Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1893-04-21


1.-THE fowers-ah, yes, tho lowers-I
have seen them oil grow, and Simpson
knows how to arrange them," said Sir
Reggie, still looking about the room
with an uncomfortable hesitation Of man :
nor.
"Your sister," he asked at last, ''your
sister likes these flowers"
'My sister thought them lovely. She
has gone on n visit to Aunt Lou at
Clifton; she went yesterday"
'She saw the flowers and went"
Lola nodded her head.
"Ah" muttered shortly by sir Reggie,
aud then long pause.
Even Lola was nonplussed, and began
to think there must be some mistake.
sob, 1 see-ycs-she thought"
What she thought he did not say, per-
haps he did not know; at all events, he
was too shy to express it.
Lola, however, was not afflicted with
diffidence, and as this big fish was wrig-
Cling at the end of her line, she intend
cd to land it, if possible.
"She thought, l suppose" sho went
on, still laughing little restrainedlv,
"that you and could settle arrange
ments best without her."
EXACTLY. Yet do not quite see why
she should 60 away. Perhaps it would
be better if / came again another day"
Certainly not. Papa expects you to
luncheon, aud afterward you can have q
nice long talk with him, and after the
talk you can come and SIT in the garden
with me-"
They went into luncheon. Tho Squire
was aggrcssively hospitabe in his efforts
to set Sir Reggie at his case, for he was
we'll aware of the Baronet's proclivities,
which he by no means lesssened by his
tremendous attempts to "draw him out {"
Eventually, the two men adjourned to
the smoking room, where Lola had or
dered coffee aud where she would GER
tainly have made third party but for
the important issue that she hoped would
be the result OF their conversation.
Not that she felt, by any means, MS
assured about the future as she had been
before Sir Reggie arrived that morning.
He was so strange, SO undecided, that it
would not surprise her If no did not
speak to her father at all, and if he did,
what would he sayl Aud Lola grew
white and faint from sudden pain
which this query seemed unexpectedly to
have brought her.
Gould it be possible after all that it
was Nora he loved7 Had she, the infal-
lible Lola, made mistaken She took
out the note and read it once more.
No, it was addressed and written to
her; there could be no mistake. Yet
why was he SO anxious to have Nora
there7 She supposed he wanted the
little sister to back him up.
The interview in the smoking room
was long one, and the farther it was
protracted the more anxious Lola grew.
At last the clock struck 4; if she had
not feared to be thought unmaidenly
she would have gone into the smoking
room and broken up the conclave, SO
impatient had she become, when she saw
her father coming toward the house
from o totally opposite direction-and
alone.
"Has Sir Reggie gomez" she asked, rs
soon as her father was near enough to
hear.
eyes, I have just unlocked the pad
dock gate for him. 1t is much short.
er walk that way."
Lola could contain herself no longer.
''You have not refused your consent to
the marriage, papa2"
''Not bit of it, not bit of it, child.
On the contrary, have told him l shall
be proud to have him for son-in-law."
"Then why on earth has he gone
away2"
"Why should he stayY He is going to
Clifton by the evening train, belle ye2"
tTo Clifton2"
"Well, isn't Nora there7"
choral You mean that Sir Reggie
wants to marry Nora7"
The Squire looked at her rat com.
ically, then burst OUT laughing. His
nature was somewhat coarse.
"By Jove, and you thought Breton
wanted to marry you'll By the stars, but
here is q blessed imbroglio-quite a
family drama" Aud the Squire set up
another discordant peal.
''If he wishes to marry Nora, why did
he write to met" asked Lola, angrily,
taking Sir Reggie's letter from her
pocket and handing it to her father.
He read it through from end to end,
becoming more serious as he did so.
"a manly, straightforward letter; yes,
as said before, am proud of him. He
will make little Nora a good husband. +"
straightforward, you call it, to writ e
TO me when he means Nora2"
sit is all your own fault, Lola, and
the less you say about it the better"
"My fault, indeedl"
"Yes, you are always trying to ad-
vance yourself and thrust Nora into the
shade. 1t all came out during my talk
with Breton"
al don't in the least know what you
mean"
"No, of course not" and the Squire
sneered. "You quite forget that you
told Breton Nora was older than you. -
Lola hung her head. She remem.
bered now. how. some weeks ago. in G