The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-03-18

presence was remarkable among his
commonplace associates, that she felt
| the least embarrassment. But, with his
dark eyes fixed intensely on her, she
could not repress little shiver of re-
vulsion, and involuntarily bowed, in
stead of giving him her hand. How
vexed she was to feel the blood
| mantling to her cheek and notice the
tremor of her voice as she replied to
his friendly greeting, for she knew that
the eyes of Martha and Huldah were on
her, and that her confusion would be
misinterpreted.
| Alphonse Damiens was certainly a
splendid animal, but it was not his fine
physique and handsome face which
| chained her attention-it was an indie
fnablc something, soul-antipathy she
could not understand. He was in every
thing remarkable. While Jabez Shorts
ssbest suit" made him look like a hog in
armor, instead of the honest carpenter
| he really was, Damiens' clothes fitted
him to perfection the flaming
scarf he wore harmonized with the
gypsy type of his features. Surely there
| was nothing very formidable in this
good-loolxing young countryman-then,
| why this futtering sensation in his
| presence?
1t was very provoking that the COM
pany seemed to have entered into a
| conspiracy to give this rustic Don Juan
every opportunity to inflict his obnox-
| ious attentions upon her, but she avoid
ed him as much as she could, though
she could never get quite beyond the
| fixed gaze of his insolent admiration.
The crisis came at last. She had seat
ed herself in low chair in q remote
corner, thankful for little respite
from his prosecutions. when, noticing
her isolation, he flung himself on a seat
beside her and coolly rested his arm on
| the back of her chair, while he said in
| tone of easy nonchalance:
sSay, Wanda-I may coll you Wanda,
mayn't I?-if you will dismiss your pu-
pills at half-past three tomorrow after
noon I will call around for you with my
buggy and span of blacks-theyll be a
sight different from Daddy Dolrnan's
old cripples-and I'll take you spin
across country, wherever you please
Glastonbury, If you like, for the nights
are moonlit and the horses are fine as
silk"
There was this plea for his insolence.
He honestly looked on Miss Arlington
from in his eyes higher social plan;
and in western villages familiarity be-
tween young people of opposite sexes
ripens with tropical growth unknown
| to the ccremonious east.
CI,o =, +,
| ''Mr. Damiens," +" she said, her face as
white as sheet and her lips quivering,
'sTakc your arm from my chair
''No oTcnse," he stammered, abashed
at her defiant beauty.
'And yourself from my presence"
! He was too astonished to move.
''I am sure only meant to be friend
| ly and -
Poor girl, she never was intended by
nature to play a high tragedy role, ana
am afraid her supreme air OF frozen con-
tempt bordered rather on the ridiculous,
as she cast on him a glance of wither-
ing contempt and left the room. cheeks
flushing and lips quivering.
"Hello, 'Phonse, what hev yer been
sayin' ter teacher ter rile her so?'' old
Dolman asked. ''Her looked pison at
yer, as her went out"
81 simply asked Miss Arlington to
ride in my new buggy tomorrow, and
- she declined" Daniens replied with
a smile, meaning to assure the company
that he was immensely amused at her
behavior; but his passionate nature re-
belled against this assumed indifference,
and before Mr.. Dolman could offer his
coincidence he burst out with uncon-
trolled anger: ''Curse the room! How
hot it is. Give me my hat, Jim Dolman,
and, for Heavens sake let me get a
mouthful of fresh air.''
Many were the comments made as he
strobe from the room and slammed the
door behind him, the men enjoying his
discontinue, the women, after the man.
ner of their kind, unanimous In their
condemnation Of the girls misconduct.
"Such silly importance" remarked
one.
"Stuck-up minxl" sneered another.
"City manners,I suppose" Martha in
sinuated, with smile which expressed
in the communicating atmosphere of o
| IuebrOpOliS. Oug JdDeZ, W WHOM SIG
spoke, murmured with a satisfied
ehucllei
"Didn't her sot down on him some?
He jest wanted talxin' down peg or
two, an her did it fine, her did," 49,
Martha flashed Indignantly;
''You dare not say that to his face,
| Jabez Shortl',
Whereupon Huldah, who was ready
| to tear Jabez Shorts hair for his re-
mark, with true feminine consistency,
flew to his rescue and gave her sister to
understand that one exhibition of femi-
nine spite was enough for that eyep-
ing's entertainment.
Meanwhile Damiens, like wounded
animal, sought solitude. For an hour
or more he paced up and down the
bank of the river, his hot blood at fever
heat.
He felt the ipdliignity Of the girls de-
meanor keenly and bitterly, but what
| d 90 W i.