The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1894-12-22
DASHED HOPES.

| Ia tne dim corners OF Lazy AIRING
ton's big drawing-room in Grosvcnor
| place rose-shated lamps were casting
! a te nder glow. but near the three tall
! windows and in the center Of the
| room there was still sufficient day
light to illuminate the faces and frochs
| Of the guests who were assembled for
dinner.
Lady Arlington, clad in slimmering
white satin and wonderful pink pearls.
nitted like spirit from group to
group; now greeting a fresh arrival,
now pairing off her friends.
Lady Susan, Lord Marrable will
take you down. He's awfully dull, l
other side. Sir Charles, you're des-
tined to tho tender mercies OF Dolly
Iansdown. Take care of yourself;
she's a dreadful little flirt. aud boasts
OF her victims. All, Olivia, I'm de-
lighted to see you. Col Egerton. take
care of my friend, Mrs. Abinger. for a
few moments till her cavalier turns
up. What a nuisance your Eek is.
colonel. Hero we nre, twentythree
hungry souls, NIL waiting for one
tiresome man. Olivia, my dear, If in
five minutes he does not turn mp I'm
afraid you'll have to go downstairs
alone.'
And with gay little laugh Lady
Arlington TUNED away.
Mrs. Ab;ngcr smiled after her re-
treating figure, and Col. Egcrton,
catching sight of her slightly-curled
mouth. thought she had the sweetest
lips he had ever seen. and SO thinking,
he looked the closer.
Ito saw slender woman, with a
shapely head set upon a round. white
throat. The low-cut bodice OF her
plain black gown clasped q slight
waist and made a fitting framework
for her dinapled shoulders. Her big
~ u.
tiny wrists and small pink tipped fin
gers In the fast-fading light he could
scarcely distinguish her features, but
he noticed that her hair was soft and
fair, and that her eyes were large and
just a little sad.
The gallant colonel was still won
dsring what kind of a voice SO charm
Jug . woman could have, when the
door was flung wide and a tall man
strobe into the room. Lady Arlington
hcaved an audible sigh of relief,
waved rather than spoke an introduce
ton between Mrs. Abingcr and the
newcomer, and then. like a multi
coloSed snake, her guests rustled down
the wide white staircase to dinner.
There was momcntary dragging of
aiken trains under chairs and u gen
eral settling down before the last ar
rival turned to scan the woman at his
side, whom, in the swift transit from
the drawins-roo1n to the dining-room
he had only vaguely concluded was
slight, ind pretty, and fair-haired.
"Olivia! You?" His tone of aston
ishrnent was too loud for good breed
ing, but the chat about the table was
lively, and no one heard his voice save,
indeed. Mrs. Abinger.
Yes, it is I. I knew you the mo-
ment you entered, though the room
was almost dark
And yet we've not met Tor so many
years." he said; then, with tho gal
liant after-thought of a man of the
world, he added: Not that you look |
one day older than when"
She finished the sentence for him:
I'VE parted" !
There was Il sigh in her voice and II
touch of pure sentiment in her sad |
eyes as she spoke, and recalled. US
love to do, the agony of that |
hour. fifteen years ago. which had |
torn her from Angus Ferrers' arms.
She had been so young then-]ittle !
had been given to her boyish lover, |
Ind the parental cdict which had sent |
Angus to India aud herself to q
marriage had nearly broken |
Ter beart
But the dream of the past was dis
oeilcd by him who had recalled it.
And you marricl?'' he said.
Yes; I was obliged. Mr.. Abinger
vas rich in those days, and he bought
me-"
I'm those days! Is he not so now:'
He died two years ago, a paupcr."
Mrs. Abingcr spoke quietly. She
lad lived SO long with the tragedy of
,xistence that it had lost it's most
,oig nant thrills, and had degenerated
nto gray monotony of misery.
No Sir Angus Ferrers. A look of
pity crept into his eyes, a
tote OF intense sympathy into his
roice.
"And You are"
"a widow, and a pauper, too"
She made a little gesture with her
mall, white hands; a gesture that in
tied inspection of her poor gown, Of
Ter lack of jewcls-and that told
mere plainly than could thousand
words of gentecl poverty and want.
INV poor Olivia" he said, and as
he glanced at him sllo saw tears on
lis eye-lashes.
Lady Arlington grum bled next day
o her husband of Mrs. Abinger's dull
less and Sir Angus Ferrers' silence.
But that long dinner was, in truth,
othing but Il dream to the man and
woman who had parted with such
assionate tears fifteen years ago, and
ad met once again SO unexpectedly.
Yet, though both dreamed, their
isions were so different. He, rich,
tiled. still in the prime of manhood,
vas absorbed in the dead past If he
ad been firm, if he had married
'livia, how much unhappiness he
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