Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-08-14
CHAPTER ~.

able suburb of the town. There was at
one time considerable intercourse De-
tween this house and Dome-Castle, the
seat OF Col. Abinger, though they are
FIVE miles apart and in different coun'
ties; and one day, after Bob had been
on the press for a few months, two
boys set out from the castle to show
themselves to Nell Meredith. They
could have reached the high road by a
private walk between a beech and an
ivy hedge, but they preferred to climb
down q steep path to the WITHDRAWING
Dome. The advantage OF this route was
that they risked their necks by taking
1t.
Nell, who did not expect visitors, was
sitting by the fire in her boudoir dream
ing. 1t was the room In which she and
Mary Abinger had often discussed such
great questions as Woman, her Aims,
her Influence; Man, his Instability, his
Weakness, his Degeneration; the Poor,
How we are to Help Them; why Lady
Lucy Gliding wears Pink when Blue Is
obviously her Color.
Nell was tucked away into soft arm
chair, in which her father never saw
her without wondering that such lit
tie thing should require eighteen yards
for dress.
"Pm not so little" she would say on
these occasions, and then Mr.. Mere
dith chuckled, for he knew that there
were young men who considered his
Nell tall and terrible. He liked TO watch
her sweeping through room. To him
the boudoir was a sea Of reefs. NelPS
dignity, when she was introduced to a
young gentleman, was another thing
her father could never look upon with
out awe, but he also noticed that 1t
soon wore of.
On the mantel-piece lay a comb and
several hairpins. There are few more
mysterious things than hairpins. so
far back as we can go into the past we
see women putting up their hair. 1t is
said that married men lose their awe OF
hairpinS and clean their pipes with
them.
A pair OF curllng-tongs had chair to
themselves near Nell, and she wore a
short blue dressing-jacket. Probably
when she woke from her reverie she
meant to do something to her brown
hair. When old gentlemen called at
the lodge they frequently told their
host that he had very pretty daugh-
ter; when younger gentlemen called
they generally called again, and II Nell
thought they admired her the first time,
she spared no pains to make them ad-
mire her still more the next time. This
was to make them respect their own
judgment.
It was little VIII Abinger who he'd set
Nell a.dreaming. for from wondering II
he was home yet for the Christmas holt
days her thoughts wandered to his SIS
ter Mary and then to his brother Dick.
She thought longer Of Dick In his lone
" London chambers than OF the others,
ana by-and-by she was saying TO herself
petulantly, "I wish people wouldn't go
diving and leaving me money" Mr..
Meredith, and still more Mrs. Mere
dith, thought that their only daughter,
an heiress, would be thrown away on
Richard Abinger, barrister-at-law,
whose blood was much bluer than
theirs, but who was, nevertheless, I'M
derstood TO be as hard up as his father.
The doorbell rang and two callers
we're ushered into the drawing-room
without Nell's knowing 1t. One OF them
left his companion TO talk to Mr.. Mere
dith, and clattered up stairs in search
of the daughter Of the house. De was
a bright-faced boy Of thirteen, with a
passion for flinging stones, and OF late
he had worn his head in the air, not
because he was conceited, but that he
might look with admiration upon the
face OF the young gentleman down.
stairs.
bouncing into the parlor, he caught
sight of the object OF his search before
she could turn her head.
81 say, Nell, I'm back"
Miss Meredith jumped from her chair.
"Will!" she cried.
When the visitor saw this young
lady coming towards him quickly, he
knew what she was after, and tried TO
get out of her way. But Nell kissed
him.
NOW, then," he said Indignantly,
pushing her from him.
viii looked around him feariully, and
then closed the door.
"You might have waited till the door
was shut, at any rate" he grumoled.
ut would have been nice thing II any
one had seen you"
"Why. what would 1t have mattered,
YOU horrid little boy, said Nell.
Little boy! I'm bigger than you, at
anyrate. As for It's not mattering-but
you don't know who is downstairs. The
captain"
Captain! cried Nell.
She seized her curling tongs.
Eyes" said VIII, watching the effect
OF his words, "Greybrooke, the captain
OF the school. He is giving me week
just now"
VIII said this as proudly as II his
guest was Napoleon Bonapsrte, but
Nell laid down her curling-irons. The
intruder interpreted her action and re-
sented 1t.
YOU'RE not his STYLE" he said; che
likes bigger women"
sob, does hep" saidNell, screwing up
her little Greek nose CONTEMPORARY.
Hes eighteen" said Will.
"a mere schoolooy."
"Why, he shaves."
Doesn't the master whip him for
that?"
"What? Whip Greybrooke!"
Will laughed Historically.
"You should just see him ut break
fast with old Jerry. Why, I've seen
him myself, when half dozen OF US
were asked to tea by Mrs. Jerry, and
though we were frightened TO open our
mouth, what do you think Grey6rooke
did,"
Something silly, l should say"
HE asked old Jerry, as cool as you
like, to pars the butter! That's the sort
of fellow Greybrooke is"
"How is Mary?"
"Oh, she's all right. No, she has a
headache. I say, Greybrooke says
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