The herald., 1894-11-08

out toe de canefiels, but would be home


a'ter while.
Furman idled out into the grounds
A field of fruit that he had not previous
ly explored attracted him, and he wan
dered thither. Dragon flies and honey
bees swarmed over the peaches, burst
ing with their richness under tho sun s
ardent kiss, and scintillant greon June
bugs filled the air with the sibilant
whir of their gauzy wings.
Furman initiated the example of the
gluttonous insects and feasted on the
fruit picked ready to his hand
From behind the screen of fig bushes
Miss Lieth appeared. A large hat part
ly shaded her face, and in her hands
was basket filled with the finest of
the yellow figs. Her eyes smiled when
she saw Furman, and faint carmine
tinged the olive of her cheek.
Father came home early this morn
ing, she volunteered. Her voice had in
it a note of shyness, but her eyes rested
intently ON his.
''Indeed?" Furman selected a pie
thoric fig and thought of Mrs. Page.
eyes. He is over in the young cane
beyond the cottonwood. " Her eyes still
dwelt on his face, and they were, he
imagined, more suggestive of inward
smoldering than ever.
81 shall not seek him unless, indeed,
you wish to be rid of me- {"
She shrugged her shoulders
They strolled leisurely through the
fruit plantation and again entered the
flower garden by another path 1t was
not yet the luncheon hour, but the ma
jor was seated on the piazza. He was
scrupulously neat in what seemed to be
freshly laundered suit of white linen,
but his face was as indifferently COM
posed and his eyes as alphabetically dor
mant as ever. Belinda passed into the
hallway, leaving the two men together
Furman found a seat in the chair he
liked best and lighted a cigar. The
major cleared his throat and looked at
Furman expectantly, but there was no
consciousness III the calm insouciance of
the young man.
Him." the major began hesitat-
ingly. "Belinda tells mo that you have
-er-that is, that she loves you, and
that you have arrived at an understand
ing"
The blank amazement of Furman s
face cut short the majors speech, and
he sat staring at him inquiringly. 81
beg your pardon, Major Leith," Fur
man began; "there has been mistake
cannot explain" he stammered in dis
tressed astonishment
"But l insist on an explanation. :"
The majors eyes were as dormant as
before, but there was new tone in his
voice that Furman had never heard be-
fore. "My daughter loves you-she has
confessed it to me-and she believes you
love her in return. It is an injury for
which you must make reparation. "
Furman sat staring at the major stu
pidly, and gradually the situation
dawned on him. The hand that he had
pressed and the cheek that he had kissed
in the gloom of the hallway were not
those of Mrs. Page, the majors bride
elect, but those of Belinda Leith, the
majors daughter.
Belinda had inferred his regard from
could he explain this to the girl s ia
ther? He felt humiliated and ashamed
of what the major would consider an
objectionable breach of the laws of hos
pitality and could find no way out OF
the difficulty.
In the midst of the embarrassing ST.
lence Belinda appeared at the door. Her
faon n 6anrNnr nliua a,,6
more full of smoldering fires. Furman
did not readily forget her glance and
smile as she exclaimed:
lyon are wrong, father I do not
love- | hate" and she vanished as
quickly as she came.
The major left his chair. "The cart
will be at the door in half an hour" he
said. "Frascati is the nearest station. +"
Bowling courteously he followed his
daughter
In his room Furman found the ebony
boy ready to do his bidding, and on the
steps the host waited to speed the part
ing guest. Belinda and the bride elect
were not visible.
1 beg you will accept my regrets and
lhdhO W bIlO u0
majors face was unchanged. He bowed
very courteously, but did not offer his
hand. Furman climbed into tho cart
with the negro driver and was bowled
away swiftly along the road to Frascati
A week later he was floating down
stream to his destination. Upon the
dingy brasswork of the boat the sun
famed as hotly and the yellow waves
Tapped the shore with the same recur-
rent surge and swoon, the black rousta-
bouts swarmed over the boat at every
landing, and the dreary monotone Of
their singing was the same. Though the
Sugar plantation of Major Lieth was left
behind, Furman carried with him for
'aany weeks vivid memory of that un-
conventional episode. - Philadelphia
Times.
In Fitting speotat = ~''' 10 TO tho Ears tsouh
Must 10 Considered.
Having selected q pair of frames with
% nose piece of tho right height and
spread to bring the glasses into the