Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-03-21

~ DdCA 10 you.
She dropped her head again, and once
more began to play with the bronze lob
sJer, noluIng ner arm in suGn fashion
| that Eustace could not see her face. But
If he could not see her face she could see
his In the glass. and narrowly observed
its every change, which, on the whole,
| though natural, was rather mean of her.
Poor Eustace grew pale and paler yet,
till his handsome countenance became
positively CHASTITY. 1t is wonderful how
! frightened young men are the first time
, that they propose. 1t wears off after
ward-with practice one gets accustomed
to anything
81 want to say something to your and he
stopped dead.
Eyes, Mr.. Meeson," she answered,
cheerfully what is it2''
Il want to tell you and again he
hesitated
What you are going to do about the
will?' suggested Augusta.
"No-no; nothing about the will
please don't laugh at me and put me Off"
She looked up innocently-as much as
to say that she never dreamed of doing
either of these things She had lovely
face, and the glance of the gray eyes
quite broke down the barrier of his fears.
ooh, Augusta, Augusta" he said,
''don't you understand? | love you'll
love you! No woman was ever loved be-
fore as love you. l fell in love with you
the very first time saw you in the office
at Nelson's, when had the row with my
uncle about you; and ever since then |
have got deeper and deeper in love with
you. When | thought that you were
drowned it nearly broke my heart, and
often and often l wished that were dead,
! tool"
| 1t was Augustus turn to be disturbed
now, for, though lady's composure will
stand her in good stead up to the very
verge of an affair of this sort, it generally
breaks down in medals res. Anyhow, she
certainly dropped her eyes and colored to
her hair, while her breast began to heave
| unanimously.
''Do you know, Mr. Meeson," she said
at last, without daring to look up at his
| imploring face, that this is only the
fourth time that we have seen each other,
| including yesterday"
| "Yes, know" he said, "but don't re-
| fuse me on that account; you can see me
| as often as you ike"-this was generous
/ of Master Eustace-'and really | know
you better than you think. l should
| think that have read each of your books
/ twenty times"
This was happy stroke, for, however
| free from vanity a person may be, it is
not in the nature of q young woman to
| hear that somebody has read her book
/ twenty times without feeling pleased.
| 81 am not my books" said Augusta.
''No, but your books are part of YOU"
i he answered, land | have learned more
about your real self through them than l
should have done if | had seen you hun
dred times instead of four"
Augusta slowly raised her gray eyes till
| they met his own, and looked at him as
though she were searching out his soul,
and the memory of that long, sweet look
| is with him yet.
He said no more, nor had she any words;
but, somehow, nearer and nearer they
drew one to the other till his arms were
around her and his lips were pressed upon
her lips. Happy man and happy grill
They will live to find that life has JOYS
(for those who are good and well off, but
! that it has no joy so holy and so complete
! as that which they were now expert
encing-the first kiss of true and honest
love.
little while afterward the butler came
in in horribly sudden manner and found
Augusta and Eustace, the one very red
and the other very pale, standing sus-
piciously close to each other. But he was
a very well trained butler and a man of ex-
perience, who had seen much and guessed
, more, and he looked as innocent as babe
unborn.
Just then, too, Lady Holmhurst came
in again and looked at the pair of them
/ with an amusing twinkle in her eye.
Lady Holmhurst, like her butler, was also
, person Of experience.
Wont you come into the drawing
room? she said. And they did, looking
rather sheepish.
And there EUstace made a clean breast
Of it, announcing that they were engaged
to be married. And although this was
somewhat of an assumption, seeing that
no actual words of troth had passed be-
tween them, Augusta stood there, never
offering word in contradiction.
well, Mr.. Meeson," said Lady Holm
hurst, 81 think that you are the luckiest
man of my acquaintance, for Augusta is
not only one of the sweetest and loveliest
girls that l have ever met, she is also tho
bravest and the cleverest. You will have
to look out, Mr.. Meeson, or you will be
! known as the husband of the great Au-
gusta Meeson."
Il will take the risk" he answered,
humbly. 81 know that Augusta has more
brains in her little finger than l have in
my whole body. 1 don't know how she
can look at fellow like me-"
Dear me, how humble we are!' said
Lady Holmhurst. ''Well, that is the way
of men before marriage. And now, as
Augusta carries both your fortunes on her
hanl 1,1,, Foo 7
venture to suggest that you had better go
and see lawyer about the matter; that
is, if you have quite finished your little
talk. l suppose that you will come and
dine with us, Mr.. Meeson, and if you like
to come little early, say half past g.
dare say that Augusta will arrange to be
in, to near what you have found out about
this will, you know. And now-au revoir ="
2 And she departed and left Augusta to
her reflections, which were-well, not I'M
pleasant ones.
J Meanwhile Eustace was marching up
toward the Temple. AS it happened, in
the same lodging house where he had been
living for the last few months, two
brothers of the name of Short had rooms,
and with these young gentlemen he had
become very friendly. The two Shorts
were twins, and so like one another that
it was more than month before Eustace
could be sure which of them he was
speaking to. When they were both at
college their father died, leaving his prop
erty equally between them; and as this
property on realization was not found to
amount to more than four hundred a
year, the twins very rightly concluded
that they had better do something to
supplement their moderate income. Ac-
cordingly, by stroke of genius they de-
termined that one of them should become
q solicitor and the other barrister, and
then tossed up as to which should take to
which trade. The idea, of course, was
that in this manner they would be able to