The state capital., 1892-04-30

young BrltOnS, who went about in twOs
and threes and skunk behind trees and
stable doors when the approach of a petit
coat was imminent. They did not, there
fore, weary the girls with their company.
Except at dinner they were scarcely ever
visible to feminine eye. So many came
and went, and they were all of such COM
ical similarity, that the girls at last gave
up trying to remember their names or the
times of their arrivals and departures.
One Sunday morning Susie came down
from her room about half past 10 and went
onto the terrace in front of the house
Down at the foot of the grounds ran the
river shading into hundred tones with
pool and shallow and stream, and topping
the ragged, rocky bank, patched with gold
en- gorse, rose screen of fir and larch and
russet beech; and then came heaving, swell
ing uplands, hills and hollows, giving the
sense of perpetual motion-green with pas
ture land, dim yellow with corn fields,
with here and there tiny homestead send
ing up it's peat smoke from behind the
clumps of fir; and away beyond was the
broad, purple moor stretching upward and
upward, melting imperceptibly into the
slopes of the mountains that shimmered
blue against the sky.
After filling her eyes with this scene,
Susie looked around for company. Anna
bel had gone to the Free kirk in the vii
lage with Mrs. Gray. Marion had re.
mained at home, but where she was Susie
did not know. Not even grouse shooting
young man was in sight. So Susie, cast
upon her own resources, went down to the
river. There, however she met Dickie
and three young men, evidently bored with
each other, and longing to break the Sab
bath. For once they welcomed Susie
among them. The idea of seeking distrac-
tion in feminine society came upon thrm
as novelty. They had not thought of it..
The honest young Philistines found Susie
charming, especially when they discov-
cred that her notion of fly fishing was that
the angler sat idly ON a bank and let his fly
dangle in the water until trout swallowed
it comfortably.
They talked, therefore, great deal about
fishing, to enlighten her, and she learned
many things-the sacrOsanctity of parr and
smOlt, and the grown up responsibilities OF
grilse, and the supernatural cunning of a
trout They also told her terrible tales of
poachers, and how they were going to lie
in wait for certain piratical scoundrels
who practiced otter fishing of nights; but
when she wondered how they could train
beast which she had never heard was
noted for its intelligence, they were hugely
delighted. Now an ''otter" is a fiat board
with casts and flies attached to it, which is
f1oated down stream.
Then Dickie interrupted the converse
ton, and asked her if she had ''seen Hurst
anywhere about?"
Susie being, AS before stated, only vague
ly cognizant of the names of Dickie's
friends, replied simply:
II don't know"
One of the youths came to her assistance
II don't think Miss Lee has met Hurst
She was not down to breakfast this morn
ing, and Hurst turned up late last night" {"
"If | meet strange, lost looking gentle
man | will send him to you," said Susie,
laughing. And she turned to go.
'Please don't leave u.s." chorused the
youths.
But Susie, with a little spirit of co
quetry, thought she would punish them
for previous neglect, and departed from
them up the winding path through the
larches that led to the grounds. She went
along the trim walks between the smooth
turf that contrasted strangely with the
little thought for company. You see,
Hurst was his name, and the mere men
ton of it, though of course it belonged in
this case to somebody else, brought back
old associations. She shook it away, how
ever, and went in quest of Marion. One of
the maids in the house thought that Miss
Marion was in the grounds. So Susie went
out again and wandered into all the shady
corners were the girls loved to dream over
books and needlework, and ventured into
little alleys between.great rhododendrons
and Irish yews. At last she caught the
CLEAN of white skirt and heard Marion's
fresh laughter. She ran to an opening.
"Oh, there you are, Marionl Ive"-
Then she stopped, gave little gasp and
turned deadly white. There was Marion,
bright and happy enough; but around her
waist was the arm of a handsome youth.
The arm slipped away like flash, and
the owner thereof settled his shirt cuffs, as
every man does, as a preliminary, when in
difficulties. Marion ran forward and seized
Susie by the hands.
You naughty, wicked little girl, to
creep around corners like that" she whis-
pered, blushing and embarrassed. "There.
don't look SO shocked. Run away, do,
that's dear, and perhaps I'll tell you all
about it later And, Susie-please don't
tell Annabel."
Susie ran away quickly, without a word,
and reaching her own room threw herself
Oh the bed, reeling and dizzy.
| Marion turned around to her lover. The
little scene had not taken twenty seconds.
'It was only Susie, Eric; but what do |
care-now?"
| Perhaps he ought to have kissed her for
| the little speech, but he did not He took
out his handkerchief and wiped his fore
| head.
| ''She is one of my great chums, you
know" she went on, slipping her hand
through his arm. And she is such dear
| little girl. want you to be great friends
with her. You will, won't you, for my
sake?"
Anything for your sake, dearest" re-
piled the young man tenderly. But
| like Miss Lee for her sweet little self"
'Do you know herr" asked Marion in
delighted amazement
"Yes. Why not? 1 met her down in
Devonshire two or three summers ago"
''And you got on well togetherf"
"Oh, yes" He paused for a moment as
| If embarrassed. ''Only, of course, you
AuOW, L Olu AOU ScS fSI u4uCA u ACI.
Then he put his arm again around her
| waist, and they continued the talk of their
life together and of the wonder that would
| be-
But Susie all the time was sobbing her
| heart out and fighting great battle.
When the luncheon bell rang she went
down into the morning room, where some
of the party had collected. Annabel came
up to her with her little accentuated man
| ner
why, child, what is the matter with
your"
'Only tired. I've been standing in the
sun all the morning, down by the river"
1.-THE result of Sabbath breaking. You
should have come to kirk and listened to
Mr.. Macculloch for an hour and a quarter