld Was quite Qtu6TbuU III luALll6I W
| Helen, though they were constantly to-
| gether. There was touch Of shyness, per-
| haps Of pride, about Julia. Miss Sinclair,
| her governess, who considered herself a la1y
| Of good family, had somehow impressed her
| young pupil with the idea that she had a
| lofty POSITION in the world. But, on the
other hand, her homely father and her
charming mother always discouraged pride
| or vanity of any kind.
| R,,t 1,,lfafo faiIinu vvaa r1arhane rathar a
| shy sensitiveness than pride. But this made
her seem more reserved and colder than her
/ friend Helen. But the girls we're fond of
each other. Their little disagreements were
only very slight and brief, and the stronger
| minded Helen influenced Julia In almost
everything.
| Along the uneven country roads they
went laughing and talking. Helen sat on
| her pony erect and strong, while Julias
slender form had slight droop in it-a
faint indication that the young girl was not
| gifted with a very robust constitution. But
| she was very pretty. The color came and
went in her delicate skin, and she had in
herited her father's Irish blue eyes.
| AS they rode into the little primitive
| town, or rather village of Mortonbury,
| every one they met, Of course, turned
round to look at them. Two pretty young
| ladies, mounted on two handsome dun po-
nies, were not to De seen every day. Indeed,
very little was to be seen. The great hills,
| grand and beautiful at one side of the vii
| lage beyond which lay Brackenford) were
| the one feature of Montonbury worth look
| ing at All the rest was commonplace and
| uninteresting, unless you CHANGED to be an
| inhabitant of the place, when no doubt
small interests, perhaps large ones, would
| become connected with it.
But to stranger there was nothing to
see and nothing to do. You could go away
among the hills, to be sure, and watch the
! sunset on their bare peaks and heathery
sides, and if you got leave from Lord Ennis
more you could fish In the winding stream
that crept sluggishly on ordinary occasions
through the town, but which sometimes
flooded the low-lying meadows near, and
swept sheep and cornricks away in the
| swollen waters from the hills.
These periodical floods made little ex-
| citement In Mortonbury. The inhabitants
stood on the bridge, and contemplativelY
| looked at the stream, aud talked of the last
food, and how high it rose. There was
| nothing else to talk about. The struggle
| and stir of life, the rumors of wars, and the
| fall of cabinets, made no difference to Nor
| tonbury. The people lived, however, to a
| great age, for there was nothing to hurry
| them into their graves. The old women
had cheeks like autumn pippins. and the
| young women were robust and wholesome,
| If not particularly handsome. The men
| drank great deal of whisky, but the hill
| air seemed to destroy its i'll effects. At all
/ events no one thought Of dying but very