The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-04-27
A poor lost soul, cast down with wretched
ARBUTUS BERRIES.

ARBUIUS BERRlES.
Arbutus berries, when they are
ripening from orange to flame color,
and anon from flame color to glorious
crimson, are pretty to look upon; and
clustering spray of blossom leaf and
fruit forms a charming ornament for
lady's hair. So at least thought
Captain Mark Brett, though he was a
man not given to thinking about such
things.
Mark had been spending a good deal
OF time in this garden of late. His
quarters were hard by-that is to say,
within ride-and Mrs. Carrington's
lodge gates had opened to him and
closed behind him oftener than any
one cared to count since his battery
had been sent to the fort on the hill a
year before.
Now he stood still and looked around.
Every one else had gone within doors,
and he, too, was going directly. He
was engaged to dine with the CARING
tons, mother and daughter, and there
was to be something of a dinner party,
but his dress clothes were being al
ready laid out in the little room
over the porch, which had become in
a manner his own on these occasions,
and he was never long over his toilet.
He could afford few minutes to stand
and think.
There was the house-a cozy, ample,
comfortable house. With his eyes he
took in the deep-thatched roof and the
stacks of smoking chimneys, which
had an air of joyous preparation in the
cold departing light. There were the
stables. With his ear he noted the
CHEEKY sound of ringing hoofs and busy
voices, giving token of brisk pros
perity and abundance. On every side
were trim hedge and shaven turf,
while from the flower gardens gleam-
ing panes showed where the rows of
greenhouses and wineries had caught
the rays of the sinking sun.
"How jolly, how awfully jolly it all
isl" murmured Mark to himself
In point of fact, Captain Brett's "all'-
was at the identical moment peeping
from behind the aforementioned
lattice, watching his antics as closely
as the waning light permitted her to
do. She had thought-no matter what
she had thought-just before dressing
time.
What if she mad been out with Mark,
strolling hither and thither in the dark?
Nobody had objected. Her mother
was Marks best friend.
"And the poor old lady wants some
body here to look after things most
awfully," Mark now proceeded to pom
der. "She is too rich to be easy in her
mind, with nobody but servants. /
would be the very one for her. I
would look after everything. And
would be as good to her as possible
for she is uncommonly kind to me,
and am as fond of her as l can be.
We should hit it off together first-rate.
AS for Edith;" he paused. Gas for
Edith" another pause. "If only peo-
pie would not think I am after Edith's
money!" he said, slowly.
He was well aware that this was just
what people would think-what many
people were indeed already thinking.
He was poor man and Edith Car
rington was an only child.
Edith was CHEEKY, little, plain girl
with pleasant ways and an active,
energetic mind. For some time after
she and Mark had become acquainted
no thought of the heiress as possible
sweetheart or wife had ever entered
the old soldiers mind.
He had began by trotting over to
The Hatch once a week because coun-
try neighbors were rare in the part
where he was quartered, and because
he was sociable man, and liked well
come chat and change from the mo-
notony of barrack life. This was in
the springtime of the year.
Then came autumn and the shorten
ing of the daylight. By that time
Mark had begun to look jealousy at
any third person who might be guest
beneath the matched roof, which had
become to him loadstar, and toward
which his thoughts were continually
straying, in whatsoever direction his
feet might be turned. If the guest
CHANGED to be young man-and re-
1atives of this kind were forever
turning up at The Hatch-Cap-
tain Brett would retire within him
self, be taciturn, watchful and uncom-
municative.
Tonight, however, as he mused al
alone in the dusk outside of the swift
ly lighting rows of windows he felt
that his time had come; he must dc
something, make some effort to fine
out how the land lay at once within
the next few hours. He could go OF
no longer as he was living. A young
fellow, one of Edith's innumerablt
cousins -confound these cousins-wa
to arrive the very next day, and ;
dozen others were to follow for the
Christmas week. He must be before
hand with them. Yet how to g
straight at the terrible question, ye;
or nay?
Then he looked up and looked agail
at the arbutus tree, and happ,
thought inspired his breast.
"What in the world is he doing?
wondered Edith from her window. Sh
herself was all in hustle to be dressed
and down before other people arrived
-neighbors were occasionally un
punctual, especially if they had far t
. drive on dark night, and it SCENE,
to her that if Mark would be equal
sharp they might have a nice littl
quarter of an hour or so all by them
selves in the lamp-lit drawing-roo1
presently.
= Mark had more than once seemed t
appreciate such little quarter of a
hour.
He was gathering sprays of arbutu
laden with berries and blossoms.
A few minutes after and Marie, th
maid, appeared, bearing the same 8
;, her young mistress's door. From n
u le Captaine,' observed the abigail
q airily (for messieurs les captaines thel
is always a soft spot in a French girl
fancy), "for the hair of mademoisell
He begs that mademoiselle will .
him the honor to wear the posi-
It is not a very chic posie," ey
inc the massive bunch with tt
,s disgust of an artist; "It is too larg
e. it is too heavie for the hair, this gre;
N bush.
But contrive, 1 arrange, but
need not that l use it ALL, more chez
fnllu @Perm eft tezmni mademOiSell