Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-01-22

tie is nearly at the boil. Oh, Charley,
you'll laugh at me, I'm afraid, but l feel
exactly like little girl going to her
first children's party. It's so seldom,
you know, that bit of pleasure comes
in my way"
And then Charles Emery made up his
mind that his mother was more to him,
in her helpless old age and sweet, affec-
tionate dependence, than any blooming
damscl whose eyes shone like stars and
whose cheeks rivaled the September
peach.
"Going with some one cise!' said
Kate Marcy, rather surprised and not
exactly pleased.
She was a tall, beautiful maiden, the
belle of Crystaltou, and rather an heire''
in her own right, with all the rest. She
certainly liked Charles Emery, and she
rather surmised that he liked her also.
And when she had been studying up her
toilet for the opera, she had selected
blue dress, with blue corn-howers for
her hair and ornaments of turquois, be-
cause she lad once heard Mr.. Emery
say that blue was his favorite color.
"Going with some one else?' she re-
peated. well, of course he has right
to suit himself
And she kept within her own soul the
fevered fire of girlish resentment, the
gnawing pangs of jealousy that disturbed
her all the while that she was sitting
waiting FOR the great green curtain to be
drawn up.
Until, of sudden, there was slight
hustle on the row of seats beyond, and
Mr.. Emery entered with his mother.
And then Kate's overgloomel face
grew bright again. She drew a loag
breath of relief and turned to the stage;
it VAS as if the myriad gls-lights had all
of sudden been turned up; as il all the
mimic world of the opera house had
grown radiant.
Never was voice sweeter in her ears
than the somewhat tim and exhausted
warble of Mademoisele Rosalie de
vigue, the prima-donna; never did
scenery glow with such natural tints or
footights shine more softly. Kate
Marcy declared that the opera WAS "per-
lection"
"Ye,, but" said pert little Nina Cum
mings, "do look at Charley Emery, with
that little old woman! Why couldn't
he have come TO sit with u.s.
Kate bit her lip. In the crowd now
SURFING out of the aisles Of the little
opera house she could scarcely venture to
express her entire opinion; but she said,
in low, earnest tone.
~ don't know what you think Of it,
Nina, but l, for my part, respecs Mr..
Emery thousand times more for his pO
/ liteness 10 his mother"
And, almost at the same second, she
found herself looking directly into
Charles Emery's eyes.
For a moment only. The crowd sep
arated them, almost ere they could recog-
nize one another; but Kate felt sure
and her cheek glowed vivid scarlet at the
certaiuty-that he had heard her words.
"Charley," said little Mrs. Emery,
looking into her sons face, as they
emerged into the vail of softly falling
snow, which seemed TO enwrap the
whole outer word in dim, dazzling mys-
terry, "who was that girll'
"What girl, motherl' with a little
pardonable hypocrisy.
"The one, Charley, with the big blue
eyes, and the sweet face wrapped in
white, flcecy sort of hood-the cne who
said she respected youl'
at was Kate Marcy, mother"
"She has face like an angel said
Mrs. Emery, softly.
The next day the foreman Of the rol-
ling mills went boldly to the old Marcy
homestead, whose red-brick gables,
sheetel over with ivy, rose up out of the
leafess clms and beeches, Just beyond
4hn rni.n n.,l rt:r of h,,-,- Hrrrtnltnn