The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-10-27
THE LADY'S DREAM.


daughter of the Earl and Countess Of Riv-
enham. She was also the loveliest girl of
the day, but as cold and unimpassioned as
a statue wrought from purest alabaster.
Her sirenlike smiles lured Gerard Rams
ford, young officer of hussars, to her side,
and he soon became enslaved in the meshes
of love which she heartlessly weaved
around him.
One evening when alone with her in the
earl's drawing room he declared his pas
sion. She permitted him to toy with her
soft, white hand, and as she glanced into
his enraptured face smile played around
her lips. Gerard imagined the smile to be
an omen of success, and his delight was
unbounded.
On the impulse of the moment he clasped
her into his arms and imprinted warm
kiss upon her lips
He was the first lover who had ever dared
to press his lips to hers. Soon her cold ma
ture asserted itself. She extricated herself
from his arms and turned away disdain-
fully. Gerard saw the dark frown upon
her brow and trembled but it was against
his nature to recoil, therefore he determined
to learn his fate at once
Dear Lady Blanche" he pleaded in
tremulous tones, pray pardon my impetu-
osity. Words are powerless to express how
devotedly l love you. Do for PHYS sake
hold out one ray of hope"
She vouchsafed no reply, but turned
from him with scorn ineifable and slowly
left the room without deigning to cast even
one look behind.
On the morrow Gerard called again at
the earl's house, but Lady Blanche refused
to receive him. She sent him no message,
not even a word, from which he, with all a
lovers fond desire, could manage to ex-
tract the smallest hope, and so, with head
bowed low and an aching heart, Gerard
came away.
At this time Count de Lornais, a scion OF
an old and wealthy French family, made
his appearance in London society. De Lor-
nails was a handsome man, with polite and
fascinating manners, and it was soon whis-
pered that he, too, was enthralled by the
supreme loveliness of Lady Blanche.
All through one London season the count
continued stanch in his allegiance to Lady
Blanche, and then it began to be rumored
that the handsome and wealthy Frenchman
had beaten all his rivals and won the great
est beauty of the day at last.
These rumors reached the ears of Gerard
Ransford, who drew his own deductions
therefrom.
1.-THE Sinking Frenchman's money has
won her." said Gerard, while am dis
carded because of my poverty"
From that moment Gerard became an
altered man. His days were now devoted
to the betting ring and his nights to the
card table Formerly one of the most
CHEEKY of companions, he was now an
eager, greedy, grasping gambler, caring for
no pastime or amusement unless it led t.
gain, which simply means the winning of
money at all hazards, and the primary
cause of this great change was the tickle
will of a woman.
Phryne MARYLAND was a lady of voluptu-
GUS beauty, Who posed on horseback in
Hyde park and lounged in private boxes
at the principal theaters. From whence
she came or to whom she belonged no one
appeared to know, and now Gerard Rams
ford might be seen by the side of Miss Mar
land in all those places Of resort where So
ciety loves to congregate.
Meanwhile Count de Lornais was gra-
ciously received by the Earl and Countess of
Rivenham, and the count himself imagined
that his success was now assured; there
fore he importuned Lady Blanche to name
a day for their wedding.
After befooling the count month after
month she one day abruptly informed him
that marriage was the very last thought
in her mind.
monsieur lie Comte," she said, "you
surely are not one of those foolish moths
of society who imagine that every lady
around whom they autter is dying of love
for them~
mo, Lady Blanche" replied he, smiling
significantly. II am not a moth of that
kind" He bowed distantly and retired,
and Lady Blanche saw him no more.
The counts vanity was wounded, and his
chagrin at this unexpected repulse was
very great His belief in himself with re.
gard to affairs d'amour was unbounded
and as he could not attribute his failure to
any fault of his own he concluded that
some more favored rival must have won
the lady's heart, and as he had heard that
the young English officer, Gerard Rams
ford, had been a sutton for the lady's hand,
he now imagined that Gerard was the sue
cessful lover, for whose sake he himself
was rejected, and he hated Gerard accord
ingly.
Time passed away, and Lady Blanche
still led cold and unsym pathetic life, and
at last drear sense Of loneliness fell upon
her, and she became spirit haunted. Fol
night after night by the side of her snow
white couch phantom stood and in words
Of sadness and sorrow discoursed of love
and never before had Lady Blanche listened
| to words so sweet as those which came from
the lips Of the phantom.
This ethereal and shadowy form ofttime:
assumed vague resemblance to herself and
sometimes its dim lineaments reminded hel
of Gerard Ransford, but not once could She
trace the faintest likeness to any other fac'
or form with which she was familiar.
The appearance Of the phantom was 81
constant, night after night, that Lady
Blanche grew accustomed to its nocturna
visits, and she grieved when it did not ap
pear.
Her heart held commune with the phan
tom, and in a manner unknown to mortals
they exchanged thoughts and talked to
gether.
| - II