The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-03-31

posiWVeiy inuho lie Uilinh VI ono sVilio-
times"
His face paled u little, His mouth had
fiI1ner look as he walked in silence by
her side to the gate Hesitating a mo-
ment while she coquetted VITA her para
sol and shifted some wild flowers un-
easily from one hand into the other;
"Goodby, Eleanor" very gravely.
"Goodby, Jack" yivaciously.
"Is that all-can you say nothing else?"
"Why, what should Isay% she laugh
ed.
"Say that you care--a little--for our
summer ended-if You do taking her
hand.
"But what if | don'tY withdrawing
that member.
He looked at her challenging face a
moment, seriously.
"Goodby," he said, and turned and
walked away. Eleanor tripped lightly
over the threshold up to her room, flung
off her hat, Immediately sat down, and
yes, true to the inexplicably contra
dictions Of girlhood. cried.
She remembered it now with smile,
half Of incredulity, half Of self con-
tempt. Why did she cry? True again
to the inexplicabilities of girlhood she
did not know.
Three weeks after the parting scene
she had received a letter from Jack in
Texas, purely friendly, but the closing
paragraph Of which was this, "May ex-
pect an answer, and may | hope that you
do regret, just little, the ending of our
summer idyl~ So Eleanor had written
her reply warily eschewing the subject
Of "regret," however, and that was the
letter to which she had received no re-
ply.
The winter days wore on. From in
difference to curiosity, from curiosity to
pique, and now from pique to anxiety
and fitful depression her feeling had
passed. From careless dream Of se-
curity in his regard she had awakened
to doubt and uneasy question, Had he
never cared himself for their summer
idyl? OF course she didn't, she stoutly
maintained to herself, but someway the
growing conviction of his Indifference
was extremely unwelcome to her.
If the truth must be told, her anxiety
wore on Miss Eleanor, and she even
moped a little, dismally sometimes, at
twilight in her room, and pretended she
had headache when Fred called She
dropped by degrees out of the duets and
petulantly declared it bored her to sing.
Her friends and Mr.. jerome Arthur i'm
plored, but she was obdurate. Neither
passionate glances nor tender tones had
power to move her more. Then she
snubbed Lew Hunter and privately voted
him stupid,
Miss Mears noticed capriciousness of
appetite, and was anxiously solicitous.
Did Eleanor sleep well nights? Had shea
pain in her side? A dizzy head? Was her
tongue coated? And wouldn't she have
on porous plaster or wouldn't she take
some tonic bitters? To all of which her
niece objected with laughing contempt.
"What do you think about going to
Chocorua again this summer" inquired
Miss Mears of her niece one morning the
following June. They were sitting at
breakfast, and Eleanor was dallying with
her coffee spoon.
"Oh, that stupid little town, no. Any
place but there" was the quick response.
"Why," said her aunt, in mild sur
prise, 81 thought you liked it SO much
last year. ] ann sure the farm house was
cool, the vegetables fresh, and you know
you thought the river scenery was de-
Eghtful."
At mention of the river scenery Flea
nor was conscious of pang at her heart
like pain; but she answered carelessly:
"One tires Of things sometimes Ishould
like change"
That evening as she took down her
long hair in her aunt's room, before re-
tiring, she said suddenly, and with a
little nervous futter, YES let's go to
Chocorua, auntie; you know you like it,
md the Kensels are going, and it's as
good as any place, after ALL"
Miss Jane Mears received the PROPOSE
hon without surprise, having had twen-
ty years experience with the tluctuating
Of her niece. So it was ar
ranged.
A month later found them settled.
There were numerous gay young peo-
pie, Fred Kensel, his sister and Jerome
Arthur among the rest, and Eleanor
walked and drove and sought cut her
I'D haunts by the river. But there was
lack, haunting memory, and wist-
'ul pain which her heart sought in vain
% ignore.
One night u merry half dozen of them
we're playing tennis in the field near the
arm house which was the temporary
lome Of their choice, when a carriage
,assing the driver raised his hat and