Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-11-28

toward him and he felt his own manner
growing constrained. Last night she
had responded to his mood at the slight
est touch, and he smiled little grimly
as he thought with what a vengeance
she had turned the tables on him to-
night.
He had avague idea of lingering after
the others had gone and demanding an
explanation, but he found it would be
an awkward thing to do as she seemed
to expect him to go with the others, and
besides it would be difficult for him to
complain of anything tangible, and he
had a presentiment that he would be
most ignominiously defeated by the
quiet self-possession and wen-bred sur
prise which he felt sure this white-cIad
young lady would exhibit.
He took his departure with the
others and sat and smoked till long
after his usual bedtime, and when he
did finally turn in he dreamed that
with an immense army drawn up in
battle array he had surrendered to the
enemy; and the enemy proved to be a
young lady in soft dress and with a
head covered with wavy brown hair.
The next morning he sent his man
with note to Miss Farwen asking her
to ride with him that evening. He re-
ceived polite little note in return, say
ing that Miss Farweu would be pleased
to have him accompany herself and
aunt to the city tina. afternoon. They
would start about four o'clock.
He went, and before they returned he
half believed that the moonlight walk
through the June night and the pleas
ant three weeks that preceded it were
all a delusion and that he must have
dreamed that Miss Farwel was ever
anything else than graciously I'M
approachable.
He made several more attempts to
bring their friendship back to the place
where it had been broken off when he
babe her good-by in the porch; but in
every attempt he found himself baked
by her quiet, self-possessed manner,
which amounted at times to well-b bred
Indifference. After few such rebuffs
he gave up the attempt and their inter-
course became limited to hardly more
than an exchange of civilities. More
than once he left the colonels house
half determined not to go again while
May was there. The sense of being
coolly set aside, where he had felt him
self first before, annoyed him more than
he cared to own even to himself. His
half determination never kept him away
very long, however, for there was a
fascination in the study of Miss Far
wells moods that he found hard to re-
sist, though he usually studied them
from a distance. With the other callers
that were always to be found at the
colonel's House, it seemed to him that
she was never twice the same; animal
ed and friendly one day, politely indif-
ferent or ironical the next, perhaps, but
whatever her mood never lacking for
admirers.
Sometimes it seemed to him that his
presence was the cause of her varying
moods. He felt as though he were
watching a play in which he was an
actor without understanding the part
he was made to play. Perhaps the next
time he saw her he would call himself
puppy for dreaming that his presence
affected her in the least.
Many times during the summer May
too had a lurking sensation, which she
tried to Danish, of acting part and
acting it, too, for the benefit of GER
tain quiet spectator who seemed to
watch the play with good deal of
grave intentness. There was an excite
ment and unreality about it all that
helped to carry her through, although
there were times when she felt as if she
would like to get away from it all and
be her natural self again.
AS the time for her departure drew
near feeling of depression which she
would not account for took possession
of her. Her aunt was to accompany her
to her home and stay until December,
when they were to go to Washington
and spend the winter The colonel was
to join them there.
A week before her departure a grand
hunting party was to come off, in
which the ladies as we'll as the officers
of the garrison were to take part.
The day came at last, and was all
that could be desired. The mountains
could be seen in the distance with all
their rugged outlines softened in the
hazy September air. Mays escort was
Lieut.. Carleton. She did not ride the
horse she usually rode, as it was suffer
ing from slight lameness, and the
lieutenant had asked her to ride one
that he had brought around the previ-
Gus evening for her to try. It was a
beautiful black animal, eject as the
wind, but perfectly gentle" he told her.
There had been lot of horses sent to