The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-06-18
"JADIS."

Over the flat fen country there were
white mists rising It was already
growing dusk, but it was not going to
be very dark this summer night. The
weeds had been cut and driftcd down .
stream in thick MASSES A thin, middle |
aged man stood by the lock gates, .
watching an approaching boat. He was |
dressed in country clothes, but he had /
not the air of countryman; he was pale, /
and had q look of experience Save for /
the regular sound Of the sculls every |
thing was quite still. Save for the man |
at the lock gates and the solitary occu-
pant Of the boat there was no one in |
sight. 1t was wide, fiat, desolate |
scene.
The boat was rather a heavy tub, and |
the man who was sculliug was tired and !
out of temper. Asarule, he was thought !
to be n distinctly brilliant and genial
young man; but he wanted to get on to
Nunuisham, which was five miles be-
yond the lock- that night, and he had
been delayed by the weeds The gods
had given him extraordinarily good
looks aud many other good things
enough TO keep him genial, unless, as
ON the present occasion. circumstances
tried him severely. At the lock he
drew into the bank and hailed the mid
die aged man who still stood watching
him
"Hi! what are the weeds like above
the lock:'
every bad, sir" The answer was
given in a serious, respectful voice.
The young man swore gently to him-
self. "Is there any place near here
where | could put up for the night:'
"Thero is only public house, sir.
am the landlord of tiny name is Hill.
could give you "a bedroom, a little
rough perhaps, but
"Good-a bed and some supper-cap-
ital! That is the only bit Of luck I've
had today" As he was speaking the
young man picked up small knapsack
which was lying in the stern of the boat
and jumped out He made the boat
fast and joined the landlord on the tow
path.
at is this way. You will let me carry
that for you, sir"
As they walked along the brilliant
young man-his name was Philip Vince
-chatted freely. He was taking n holi-
day up the river and was to have Joined
friend at Nunnisham that night and
then gone on with him the day after.
He told the landlord all this and also
surmised that Hill was not native of
the fen country.
"No, sir" was the answer, Il was
I II 4
perhaps heard of him."
Philip had never heard of him, but
said that he had.
"When Sir Charles died he left me
| little money and | married n maid who
was then in Lady Sulmont's service. /
| bought this house with little assistance
from her ladyship and settled here.
| was very young then and have been
here eighteen years"
Philip gathered from further talk as
they went along that Mrs. Hill was
dead, and that she had left one child,
| Jeanne, "A girl of seventeen, who lived
with her father. When they reached
the inn, Hill showed Philip bedroom
a large, comfortable room, and began TO
make some apology about supper, They
very rarely had any one staying in the
house, and there was nothing left but
here Philip interrupted
"You would be doing me a kindness
if you would let me have supper with
you and your daughter / hate solitude.
mean, if your-if Miss Hill wouldn't
object
"If you really wish it, sir, should be
very pleased so also, ! am sure, would
Jeanne" llill was born valet; he had
the manner; if he had lived out Of
service for a hundred years he would
have been valet still. When Hill left
him, Philip looked around the room
and congratulated himself. Everything
was very neat and clean. The landlord
was capital fellow-a little solemn,
perhaps, but still capital fellow. This
was far above the accommodation which
he had expected.
just then light football came up the
stairs, and Philip caught a snatch Of a
French song. The song stopped short
just before the football passed his door.
Philip conjcctured that this must be the
daughter, and that it had been a French
maid that Hill had married-hence the
name Jeanne and that snatch of song
also that the daughter had been warned
Of his arrival, and had gone to put on
her prettiest dress. All Of these con
lectures We're quite correct And yet
when Jeanne entered the sitting room, d
|, few minutes afterward, and saw PhiliT
for the first time, she was so startled
that she showed it slightly. Philip was
Tsttf. .rrass.rfag1 F..r Ifmavaftl
reason, and did not show it at all. lie
had thought of the possibility that
Jeanne might be pretty, and she was d
beauty-a brunette childlike in many
ways, but with q womans eyes. Hel
5 voice was good and her first word
] showed that she had some education.
Il took her about ten minutes to gel
D from decided shyuess to complete conf
J deuce. Philip was feeling far too good
, tempered to let any one be shy with him
, he made Hill and his daughter talk, and
I he talked freely himself He liked the
simplicity of everything about him; hi
had grown tired of formalities in Lon
, don. He liked cold beef and salad, fol
he was very hungry, and yes, above all
he liked Jeanne. What 1n earth wer'
that face and that uI4uc- doing in q
riverside inn: She was perfect She die
not apologize too much, did not Sc
hurried, did not hGye red hands, spokl
F correctly laughed charmingly-in I
, word, was beNitching Really, he wa
p glad that he had been prevented from
! going ON 10 Nunni,ham. Toward the
1 end of supper he discovered that she wa
% wearing a white dress with forgetms
N nots in it,
4 The table was cleared by native ser
n want who seemed all red checks au,
4 new boots Hill went of TO superuteu'
4 the business of the inn. Philip was lef
! alone with Jeanne, Sine told him @
smoke and he was obedienti he al-
made her tell him other things.
Yes, she had been t1 school at Nun
nisham-rather too good a school fo
At her, She was afraid, but her mother ha
It wished it, Her mother had taught he
d French and a little music. Music am
"a drawing were the best things, sh
20 thought. but she liked some books. Sh
C. owned that it was lonely at the inn. "
y am glad you came, she confesse
frankly
- Jeanne, said Philip, II heard yo
hmuming a line or two of Jadis' befor
supper, didn't T. wish you would sin
it 10 me.n She agreed at once, crussin
the room TO a little cottage piano-rathe
a worn out instrument, but still a piano
The melody-plaiutiye gentle, childis
of Jeannos sweet voice and the sad
ness Of the words, with their quain
pensive refrain did not miss their e
feet