Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-08-02

For though Maisie wrote home to
"papa' the morning after Mrs. Ensle-
woods dance, earnestly begging for
leave to return to the country ut once
instead OF going OF TO her next visit.
and assuring linn that She telt she
would never, be happy i'll fashionable
society. never lie happy anywhere. ill.,
deed, away from him and everything
she cared for. papa Was memorable.
1t was natural she would be homes'ck
ut first. he rcplie.l; natural and, indeed.
unavoidable, that she should feel
strange and lonely: and. as she well
knew She could not possibly long more
to he With him again than he longed
to have her But there We're I'LL the :ea-
soDs she knew full we'll why She should
stay in town has had been arranged.
The very reasons which had made him
send her now made hilu say she must
remain Her good sense would show
her the sountlneSS of his motives, and
she must behave like his own brave
AIaisic. And the girl never knew what
This letter had cost her invalid father,
nor how be had shrlllk from opposing
her wishes
she set off so cheerfully," he said
to himself, and she has only been there
three days. And she seemed rather to
have enjoyed her first dinner party at
the concert, or whatever it w;ls, that
Gertrude Englewood took her to. What
can have happened ut the evening par
ty: She dances we'll. l know; and she
is not the sort of girl to expect or care
much about ball room admiration.
Poor man. it was so far a djs;lppoint-
mcnt to him. He would lave liked to
get Il merry. happy letter that morning
us he sat ut his solitary breakfast. For
he had no fear, no SHADOW Of fear.
that his AIaisie's head ever could be
turned.
Il have guarded against any dangers
of that kind for her, ut kast,' lie said
to himself. provided 1 have not gone
too far and made her too Sohcr-ilii"dcd.
safe side-considering everything.
Three or four evenings after Mrs. En-
glewood's dance Despard found Himself
at musical party. He WAS in his own
milieu this time. and proportionately
affable-with the cool. condo descending af-
liability which was the nearest approach
to making himself agreeable that he
recognized. He had been smiled at by
the beauty of the evening. much ell
joying her discontinue when he did
not remain many minutes by her side;
he had been all hut abjectly cntreated
by the most important Of the dowagers
q very great lady, indeed, in every
sense of the word, to promise his as
sistance at her intended theatricalS; he
had. in short. received the appreciation
which was due to him, and was now
1,s ,%o1.1 W,
stalled in an easy ch.:>S. debating With
himself whether it was worth while
to give Mrs. Belmont a fright by ell
crossing her pretty daughter. and thus
causing to retire from her side in the
sulks Sir Henry Gayburn, to whom the
girl was talking. For Sir Henry was
rich and was known to be looking out
for wife. and Despard lad long since
been erased from the maternal list Of
desirable possibilities.
''Shall II" he was saying to himself
as he lay back with smile, when a
voice beside him made him look UP.
1t was that Of the son of the house,
a friend Of his own; the young man
seemed annoyed and perpleXed.
Norleys! oh, do Inc a good turn,
will you? I have to look after the
lady who has just been singing, and my
mother is fussng about girl who has
been sitting all the evening alone. She's
a stranger Will you be so awfully good
as to take her down for an ice or some
thing?'
Despard looked around. He could
scarcely refuse a request so couched,
but he was far from pleased.
Where is she? Who is she?" he
asked. beginning languidly to show
signs of moving.
'There-over by the window-that
girl in black" his friend replied. "Who
she is 1 can't say. My mother told me
her name was Fforde. Come along.
and I'll introduce you, that's a good
fellow
Despard by this time had risen to his
feet.
upon my soul!' he calculated.
But Mr.. Leslie was in too great q
with which he spoke.
And in half a second he found himself
standing in front Of the girl who the
last time they met, had aroused in him
such unwonted emotions.
Miss Fforde," murmured young Les
lie, may introduce Mr.. Norreys?"
and then Mr. Leslie turned on his heel
and disappeared.
Despard stood there perfectly grave.
He would hazard no repulse; he waited
for her.
She looked up, but there was no smile
Oh her face-only the calm self-compos-
edness which seemed to him that he
knew SO well. How was it SO? Had
he met her before in some former eX-
Wo7s lou lnoqG lie PIP iqM iaouels!
at once strange and yet familiar? He
had never experienced the like before.
These thoughts-scarccly thoughts in
deed-fickered through his brain as he
looked at her. They served one pur-
pose at least, they prevented his feeling
or looking awkward; could such a state
of things have been conceived possible ?
Seeing that he was not going to
speak, remembering, perhaps, that if he
remembered the last words she had
honored him with, he could scarcely he
expected to do, she at last opened her
lips.
That" she said quietly, slightly in
Ginning her head in the direction where
t. young Leslie had stood, was. und er