The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-03-18

theticaily, and her eyes wandered from
the flashing stones to the gemmed ring
the young pitmHn had placed upon her
finger on the occasion OF their last meet
ing opposite the White Crow.
How had Hugh come in possession OF
such expensive articles Of jewe!ry she
asked herself. Surely he could not have
purchased them, She glanced nfresh ut
the jeweled trinkets and then eXam-
iRed them again oRe after another,
They were not new, although in no
sense the worse for wear, she could see.
Then, in q sudden flash Of recollection,
she recalled to mind what Eastwood
had said about some relatives having
bequeathed to him a fortune; and no
inconsiderable portion of the beQuest
was undoubtedly the iewelsin the casket
before her.
Not a triGe disturbed by the retlec-
ton that Hugh had impoverished him
self in order to confer u grand gift upon
her, she selected q massive diamond
and ruby breach from hor collection,
and pinned it in her dress at her
throat.
Then she carried the remainder to
heBown private room, and placing the
Casket in the drawer OF her dressing
table, locked it carefully. When she
returned to the study she found Miss
Madison awaiting her,
"Well, dear, what was it?' Miss Nal
lison asked with alta woman's eager
ness and curiosity, and her gaze wan.
dering from the empty box 10 Salome's
face.
"a few small things an old and very
dear friend sent me, Miss Madison"
salome answered quietly. "This,"
touching the jewel at her throat, twas
among them" gJElgAlL
chow pretty May l SEQ it, Salome?"
Certainly here it is
Miss Madison took the iewelled ar
ticle in her white taperiug fingers and
scanned 1t closely, now examining the
richly chased, massy gold setting with
q critical and appreciative eye, and then
scanning the diamonds and rubies with
the manner OF n C~onnoisseur.
ut is a very fine brooch, indeed,
dear" she said presented, land must
have cost your friend a lot OF money
some hundreds OF pounds, l should
think"
mot SO much surely, Miss Madison"
the girl said with bated breath. The
value OF the trinket only served to
make the gift all tho more remarkable,
ut must have-but there, dear, let
me fasten it for you" She reiastened
the ornament at the blushing girls
throat, and added, you ought TO be
thankful to the Almighty, Salome,
that your beauty and your goodness
have won for you such gifts"
The White Gypsy thanked her COM
panion with a grateful look, but vouch-
aafed no reply. Miss Madison vas sat
isfied that the giyer OF the rare gift was
her pupils atianced husband, and sa,
lome's silence respecting the donor only
tended to confirm that belief.
few more days passed ~uneventfully.
And on the day before Christmas Lady
Carsland aud her daughter called at the
Vicarage. Her ladyship was shortly
about to give n party at the Hall, and
she explained 10 Miss Madison that she
had dropped in as she was passing in
order TO ask the Vicar, his sister, and
Miss Birmingham to honor the gather
ing with their presence.
OF course Miss Madison accepted the
invitation readily, and Salome, quite
won oyer by Lady CarslAnd's gracious
words and manner, in which there was
now not a trace Of the condescension
the girl had been quick to note and OBJ
iect to when they met at the concert,
accepted only a trile less heartily. Had
Salome been in every respect the equal
OF Lady Carsland, her ladyship could
not have been more amiable, aud even
her stately daughter was less cold and
naughty than she formerly had been.
Satome had often wished lately to
meet the ladies from Carsland Hall,
and had expected when they did meet
that she would be severely snubbed by
both mother and daughter. She had,
therefore, prepared herself for the or.
deal when Lady Carsland and Cordelia
we're announced by the maid, and had
made up her mind to meet their
scornful GOODNESS with weapons OF a
like kind.
But the unexpected change in their
demeanor had thawed her Immediately,
and before the four ladies parted they
were all chatting easily and frankly
together, as ii they were friends Of con-
siderable standing.
Still, all through the half-hour which
the Carsland visit lasted, the girl felt
that the eyes Of both were upon her,
and that they were asking themselves,
"Who aud what Is this girl that Paul
Meredith has selected out OF the COM
mon herd OF work u day people to be
his wife,"
But she bore herself bravely, and
committed herself in no way; and
handsome rs we're both mother and
daughter, she felt that her own beauty
lost nothing when placed in contrast
with their own. She felt also that they
had come there thinking 10 find her u
shallow, empty.headed lass, with moth
ing to commend her to anyone ave her
comeliness; and to their surprise they
found her almost as well-informed as
either Of them, and certainly us we'll
spoken and fair hammered.
Before going away, Lady Carsland,
with q great show OF cordially, asked
Salome to run over to the hall any af-
ternoon when she had leisure, and tho
girl promised to do so, not that she iu-
tended either to avail herself OF tho in-
vitation or desired to do so, but because
she was not rude enough to refuse the
offer Of friendship held out to her.
Some afternoons later, as salome Was
about to leave the vicarage for her
usual walk, Miss Madison put a ques-
ton to her.
(which way ara you thinking OF talk
ing, Salome2" she asked, as she fasten-
cd the iair girls sealskin coat at the
throat.
~ intended TO walk through the
wood and come back by way Of Cars
land Hail." the girl answered.