Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-01-28


too. aren't WEI A picnic, or some
thing like it :"
Grace's whole body was CULVER Of
nerves. She sat, with her eyes down.
cast and her face half averted, ap-
parently absorbed in studying her
right hand, which held the reins.
"Oh, yes" answered May, ION q
picnic. And we're going to have such
a jolly time. Don't you wish you
were coming, too?"
"Of course / do" with hearty
sympathetic laugh. "Jolly times are
not so frequent with me, l assure you
that i can afford to miss chance Of
one. But will Miss-Miss-I beg
pardon for not knowing her name
allow mcleod God it is Grace
herselfp
Up to this moment. he had been SC
engrossed with the child that he had
only vague idea that there was a
governess sitting next to her; but
who the governess was, or even if she
were pretty, he had no thought. But
now, as he looked up. rather expect
ing to see some sour-visaged middle
aged spinster, he beheld the sweet down.
cast profile of the only woman who
had ever touched his heart, and who
was now looking all the more lovely
because of her half-mourning dress
and the traces of sorrow and suffering
on her face. Hence the broken ejacu-
lations with which he checked the re-
quest he had been about, half sportive-
ly to proffer.
His hat, too, was off in a moment
He looked so eager, so astonished, SO
glad, SO rapturous, all in succession,
that Grace, who had turned to him
coldly at first, was herself astonished,
and-shall we say iti-stirred also to
her Utmost heart.
For what could it mean? Was il
possible there had been some terrible
mistake? Surely that look, the pas
sionate emotion of the voice. were not
counterfeit! Her head swan, and
she thought she would faint.
"Miss Courtenay," said Mortimer,
observing her agitation, and master.
ing his own emotion with a great eff
fort, 81 have been seeking you for
months-ever since my return from
Europe, indeed. May T"-and the
pleading tones of his voice were elo-
quence itself-"do in earnest what ]
proposed just now in jest? May
join your little party? l see that
you think hardly of me. Perhaps
deserved But oh 1! give me chance
at least, to explain. The vilest Grim
inal is allowed that. Afterward, il
you say SO, will 60 away-forever-'
He did not wait for reply in words
He had always been masterful, and
Grace felt the old spell on her. She
made no objection, therefore, when he
went to the donkey's head, and, NUT
tering something about "helping it VI
the HILL" took it by the bride and
led it to the top of the ascent. Her
heart was in such futter that she
could not have spoken if she had tried
Of course, he found his opportunity
and that before long. The beach wa
only short quarter of mile off, OF
the declivity of the hill below, and
when the children, shoeless and stock
ingless, and with many a merry shou
were dabbling in the water, he drew
Grace's arm within his own, and tol(
his story, as he paced two and fro OF
the sands, with her by his side.
At first she had been cold, ever
naughty; for, after her surprise wa
over, she told herself that there coul(
have been no mistake, that he wa
false to the core-that he was only
even now, seeking to amuse himself
But, when he drew her arm within
his own, when he looked within he
eyes with his fearless look ofinnocence
and when he told his story in hi
frank, manly, yet impassioned way
she broke utterly down, and would
have fallen into his arms, if it hat
not been for the children playing 81
near. AS it was, the tears ROLLED
along her checks, and her eyes empha
sized the low whisper in which sh
begged forgiveness fer having wrong
ed him, even when things seemed 81
pronounced against him.
"When your father failed ant
died." he said, for we tell his story il
his own words, though less disjointed
ly by far, "my impulse was to fly t.
!. you at once. But. as I was not al
accepted lover-as l did not know
indeed. whether / ever would be-
; your manner now makes me fear
have, and eyer have had, but little t.
hope for-I had to wait the custom
airy conventional period, before call
; ing on you. Meantime, I thought
; my duty to tell my father that l love-
you, and that I intended to tell yo
> so, the first moment l saw you.
had expected some opposition. But