Telegram-herald., 1891-12-06
hfiARioN CRANcl


~
zIsea s-~~YAvsz cosrAsrl
/ "You little May rower; nave you .
sweetheart back In the Granite hills?"
what = question. snntiel'
Newer mind the question. but tell
ma whsthsr you have . lover"
I. Is hard for the philosophical young
lsty Of twcnty-on ~ DO wholly miser-
able. and though . mofarn, before May
had felt IS IL she would like 10 get away
by herself and cry over the mistakes Of
he summer. she smiled COW With gena-
ne amusement as she answered:
IL had three when came away, but
perhaps they love some one else now.
Three months absence is long test on
their love. I think. One was fathers
hired boy. lie was a melodramatic
trishuan, direct from Cork. lie used TO
declare that my eyes werc brighter
than tho frefies Of 'auld Ireland
Another was the nighs operator at tho
telegraph ofice. lie was . poetical
young man. and used To get quires OF
paper covered with dots and dashes.
and dashcs and dots. Another"
Mrs. Farwsll reached forth her hand
and placed IL over the girrs mouth
''stop making fun Of your victims.
you heartless girl. You know ! didn't
mean TO ask how many men have loved
you. but I meant 10 ask II there syas
anyone you lovedT'
How cen ore tell. arnty? What arc
the unmistakable signs?"
Another change had passed over tho
x~sr IA. h LII
and she was gazing dreamily into tho
frc. Mrs Farw ell gazed curiously at
her.
'You own heart will tell ysu the un-
mistakable signs whcr you really care
for anyone" she said, and added after
moments pause:
''rhe person You love best can give
you tho greatest iappin sss; but perhaps
surer test ia that he can cause you the
greatest pain"
Nay looked up quickly. Her aunt
was gazing into the fro with slightly
contracted brows and for the moment
seemed to have forgotten she had
listener.
THAT is q hard test, aunty. Isn't Il
better to keep from loving altogether"
The elder lady looked up with q smile
that banishcd the shadow.
1T isn't always possible To do 90 II
we would, and no. isn't always best to
do 50 II we could. II the object Is
worthy . woman's life is better for tho
loving, pain and al But, my dear, 1t
h eleven o'clock and II you intend To DC
up at I've tomorrow morning, want
you to Re in bed and asleep in Just ten
minutes from now"
May kissed her aunt and taking her
lamp loft the room. She mounted the
frst step and stopped. 1t was the last
night that She would go up this famil-
lar flight OF curving steps To the room
that had grown dear to her from its
many associations, and she stopped on
the frst step To think OF what to-mor-
row night would be like, when her
three months 1T the fort wonld really
be thing Of the past. This was a
style Of thinking that she had not al
lowed herself the luxury Of before to-
night; but now 1t seemed TO her that
there were q good many things that
needed thinking OF, not that 10 would
do any particular good 70 think OF them
but she meant t. come to an under
standing with herself at any rate. She
was naturally OF . frank disposition
and averse to coacoalnacuts Of any kind.
She had told herself for weeks past
that she would be glad 10 leave this lilo
and 90 back 10 her old peaceful way of
living. bat N the time for her depart
uro drew necr shc had found many ar
gumeuts with herself necessary to con-
vince some rcbellious. inward scnsa-
tion that IL wss so. She meant to faco
this rcbellious spirit tonight and como
to an understanding with 1t. She had
feeling that sho could do SD now with
out hurting too much her sensitive self
respect but IA the meantime she could al
low herself 10 10 honestly miserable for
afew moments Standing there on tho
lowest step with her lamp in her hand.
It's rays Illuminating q very wosbcgone,
but pale. twcet face. she made picture
that the ono person who saw IL did not
soon forget
Capt Armstrong had not, a. she sup
posed. lefs the house with the other
visitors. but had been closcted with tho
colonial In . room at the further end OF
the hall. There had been some writing
W do, and the colonel, sitting watching
the rapid pen Of the younger man. had
fallen soundly asleep In his chair.
When the writing was finished Ralph
had quietly put away the papers and -
quietly left the room. leaving tho
coion-rs sweet rspose to be broken BY
his wife
He had Just closed tho door and had
the knob still In his hand when May en-
tered the hall The light of her lamp
did not penetrate ~ far down the pas
sasye ~ the place where no stood AZ
sight Of hor he had stopped involuntari-
~. and as she fingered on the stairs ho
still hesisssed. not wishing TO stsrtle
her by sudden appearance.
He saw again . grisved. girlish face,
and again a vRvs Of sympathy set his
hear. - thressing responsiveiy. lie
longed 10 TO to her and In sorse way
tsnixh the pain from her face. but the
weeks that had elapsed since that moon
Hight night when they had walked house
tcresher had raised . barrier between
than which he felt powerless ~ re-
move. Yet NE expression of her face
wss 80 changed aaj sofsenea. and the
thonght coming - him that In . mo-
meat she weald pass up shs stairs and
-~.& - IL 4ff< $780, - 4>s.s-4