The morning call., 1891-10-21
PLIGHTED IN
THE DARKNESS

He knew that she wore violets that night,
and when he found a little white-rObed
figure in the corner of the vine-clad piazza,
and the faint odor of violets greeted him,
how could he know in the darkness that
they were white instead of purple, and
were worn by Helen Graham instead of by
Marian Edwards.
Still he might have made himself little
more sure Of the lsdy's identity before
plunging headlong into declaration OF
love-
But she-Marian-had been SO sweetly
gracious to him all through that last dance
that Willis Grey could no longer keep back
the words yelling up from his surcharged
heart when he believed himself at last
alone with his divinity.
And Helen, when she heard the torrent
of half-whispered words poured into her
willing ear, could she believe he was other
than George Worth? Who else among all
her woud-be adOrerS hal ever received SUI
ticlent encouragement 10 warrant such an
attack?
And so, though somewhat stonished at
his precipiiancy, yet secretly pleased Dy ms u;
audacity, she gracefully capituated, and in
token Of surrender Lad just granted him
shy, maidenly kiss, when voices warned
them that their retreat was about to be in-
VAded.
He hastily whispered request for one of
the tiny flowers whose perfume had guided
him to his bHssful fate as tangible re-
minder of her sweet confession of love, and
She with lavish generosity, gathered frem
her cOrSage a handful of the faireSt bios
SONS, and with trembling fingers fastened
them In his buttOnhOe,
Then, as they came in to the light, she
tImidly raised her eyes to his, and-horror
OF horrors found herself gazing into the
face of not George Worth, but Willis Grey
Her head swan and she thought she
should suffUcate. Then, falling to see his
like agitation, she precipitately fed to
her own room, where, once securely within,
she locked the door and braced herself
against II, as if she feared her impetuOus
lover would follow her even there to claim
"Oh, what shall doP What shall do ?"
she cried aloud 81 thought he was George
Worth, and l let him make love to me. l
told him | loved him. l let him kiss me,
and Ill kissed him. Oh, shall die OF
shame"
"If 1t we're not for that could tell him it
was all a mistake; but how can now? l
cannot let him 90 on thinking am engaged
to him. And if l do break of with him,
how can l ever face him again. knowing
that he knows that | know that he knows
that l, Helen Graham, voluntarily Of my
own free vii kissed himP
40 tell him l thought he was some one
else would not help the matter one bit, for
he would be sure to guess who, and then he
would know that was ready to kiss George
Worth Just as soon as ever he asked NE"
"What shall | dol What shall | do ~
And in the utter Abandonment of woe she
threw herself upon the bed, regardless alike
of the dainty gown and the blossoms that
had been the innocent cause OF her strange
predicament. As ii in gentle protest Of such
treatment the dying flowers sent forth their
fragrance again.
':Those odious violets," she thought
their perfume makes me faint" With i'm
pulsiNe haste she was about to throw them
from the open windows, hut the sight OF
their frail beauty brought tenderer thoughts
of the man who had so elOquently besought
the gift Of but one Of them as an assurance
of her love.
"Hl keep one of them," she said, softly,
in remembrance of his love for me; for l
am sure he loves me very dearly. Poor fel-
lOwI how can l ever tell him it was all
mistaken"
Morning found her still undecided what
to do. except as to the firm resolve that, as
Mr. Grey was an early riser, she would de-
fer her appearance in the diniug-roOm until
9O'cock 1T the very earliest, and would en-
deavoT to avoid meeting him again until she
could make up her mind as to what was to
be done next.
In the meanwhile Willie Grey was trying.
with the aid of more cigars than was at all
good for him, to tind way OUT OF the
blunder he had made.
what a confoundpd ass have made of
myself sOlilOquized he as he paced to and
fro down by the river TO think that a
man in his sober senses should propose to
one girl when he is head over heels IN love
with anotherl How on earth am l to get out
of the scrape?
at is impossible to tell her that made
love to her under the impression that she
was some one else. l could never do that;
and the dear little girl is fond of me, too,
there is no doubt of it. How charmiugly
coy she wasl Why, she ran away like
startled fawn when she finally found cour-
age 10 look me sQuarely in the face.
''It is decidedly refreshing to come across
such modest little Puritan in these days.
"And what lovely eyes she has, like
But, confuuud it'll 1 can't afford to admire
her eyes or anything else about her. Marian
Edwards has every night TO expect my ad-
dresses. How am to get out OF it l should
Ike to knOwY
He paused. cigar in hand, to look uD into
the staTlit sky, as if there lie might find an
answer. As he lowered his EYES the little
white boutonnere caught his glance, and
he bent his head to inhale the delicate per-
fume.
Then he recalled how pretty were the
white hands that pinned 1t there.
"What an idiot was to suppose that only
one woman in all that crowd wore violets
tonight! All, little flowers, you have led
me into the deuce Of a scrape!'
Still he did not think of throwing them
away.
II do not relish the idea of sitting op-
posite 10 those honest gray eyes Of hers at
5reakfast-table. Fortunately l know she
Is an early riser, so l can go down late.
Then / shall ask her TO go rowing with me
and trust to luck for the rest
''She is girl of pluck and pride, and il
she should once imagine that l was not suf-
fcientIy attentive for fance would throw
me over at once, l know.
''But it Is a shame to hurt the little thing.
Hang il all, il it were not for Marian | do
not believe l would want to get out of it
at ALL"
The next morning Helen was not sur
priSed TO fnd the house apparently deserted,
for early morning sports were a fad at
Riverside; but she was more than aston
ished to find but one person IN the dining
room, and that one the man above all others
whom she wished TO avoid.
Neither had much to say during the meal
beyond an invitation from him to 90 for
row up the river, and, after slight hesita-
ton, an acceptance from her.
Nor was either of them much more talka-
tive when they went sklmming uD the river,
but enough earnest thinking was done dur
ing that boat ride to more than make up for
this.
While she was secretly admirlng the deli
cate consideration which she imagined was
prompting him to forbear pressing his love
uPOu ucl III lCl plcoGnI uuico pUuolNt luUUu,
be was silently lauding the modest dffidence
which he imagined was preventing her from
making any advances for his favor, and he
soon found himself admirfng the graceful
pose of the little young figure. the pretty
contour of mouth and chin, and the long.
curling, dark lashes that shaded the down
cast eyes as she sat opposite to him; holding
the tiller ropes with those same slim fingers
that had pinned the violets on his coat the
night before.
he had the little boutonniere in his pocket
book now; he would keep it always as a
souvenir of-whatl Great Cesarl This
was downright treason to his love for
Marian!
He bent his head low over his oars, that
be might not see the tempting vision before
bin; while she sbyly raised those curling
lashes to better admire-herself unobserved
the handsome head of which only the tip
of q nose and the ends of fair mustache
were visible beneath the brim of his straw
hat and she concluded that it was worth
while to have won the love Of this strong,
manly. deferential young oarsman. even if
were a love she could not accept.
IF he were only George WorthP' she