The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1894-10-12
CHAPTER III.
Tho Old Love and tn. New.

! hr oiu Love anu new.
The Tauntons' bali was as great a
success as anybody could possibly have
wished. as. indeed. most balls in the
! country are, so little formality is mix
J cd up with the amusement, SO much
real enjoyment mingled with the out
ward fun. Miss Blount, in her glcaIn-
ing white and amber. looked every
inch fairy queen, or anything else
unusually lovely. all the night-at least
so thought Sir Mark Warrenne, to
whom she appeared on that particular
evening and ever afterward the ''darl
INCEST" girl il all the world He fell
in love with her hopelessly, irretric
| vably, as entirely as ever Harriet
! Charters could nave wished. and
WIS perpetuaIly bringing over flowers.
and sending up to London for books
and music, all to make excuses for his
inceSsant visits 10 the old manor At
ter few Intellectual struggles to main
tain her former self-demeanor, Miss
Blount succumbed and treated him
with that strange insidious mixture
Of womanly gentleness and childish
potulance so dangerously sweet to all
those who were unlucky enough to en-
roll themselves under her banner
Archibald Blount was more than sat
istied with the state of things; affairs
seemed improving and brighter days
loomed in the misty future Already
he saw visions and dreamed dreams of
the time to come when his pockets
should be once more amply filled. and
the old place renovated from sarret 10
l1sement He thought with eXultant
glee Of the brilliant prospect In store
for him. when. thanks to his daughters $
wealth, he would be for the remain
der of his days far beyond the reach
that that dread nightmare, Debt. and
enabled to compass many things
necessary to his own individual
comfort. now utterly unattain-
able So he calculated. and meantime
Sir Mark. with the nervous timdity OF
a blushing school boy-despite his fWel-
ty-seyen years-Was wondering When
he should dare to lay his fourteen thou
sand year at Miss Blounts diminutive
feet. while Blackwood Craven. in the
background of the picture. was quiet
ly eating his heart away in silent, bit
ter hopeleSsncSs.
sir Mark. being only too glad OF an
onrortunity that brought him TO MISS
Rlounts side, was in the habit OF com
ing over at least four nights In every
week from Warrenne Hall to receive
= cup OF coffee, and watch Katherine
delicate hands as they moved merrlly
here and there among the gilded emma.
The summer had been remarkably wet
and cold. so much@So that the following
season. as though ashamed OF its com
rade's churlishness. had shone out with
unusual splendor. and, though it was
now in the middle Of September, the
weather was so warm and bright ana
snnny that one could easily imagine
Iulv TO have gone aStray from It's nat
ural place. and turned up again IN the
heart Of broun-tinged Autumn.
Worrenne-who had arrived at that
unsatisfactory stage Of his love affair
when 4 man feels restless and generally
uneasy if debarrpd from sight OF his
di,inity for whole day-had strolled
o,er ,his evening from his own place,
= walk # about two miles and a hall
through the surrounding WOODS ana
intermediate fields. to see MISS Bio,.h'.
At her garden gate he met her 'us'
setting out for distant padd 'cK 70
criticise certain colt. which she 11hd,
" hoped might prove after her own
heart 49,.
Now Katherine was at all times
slightly peculiar in the point OF nress
=, neculiarity that at intervals might
almost be called odd, not to say fah
tastical-and tonight. about an hour pe
rora Sir Marks arrival. feeling tired
and listless with nothing TO do-bIach
wood having gone out after dinner I.
, neichboring farm upon some busl
ness of his uncle's-she had gone uI
st,irs to an old lumber room, when
noEing here and there in vague. un
thinking manner, she had come snddeh
" upon rich black satin dress OF hel
,nother's-fresh and good certainly, bu
extremely Observation-Disclosures had a
once taken her girlish fancy.
She tried 1t on; it fitted to per1ecuon
almost as though it had been made ex
nrassly for her. and. having been orig
inallv intended for full dress, leaving
tho arms and neck quite bare, seemed
tho very thing for such warm ener
yatiny evening as the present.
(To BE Continned)
Heavy Proof.
R;nthair-Did you believe your VIII
when she told you sne was COOK
Nuwed-Oh, yes. She made some bis
cn,ts Which gave great weight to he